"God hates the wicked".

[ttruscott]

I was asked the following questions in a locked thread:

"God hates the wicked". Are you saying that parents, spouses and even children are (by default) "wicked" and worthy of hate?

So, because God hates people, yet treats them with love (???) we are supposed to do the same towards our parents, even, our spouses and our children? Hate them, but treat them with love?

Doesn't that mean we are supposed to consider others, including our loves ones, as intrinsically "hate-able"?

I must be misunderstanding what you are saying here.

I answer:

"God hates the wicked". Are you saying that parents, spouses and even children are (by default) "wicked" and worthy of hate? "

No sir, not at all. As per Matt 13: 36-40 I contend that there are two types of sinners born on earth, (only sinners are born on earth): sinful believers who are not condemned but are under the promise of redemption and sinful non-believers who are condemned already for rejecting YHWH as worthy of faith, Jn 3:18. The wicked are those who by their own choice are eternally evil, condemned to hell. The sinful people of the kingdom are not the wicked to be hated but are lost, astray in sin, to be loved back into the family of GOD. Since we do not know who that is, we are to treat all with love though to be willing to reject them totally when we are called to shut the gates of hell upon them.

Since broad is the way to perdition and narrow the gate to salvation, I suspect that the verse about not idolizing family members above the call of Christ is a pretty universal Christian experience.

The verse about loving those you hate is Matthew 5:45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Since if referring to the name of a natural emotion, love and hate are mutually exclusive (to my mind) I must refer to one of these as the actions one must take toward the recipient of the other. Since no one would act hateful to those they love, then this suggests that though we hate the wicked, (as GOD does), we should act as loving toward them as is possible within HIS justice (as GOD does).[/quote]

So, because God hates people, yet treats them with love (???) we are supposed to do the same towards our parents, even, our spouses and our children? Hate them, but treat them with love?

Ahhh, here is where hate does not refer to the raw emotion but to action, specifically the separation in our hearts from their influence over us, 2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." does not refer to a strict segregation of body but of heart and soul... As GOD walks among the wicked but is not touched by them, so too are we called to walk among the worldly, family or not, ready at all times to accept GOD's call that the time of the judgement is at hand and to come out means to be willingly and fully on HIS side of the gates when they are shut on the wicked forever.

Doesn't that mean we are supposed to consider others, including our loves ones, as intrinsically "hate-able"?

Yes, from ourselves out to all. Every sin is detestable from any sinner but hate is the willingness to damn the sin and the sinner to hell. Since we do not know who that will be we hold our judgement in abeyance until all is revealed but we stand ready with GOD to purge all of reality from evil.

[FWI]

[Replying to ttruscott]

God hates the wicked. Are we to hate or love or both?

God does not hate the wicked, thus hate (as used in relation to an emotion) is not an attribute of God.

This untrue understanding is related to a false perception of the Hebrew/Greek words that has been translated into the English words: hate, hated and hatred. The English word "hate" is mostly expressed as a negative emotion, where the Hebrew/Greek words are understood to mean: a lessor love, a disregard, or a disowning.

This is made clear in Genesis 29:30-31. Here, Jacob is labeled as loving Rachel more than Leah (verse 30), but in verse 31 (KJV), Leah is hated. So, for us to assume that Jacob hated Leah would be false. The translators use the English word hate in a "generic way" and not fully understanding the context of the Hebrew/Greek.

Therefore, we can and should love other less, than we love God. Yet, we can and should disregard or disown those who disrespect God, His laws and His ways. But, we should not hate, as the English word may expect us to.

[imhereforyou]

[Replying to post 2 by FWI]

That's a very good way to see it. I wonder, though, with all the 'experts' who have, are and will translate the bible into other languages (and even the same language again in an effort to better understand it) don't make this connection and include it in their translation in some form?
Seems to me if it's this important, (and assuming there are many more instances like this) it would be accounted for in each publication knowing not everyone on the planet who reads the bible would be able to make this, and similar, distinctions.
Or, perhaps, there is no distinction on which to make?

[Overcomer]

If I recall correctly, that thread involved questions about this verse:

Luke 14:26: "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple."

The Greek word translated as "hate" is "miseo". It is always used comparatively and involves making one choice over another. In this case, Jesus is saying that his followers must put him first, esteeming people, even family members, as well as our own selves, less than we esteem him. It is not an unreasonable request for God to make. After all, as Jesus himself says, if we seek him, his kingdom and his righteousness first, everything else will fall into place (Matt. 6:33).

Therefore, it is wrong to read into that verse the idea that we should all detest or loathe or despise our families. It simply means that we have to prioritize our relationships, putting God first, and family second.

