DOES GOD HATE WICKED PEOPLE?
This is one of several questions sent to us by way of this website via “questions@centurychurchofchrist.net." We will answer as many of these questions as we have room for in this article.
1. Does God Hate Wicked People? No, God loves all sinful people. That is the reason He gave his Son to die for us (John 3:16). Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world (I John 2:2). God hates the sins in which men choose to engage. "These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination to him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." (Proverbs 6:16-19). God hates hypocritical worship according to Isaiah 1:14. God even strives with wicked people to get them to turn from their evil ways (Genesis 6:3). He is longsuffering to men wanting them to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Unless men accept God and Christ, turn from their evil ways, and submit themselves to the gospel commands they cannot be saved. Jesus gives a wonderful invitation for man to come to him for rest (Matthew 11 :28).
2. Can God curse the wicked in the pits of burning fires and torments? There is a burning hell which God has prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Jesus describes it as "hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark. 9:43-48). In Revelation 21:8 it is stated: "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." Now these are people who engaged in these and other wicked works in this life but never turned from them, never came to Jesus for the cleansing power, and never obeyed the gospel so they could be free from their sins (Romans 6:17, 18). Thus, in the judgment there will be everlasting punishment for them. However if they had only listened to the gospel, believed it and been baptized they could have been saved (Mark 16:16). Then their sins would have been blotted out and remembered no more. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).
3. How did the wicked people become like this....I don't understand? Every person is a free moral agent. He makes his decisions as to what he will do in his life. The devil and his angels are active tempters using the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life to tempt people to sin. We all fall to the devil's temptations in some way and at some time because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). In James 1:1315 it is stated, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." So here is the rest of the story. We are responsible for our own choices and thus are guilty before God. We are headed to a devil's hell but God doesn't want us to go there. He says, "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, O house of Israel." (Ezekiel 33:11).
4. How can a wicked man repent? Repentance is a change of the mind of man. It results in a turning to God, changing from the evil deeds he once committed and now having fruit unto righteousness. Paul "showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." (Acts 26:20). The wicked man who, upon hearing of the wonderful news of the gospel how that Jesus died on the cross so he could be saved, dies to the love of sin in faith, to the practice of sin in repentance, and to the guilt of sin in baptism is now saved. He is risen with Christ and now is to kill the old sinful conduct and put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him who created him (Read Colossians 3:1-17). Such deny self and take up the cross and follow Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:24). That old hate is removed and he loves instead. That old revengeful spirit is removed and now he does good to others. That old addiction is laid aside and now he is filled with the Spirit by minding the things of the Spirit which are in the gospel (Ephesians 5: 18-2 I; Romans 8:5). Temptations will come his way but the Lord provides a way of escape (I Corinthians 10: 13). He has a support group in others who have turned to the Lord who are ready to help him every way they can in times of weakness or being overtaken in a fault (Galatians 6:1,2). He develops strong faith, and works out his salvation because he is created in Christ Jesus unto good works instead of evil ones (1 John 5:4; Philippians 2:12; Ephesians 2:10). We are more than conquerors through him that loved us (Romans 8:37). Yes, we can overcome! !!
5. Can God have any powers to change a wicked man's soul and heart? Yes, God has a power to save the soul. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16). He told Timothy to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Timothy 4:2). Why? "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1: 17). It reveals "The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe" (Romans 3 :22). Sinners are "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27). So now he is in Christ and justified freely by his grace. It was the blessed Gospel message that led to redemption. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17).