God's Holy Hatred

"The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup." (Psalm 11:5-6, NKVJ)

This verse was the primary verse of my morning devotion today. Talk about a sobering wake-up. I know that those who don't know God, know His word, nor understand the character and nature of God will not understand this verse. Many will deny that God can even hate anything let alone people.

I know that there are many who proclaim, "God loves the sinner but hates the sin." First of all, this concept is not in the Bible. Second, it was uttered by unsaved Hindu. Third, it just isn't true.


Prior to redemption a human being is at emnity with God. Reconciliation assumes that there is some type of separation and hostility between two parties. The separation between God and man is sin. God has a hatred, albeit, a perfect or holy hatred of sin and sinners. God's character or nature requires this to be true. God has a holy and perfect antagonism towards those who are sinners.

The good news is that God in eternity past, had some type of loving and intimate relationship with a number of individual sinners whom He chose to redeem. God initiated the act of reconciliation by offering His Son on the cross. Christ took our place and allowed His father to impute sin to him and his righteousness to be imputed to those whom God chose to love and reconcile unto himself.

This is a very sobering truth. We find just how sobering this concept really is in the words of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

 "A Christian is the result of the operation of God, nothing less, nothing else. No man can make himself a Christian; God alone makes Christians... A Christian is one who has been created anew; and there is only One who can create, namely, God. It takes the power of God to make a Christian." 

God loved both Jews and Gentiles, He loved some from all types and kinds of people and gave His Son for them, so that when they believed in Christ, they would be saved and not perish.