Here is what Strong's has to say about the word "miseo".

http://biblehub.com/greek/3404.htm

It is true that God himself is capable of hatred, but it's a holy hatred and it is always aimed at evil and wickedness. For example, we read the following in Prov. 6:16-19:

"There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers."

Paradoxically, God is love. The Bible tells us that he so loved the world that he sent Jesus (John 3:16) and that he loved us even while we were still in our sin (Rom. 5:8).

When you get right down to it, his hatred stems from that love. He hates evil because of the damage it does to us and because it separates us from him. For additional information, see here:

https://www.gotquestions.org/does-God-hate.html

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by ttruscott]

PSALMS 11:5

The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence, he hates. - ISV

Psalms says God hates violent people. Scriptures indicate he hates wickedness.

JW

[onewithhim]

[Replying to ttruscott]

God hates the wicked. Are we to hate or love or both?

God does not hate the wicked, thus hate (as used in relation to an emotion) is not an attribute of God.

This untrue understanding is related to a false perception of the Hebrew/Greek words that has been translated into the English words: hate, hated and hatred. The English word "hate" is mostly expressed as a negative emotion, where the Hebrew/Greek words are understood to mean: a lessor love, a disregard, or a disowning.

This is made clear in Genesis 29:30-31. Here, Jacob is labeled as loving Rachel more than Leah (verse 30), but in verse 31 (KJV), Leah is hated. So, for us to assume that Jacob hated Leah would be false. The translators use the English word hate in a "generic way" and not fully understanding the context of the Hebrew/Greek.

Therefore, we can and should love other less, than we love God. Yet, we can and should disregard or disown those who disrespect God, His laws and His ways. But, we should not hate, as the English word may expect us to.

Excellent post. I couldn't have said it better. You have answered the question.....does God hate people? and did Jesus preach hatred toward one's family? No, if one considers the shade of meaning having to do with "hate." It is simply to "love less."

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 6 by onewithhim]

You have answered the question.....does God hate people? and did Jesus preach hatred toward one's family? No, if one considers the shade of meaning having to do with "hate." It is simply to "love less."

As Jesus himself so clearly stated.

Matthew 10:37

Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Jesus did not preach hate. Rather, he preached love; "Love your enemies".

[Aetixintro]

[Replying to post 1 by ttruscott]

As I see it, God does indeed hate the wicked for several reasons:
1. They do not respect "God's temple" in themselves.
2. They do not respect God's ethical and moral people.
3. In the Bible, historically, death has been prescribed for heathens and the wicked must be considered heathens since they do not respect either of the 2 former points.

Besides, why should "devil worshippers" have such a priority? The punishment was easy back then. If you caught one, you could kill the person.

Another reason is that, as it turns out in age of science, wickedness is deep-seated and requires much attention in order to make the person less criminally minded.

Nowadays, they are put in prison if caught in the act of doing crime...

[brianbbs67]

[Replying to ttruscott]

God hates the wicked. Are we to hate or love or both?

God does not hate the wicked, thus hate (as used in relation to an emotion) is not an attribute of God.

This untrue understanding is related to a false perception of the Hebrew/Greek words that has been translated into the English words: hate, hated and hatred. The English word "hate" is mostly expressed as a negative emotion, where the Hebrew/Greek words are understood to mean: a lessor love, a disregard, or a disowning.

This is made clear in Genesis 29:30-31. Here, Jacob is labeled as loving Rachel more than Leah (verse 30), but in verse 31 (KJV), Leah is hated. So, for us to assume that Jacob hated Leah would be false. The translators use the English word hate in a "generic way" and not fully understanding the context of the Hebrew/Greek.

Therefore, we can and should love other less, than we love God. Yet, we can and should disregard or disown those who disrespect God, His laws and His ways. But, we should not hate, as the English word may expect us to.

The JPS Tanakh seems to translate those verses better. Hate is not mentioned.

"And Jacob cohabitated with Rachel also; indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served him another 7 years. The Lord saw that Leah was unloved and He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren."

[DPMartin]

[Replying to post 1 by ttruscott]

as usual this generation tries to make Christianity or (Christians) to conform to their views of what the world ought to be like in their own judgement.

seeing they can't change what hate means:
OED 1. trans. To hold in very strong dislike; to detest; to bear malice to. The opposite of to love. (def. as old as 1175 in England)

then they have to eliminate it from biblical views, not because they care about what the Lord God says or does, only because Christianity concepts accurate or corrupted have influence in the society they see to make like themselves.

if you don't think God holds a very strong dislike; to detest; to bear malice to. then explain what He has allowed to happen to His People Israel for almost 2000 yr's especially what happened with the likes of Hitler.