The Love of God part three

The Love of God part three

“The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.” (Psalm 11:4–7)

In this final post on God’s love, we shall briefly consider love and hatred. We must understand that every affection has an opposite that exists along with it. Thus it is that mercy rejoices against judgment, so that wrath and condemnation are counteracted where mercy is received and applied. This is also true with love. One can only love something or someone truly if they hate that which is diametrically opposed to the object of their love. For example, if I truly love my family, I must harbor within my heart a hatred for anything that would harm or destroy my family. This hatred can to a degree coexist in my heart with true love for someone who would seek to destroy my family. While loving them and desiring what is best for them, I must at the same time hold a certain contempt for them as one who would murder my children if they had the opportunity.

We are not accustomed to speaking about such things, because we tend to think that love and hate cannot exist within us at the same time. Let us consider how these things actually work in us, using an example of a murderer from years past. In 1980, Robert Willie and a friend of his killed a young lady named Faith Hathaway and dumped her body in what is now Bogue Chitto State Park, near Franklinton, LA. It was a particularly gruesome crime, and was only part of a crime spree that in which Willie was the main offender. Willie was put to death in the electric chair in 1984. While we all would love to have heard of a man such as Willie getting saved, that evidently did not happen. Willie is reported to have said that he enjoyed the crime, and expressed no remorse at all. We turn from such people in great disgust, do we not? Yes, we love them and desire the best for them. At the same time, that love is rightly countered by a hatred of both the deeds done and of the person. While we are to hold no malice, yet we must rightly condemn such to death (See Genesis 9:6). David himself, a man after God’s own heart, said, “Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.” (Psalm 139:21–22) These verses were given by inspiration of God, are His Word, and are true and righteous. Again, he said, “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10) Where there is love for something or someone, we will likewise hate that which is the enemy of the object of our love. Thus we see how love and hatred can righteously exist within us at the same time.

If these things are true of men, how much more are they true with God? We know that God is love (1 John 4:8). We also know that the Scripture teaches us that God hates sin. “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” (Psalm 45:7) “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” (Hebrews 1:9) God’s love is so great that He gave His Son Jesus to die for our sins. That love is an eternal love for all who trust Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Our text tells us that there are those who are wicked, however. These wicked are not repentant. They do not love God. They love evil. They do not seek God (Psalm 10:4), and their sin is hateful enmity to God (Psalm 36:1-4). We are told that such experience God’s wrath. In fact, as they continue in sin, they treasure up wrath (Romans 2:1-11), making their condemnation worse by the day.

The LORD speaks of certain activities as abominations to God (See Leviticus chapters 18-20 as examples.), but He also tells us that there are certain people who are abominations to God (Deuteronomy 22:5;25:16;Proverbs 3:32;6:16;11:20;16:5;17:15). An abomination is that which God finds disgusting, and both loathes and detests. Moses tells us that God’s wrath burns as a fire to the lowest hell because of abominations (Deuteronomy 32:16-22). Finally, we read, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8) “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27)

You may wonder what I am trying to say with all of this, because we know that God is love. These are words of warning to those who have not yet repented of their sins and trusted Christ. God’s love will not be shown to you forever. God’s long-suffering will someday come to an end (2 Peter 3:9). While God loves His people forever, those who do not trust Him will be cast aside as unacceptable. This happens to some in this life (See Romans 1:28-32;Titus 1:16). Finally, there is the day of judgment in which all who did not trust Christ are told, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:23) We are told of the horrible day of judgment, when all those not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). We have seen that those who work abominations shall not enter the eternal city, New Jerusalem. We also have seen that the unbelieving are cast into the same lake of fire as the abominable. The love of God will not negate the hatred, fury, and wrath of God upon those who persist in sin and refuse to trust Jesus. The day of grace is not forever to those who reject Jesus, because the wrath of God is coming. In that day you will be cast from Him as detestable and hated, because you refused the love of the truth and were not saved.

“God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.” (Psalm 7:11–13)

“The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.” (Psalm 11:4–7) “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.” (Psalm 103:13–18) These verses remind us of the wrath of God upon those who do not trust Christ. They also show us that God’s mercies and love endure forever to those who belong to Him through faith in Christ. Will you sin away your day of grace? Will you reject God’s free offer of salvation? Beware, lest you soon experience God’s hatred and wrath forever, because of rejecting Jesus. Today is the day of salvation!