Your Thoughts: Does God Love the Unsaved?

I want to ask you this question: Christians are called to “hate the sin, and love the sinner.” Is it accurate to say that God hates the sin and loves the sinner? null

Answer: Modern evangelism often tries to soften the approach by saying that “God hates the sin, but loves the sinner.” This isn’t a new concept.

Charles Finney (a powerful preacher from another century) stated, “God is not angry merely against the sin abstracted from the sinner, but against the sinner himself. Some persons have labored hard to set up this ridiculous and absurd abstraction, and would fain make it appear that God is angry at sin, yet not at the sinner. He hates the theft, but loves the thief. He abhors adultery, but is pleased with the adulterer. Now this is supreme nonsense. The sin has no moral character apart from the sinner. The act is nothing apart from the actor. The very thing that God hates and disapproves is not the mere event—the thing done in distinction from the doer; but it is the doer himself. It grieves and displeases Him that a rational moral agent, under His government, should array himself against his own God and Father, against all that is right and just in the universe. This is the thing that offends God. The sinner himself is the direct and the only object of his anger.”
null “So the Bible shows. God is angry with the wicked [Psalm 7:11], not with the abstract sin. If the wicked turn not, God will whet His sword—He has bent His bow and made it ready—not to shoot at the sin, but the sinner—the wicked man who has done the abominable thing. This is the only doctrine of either the Bible or of common sense on this subject” (The Guilt of Sin). (See also Psalm 5:5 and 2 Peter 2:6–8.) -From The Evidence Bible, by Ray Comfort

Comments (18)

  1. Jessica

    Reply

    I would have to say yes. I would say that nothing can seperate anyone from the love the God. Even the person who denys Christ his whole life, i still believe God loves that person.

  2. Barbara

    Reply

    The statement is inaccurate you can not seperate the sin from the sinner. So that means he hates them both.

  3. K.

    Reply

    I believe he loves everyone, but that doesn’t mean they will spend eternity with him. If they do not repent, it will be a sad judgment day for them.

  4. Mike

    Reply

    I think God hates the sin, but still loves the person committing the sin. After all he sent his son to pay the price for the sins of mankind. An example that I like to use is a parent who disciplines their child. They hate (or dislike) the action that requires the discipline, but they still love the child. This does not mean that if someone continues to live in sin that God will forgive all just because he loves them. I may not have said it right, but I tried.

  5. Jessica

    Reply

    Barabara, I didn’t understand want you mean. Why can’t you seprate the sin from the sinner? Which statement are you talking about.

    Hmmm…i read what you wrote Steve, and it didn’t change my mind. Of course God hates the sin, and of course he is angry with the person commiting it. He was angry against the children of Israel many times when they turned to false gods, but did he ever stop loving them? I don’t believe so.
    Judges 10:16 ” And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel”. This verse is a little window into God’s beautiful heart. Sure he had to disipline Israel, because of His Holiness and Justness, but this verse tells us His heart went out to them. He could stand to see them suffer no longer, so He raised up Jephthah. Does that sound like he hated them?

  6. Wendy

    Reply

    Sounds to a degree like a love-hate relationship that’s often felt between parent and child especially in those teenage years. God’s angry with His sinful creation that refuses to turn to him. However He is willing to forgive them through grace and faith. BUT if these unrepentive sinners don’t lay their broken and contrite hearts before Him and walk in faith they will be turned over to thier sins and ultimately burn eternally in hell.
    Psalm 51:17 – Romans 1:28-32 – John 3:16-18

  7. Brittney

    Reply

    If God doesnt love the sinners why do evangelists go around saying to everyone “Jesus loves you, He died for you”?? It doesnt make any sense, God hates sinners but then expects them to turn to Him and hand their life over to Him. So is it of a sudden when you accept Christ then and only then He starts loving you?? This is not the God i know. this is so frustrating. Its this kind of stuff that makes people NOT become Christians!!!!!

  8. Reply

    Those evangelists are giving the Gospel incorrectly. This blog is dedicated to giving the BIBLICAL Gospel, warning them of God’s wrath. Yes, when you become born again, by trusting in the Savior, He forgives you and you are then a friend of God, not His enemy.

