Day Nineteen: God hates but God Loves.

Psalm 11:5 "The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and his soul hates the lover of violence."

God hates but God Loves. That is a radical, politically incorrect, shocking - yet accurate- statement.

I think before we get too far along with all our talk of Love we must challenge a common misunderstanding about God.

First let us remember that God is omnipotent - that means He can do anything and is constrained by nothing apart from Himself - it also means He cannot be compelled or bound by anything outside Himself to do something. God by His perfect nature is Love (1 John 4:8) but this does not mean God must love. God chooses to Love and wants to Love. God loves (Rom. 5, John 3) but Scripture is clear that He can also "hate" (Hosea 9, Psalm 11, Romans 9, Proverbs 6). God does hate sin (as is popularly coined) but God can hate groups of people and yes even individuals (Malachi 1) because of their sin and because they hate Him. God is Holy, Just and Righteous, so if God stands apart from people (hates them) it is with perfect cause.

It is important that our consideration of Love is God focused. Love cannot exist apart from God - any ideas we call "love" that do not begin with God are not Love. Evil and hate are nothings; they are the absence of the the eternal cosmic substance; the absence of Love. Have a look at this: Albert Einstein: Evil does not exist; it is the cold and darkness. It is trite - but it makes the point.

God is not bound to Love any of us. God does love us all as He created us to be - but - we must acknowledge we are not as God created us. When pop singers proclaim we are loved by God as we are because we were born this way or are a creation of God they misrepresent God - they misrepresent Love - they forget who we are before God. We are sinners. Our sin, our addiction to sin, our determination to sin and our defense of our right to sin all separates us from God casting us into our self-created darkness. Yet God's response is Grace! Anyone who truly turns to God seeking to shed sin and be restored to relationship with God by God can be assured of the Light of God's Love. God sets apart those who seek Him and call upon His name - He gathers them to be His holy people. Biblical holiness describes a wonderful unique relationship based in God's love. To be Holy is to be set apart for God to be Loved by God. In this way Holiness and Love are forever linked. And the others? Well, saddened by the rejection of the warmth and brightness of His Love God does respect their choice. God suffers the cold and endures the great darkness constantly providing moments and opportunities for all to know and return to Him. 

As we enter this third week of Advent we contemplate God's Love. God's love cannot be presumed or demanded or assumed. God's love is available to all and freely given to all who seek Him. So in Advent let us seriously reflect upon and earnestly respond to God's wondrous Love. God help us know Your warmth and light incarnate in the Holy Child of Bethlehem, our Christ of Christmas.

John 3:17-18 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God."