Hate

Theologically speaking, the verb “hate” never takes the subject “God.” Hate is not an attribute of God. Despite the best/worst campaign efforts of Fred Phelps and the misguided folks at Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, God does not hate anyone.

How could He? Humanity is God’s crowning achievement of creation. How could He hate what He took so much pride in creating? The Bible paints a consistent picture of God’s love for and patience with His creation. Even the flood is a testimony to God’s overwhelming desire to preserve creation through love, rather than destroy it through hate. The activity of God in scripture displays the perfect relationship between judgment resulting from the righteousness of God and mercy resulting from the longsuffering of God.

Some people seem to feel as though they need compensate for God’s apparent silence on particular moral issues of society. With their actions they say, “God, if you’re not going to do something about this, then I will!” But God is not silent! Romans 1:18-20 makes it clear with these words,

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

God has given us the unique ability to innately know our failures. No need to tell the pregnant teenager of the difficulty of her situation. She knows! No need to lecture the drug addict over his poor life choices. He knows! No need to accentuate the negative influence of a fallen leader. He knows!

And what of those who knowingly practice unrighteousness? It’s not your problem! Your problem is your problem! “You have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.” Romans 2:1

God would have us live lives that display the beauty of who He is, “the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel.” Romans 1:17 He would have us speak out on behalf of humanity rather than against. He would have us speak of hatred toward things like injustice, poverty, hunger, and disease.