I received the following e-mail from one of my web visitors in October of 2005...
Psalm 5:5 tells us that God hates all workers of iniquity. So, how can you say that God loves everyone when the Bible says no such thing? In fact God despises anyone that does not have the same righteousness that He has. And, if you are married do you tell your wife that you love her and yet you love every other woman in the World in the same way that you love your own wife. Like good grief where have you gotten what you believe from? Next, God's Salvation is NOT yours to hand out to anyone. Preach that people need to flee the Wrath to come. God's Wrath and not His love is upon mankind. Read John 14:21 where Jesus says that those who obey HIM will be loved by the Father etc, etc. For if you preach that God loves everyone what would motivate them to want to repent????
I am saddened at the ignorance of so many people.
Evidently my website was featured in some online forum (again) because I've
received about ten e-mails this week just like this one. By the way, I
like when the truth is discussed in the forums. I've had people send me
letters saying that they had only gone into a forum to mock my website, but
then the truth was still convicting them months later. That's the Holy
Spirit (John 16:8)
Truly, God does not wish evil upon anyone...
"Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die..." -Ezekiel 33:11
We read in the Bible that God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish...
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." -2nd Peter 3:9
When Psalm 5:5 declares that God hates the workers of iniquity, it simply means that God hates their sin...not them. To teach that God hates sinners goes contrary to the plain teachings of Scripture. John 3:16 reads...
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -John 3:16
If Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners, then how could anyone be so blind as to say that Jesus hates anyone. Few people realize that the Word of God doesn't even tell us to hate Satan. I don't hate the devil. I'm not supposed to hate anyone. I hate everything about the devil, but I do not hate the individual. I just don't see how anyone with the love of God in their heart could hate anyone. The KKK is evil, a Satanist group of hate-mongers. It is never right to hate people. It is Biblical however to hate sin, ALL sin! Though the wicked would like to claim that hatred for their lifestyle is also hatred for them personally, it is simply NOT the truth. No one hates sin as much as God, yet no one loves the sinner as much as God. In fact, Jesus showed us just how much He really loves us by dying for us, knowing just how sinful and rotten we are...
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8
God loves ALL people. Do you think God hated Hitler? No, God hated Hitler's wickedness, but not Hitler. I worked with a man many years ago who got angry at the shop owner. The company had given him about $500 and then realized they had made a mistake. The company asked the man for the money back. I heard the man myself say that he hoped the owner of the company would someday burn in hell. Burn in hell...over $500? It's amazing the way people are. If someone rips a page out of your book, you want them to burn in hell forever. Why is it so hard to understand that God loves everyone. Do you think that the very Being Who created you could actually hate you?
The very Being Who became incarnate upon the earth to die upon the cross to redeem you from hell...hate you? I think not! If there is one theme prevalent throughout the Word of God, it is that God loves mankind and has redeemed us by the precious blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Eternal life is a FREE GIFT (Romans 5:15), and all we have to do to have it is to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and save us. John 3:3 is clear that unless a man is "born again," he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.
Rose also said in her letter...
"For if you preach that God loves everyone what would motivate them to want to repent????"
Love Rose, God's love...
"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." -Luke 7:47
Just because God loves everyone doesn't mean that God is happy with everyone. In fact, Psalm 7:11 clearly teaches that God is ANGRY with the wicked EVERY DAY! John 3:36 declares that the "wrath of God" abideth upon all Christ-rejecters! However, that does NOT mean that God hates those people. I can be extremely angry at you without hating you. Rose is confusing God's love with God's holiness and justice. God is a Holy God, and His Holiness demands justice! The love of God has provided a way of escape for humanity through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
If anyone goes to hell to burn, it will be their own decision. NO ONE can blame God for their rejection of the Saviour!!! Though God's Holiness demands justice, and justice will be executed on judgment day...it does not change one iota the abundant and merciful love of God Almighty! Jesus did NOT deserve to die a sinners death upon the cross, but we ALL certainly do! Jesus died for ALL men and women because He loves us dearly...
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." -1st John 2:2
