sjreeves@eedsp.gatech.edu (Stan Reeves) (08/12/89)
Someone said (who am I kidding? -- most Christians say): >God hates the sin, but not the sinner. It's rather discouraging to see these kinds of cliches thrown out all the time with no biblical support, particularly in light of passages such as Psalm 5:5 -- "You hate all who do iniquity." Now, that passage seems clear enough (along with a number of others provided by Dave Mielke and OFM). However, someone objects with the following argument: > God hates sinners + We are all sinners = God hates us all. Well, this is certainly no objection to the passage (that is, the major premise -- God hates sinners). If it is true that God doesn't hate us all, then the objection calls into question the minor premise -- we are all sinners. That is exactly where the flaw is, in my view. Now before anyone gets the impression that I'm advocating perfectionism, let me say that I'm *not*! I think the issue hinges on the definition of "sinners." A quick look through the Psalms will convince you that descriptions such as "sinner", "wicked", and "does iniquity" do not refer to everyone. In the context of Psalm 5, David describes the wicked and then says "as for me", implying that he doesn't fit that category. I John teaches in a very straightforward way that there are those who "practice sin" and those who "practice righteousness." (See ch. 3.) So, when we see phrases such as "God hates sinners" in Scripture, I think we're safe in taking it to mean "God hates those whose lives are characterized by sin." If we left the topic with the idea that God hates sinners in an absolute, unqualified manner, I think we'd be doing an injustice to the full array of biblical data on the subject. For example, Christ said: But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ...Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matt. 5:44-45,48 Christ teaches that we are to love our enemies. He implies that we are to do this b/c of the example that God himself has set. That seems plain enough. Otherwise, Christ would be commanding us to do somthing which even God himself doesn't do. One more example, just in case there are still some doubters out there :-) -- In Mark 10, Jesus was speaking with the rich young ruler, who went away grieved and unsaved. V. 21 says, "And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him." Now it is possible that this man was saved later on, but if that is so, we have no evidence of it that I know of. Jesus felt a love for a man that was clearly unsaved -- and thus a "sinner" -- at the time. How are we to reconcile these two scriptural strands of thought? Personally, I'd rather let them stand unreconciled than try to throw one strand away. I'm not sure I'm capable of reconciling them, but I'll make a suggestion or two. First, we need to avoid a false dichotomy between a sinner and his sin. A person's actions and intentions characterize him! They're not separate from him. His very character is an offense against God's holiness. God will judge the person himself and not just his sin. Second, we need to recognize that God exercises mercy even toward those who ultimately will not be saved. (See passage above.) God does not delight in exercising justice on his enemies. It is a "strange work" for him (Isa. 28:21). The way I deal with the two strands is to recognize that God loves people considered as his creatures, but he hates them considered as sinners (rebels against God himself). He does good to them b/c they are his creatures made in his image, even though they are his enemies (Matt. 5:45); but he hates them with respect to their sinful nature and rebellious state. This may have muddied the waters more than anything, but I felt that a balanced presentation was needed. For anyone who feels it's relevant, I believe strongly in election. Stan Reeves
iba@ics.uci.edu (Wayne Iba) (08/14/89)
Thanks to Stan Reeves for a thougtful posting on "God's love (or lack thereof) for sin and sinners". I just wanted to add another thought into the pot. As children of Christ, being washed in the blood, we are no longer "sinners" but are free from the bonds of sin and death. This is not to say that we have no sin. If we say that we make Him a liar (I John). Instead, if we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father and can stand before the throne spotless and pure. --wayne (iba@ics.uci.edu)