    Thanks, Brittney

  9. paul

    Reply

    Steve, this confuses me. If God hates people before they have repented, then why did he send Jesus to die for us? It says that he loved the world and sent his only son while we were still sinners. Why would he do that when he hated us? Is it not possible to have wrath against someone you love and punish them justly, but still love them and desire their repentance? Not trying to be argumentative, just confused.

  10. Ralph Y

    Reply

    The Bible clearly supports that God loves the sinner. If fact the very essence of God, is love. I John 4:16. We love him because he FIRST loved us. It was Love that He had for us that brought Him down on the cross and died for our sins. Can God be angry with the sinners? you bet he can, He’s God afterall.
    In my mind the sign would be more accurate, to replace the word love, with anger or angry.

  11. Jason

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    Hello,

    I am confused. I am gald for the Psalm 5:5 verse being pointed out which does teach that God hates all the workers of iniquity.

    Steve, I think there is a bridge missing here or something. Can you explain it differently or better? I’d be fine with / glad for a private email if that suits you better.

    I think you and Ray are doing a great thing for God’s work and furthering the gospel, yet this is the one thing so far that I don’t get. To me still the Bible makes it very clear that God loves the sinners, if not, how could John 3:16 exist, and what about Romans 5:8, if God hated the sinners, how could Romans 5:8 be true? How could God commend his love for us while we were yet sinners, if his only feeling for us was hate? If God hates the sinners why has he chosen you and others to go and preach to them? If Christ hated the people who crucified him, why would he have prayed for their forgiveness?

    Is it that God both loves and hates the sinner? I don’t quite understand, do you have more verses that illustrated this. Psalm 5:5 is good, as it actually states it, to me the other verses mentioend rather just show God’s wrath and justice and judgement against the sinners, which isn’t contrary to love. In the example of a human court, a judge can have love for offender, but still has to sentence them.

    I’d like to understand better, if this truely is Biblical that is. Which with Psalm 5:5 there seems to be some evidence of this being true, yet I don’t think God is without love toward the sinners, else he wouldn’t have died for them, and in order to come and die for them it would seem his love would have to be greater than his hate? I don’t understand, because you guys are out there preaching the word in such a strong way, and your gospel message seems proper to me, I am willing to listen and try to understand what you are saying (i am very weary of people as i don’t want leaven, but what I mean here is that your lives evidence reason to think that you might have a better understanding here than myself).

    I do hope you reply, I don’t know if this thing is set to email me if you reply, so if you would be willing to email me even if you reply here that would be great and I would appreciate some further explanation / help understanding. Thank you – Jason

  12. Kali

    Reply

    God loves sinners. But God hates sin. Jason is correct. Otherwise there would be no John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. There is a difference between the God of the old testement and the God of the new testement.

    And also. If God hated sinners, then none of us would be loved by him. For we are all sinners and even the saved are still sinners, its just the saved can be forgivin and the unsaved can’t.

  13. Cindy

    Reply

    I told my friend Dee the other day that Jesus said he didn’t come to condemn the world, but to save. Could everyone please say a prayer of salvation for him, he needs to be born again. Thank you so very much.

  14. Nathan

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    One thing that we should hold firmly from the Bible that God is love. He loves everyone because no one could come to God without mercy from Him, since none is rightoues and short of God’s glory. In other words no one in this world descended from Adam is sinless, even everyone is death. God has initiated from eternity to allow sin come to the world but He will save the elect. This election should come true by sending Jesus to the world to die on the cross for the remission men sins and on the third day rises from the death to prove that his sacrificial death as offering is pleasing God. Because there is no remission of sins without blood shed. But God gives freedom to everyone to make a choice whether one recieves or rejects what Jesus has done on the cross. Anyone who believes on Him may not perish but has eterneal life. This is one of the main points of the bible message that God loves the sinners. Please also see the story of prodigal son. God bless U.

  15. Gordon

    Reply

    God does love the unsaved, but not as He loves those who trust in Him. Believers are commanded to love the unsaved, but not as we love the church. Simply because there is a difference in the way God loves the two groups doesn’t constitute a break-down in the Bible’s teaching. Although we may assent to agree we don’t have to understand, some things are meant to be trusted in by faith and are proven by the things we do understand within the Bible. How God can hate and love the same person at the same time is a matter for God, however, the only way that God has expressed His love for the unsaved in the Bible is through His Son and specifically, through His sacrifice for the penalty of sin.
    Thank God for the cross!

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