The concept of ‘God hating the sin but loving the sinner’ is not found in scripture (the concept is said to originate from a teaching of Mahatma Gandhi. The Bible is full of examples of God’s displeasure towards sin and evildoers.
Psalm 5:5-6 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
Genesis 6:5-7 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
Revelations 2:6 “But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
The above verse taken from the book of Revelations implies that Jesus hated the deeds (sins) of the Nicolaitans, but the other verses (above) clearly state that God hates the actual ‘workers of iniquity.’ God does not abhor the ‘actions’ of being bloodthirsty or deceitful, but He abhors the ‘man’ who behaves in such a manner.
'Turning the other cheek' is a phrase in scripture that is often taken out of context and misinterpreted as teaching pacifism, which it was not the intent of the verses.
Luke 6:29 Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.
Matthew 5:38-40 “You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.' “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.”
A basic element of Christ’s teachings, was that He clarified the scripture, and provided people with a deeper understanding of its meaning. Jesus did not come to change the law, but to clarify it (Matthew 5:17). During the Sermon on the Mount, Christ was not attempting to do away with the concept of justice, but was correcting the people’s behavior and/or interpretation of the ‘eye for an eye’ concept (found in: Exodus 21:24-26, Leviticus 24:16-23, Deuteronomy 19:19-24). In the Torah, the ‘eye for an eye’ concept
was part of what might be considered their version of a criminal justice system, and was not an individual’s right to vigilante justice in civil matters. In the above verses, Christ is speaking about civil lawsuits and people trying to sue each other.
The ‘eye for an eye’ teaching in the Torah had to do with punishing murderers or other criminals for their crimes. Christ was correcting the people's misapplication of the 'eye for an eye' principle -- where people were attempting to apply the criminal justice principles to civil lawsuits.
The Bible instructs Christian to pray for justice.
Psalm 34:16-17 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
Psalm 54:5 He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.
1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Revelations 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You Judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
The Lord hears the cries of the righteous, and will avenge the wrongs done to them. Above are examples (taken from both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible) of saints crying out to God for justice. The concept of praying to God for the destruction of evildoers may seem radical to people who have been brought up in modern day churches.
Much of what is taught in churches today is one-sided, and concepts of justice and punishment – which are just as prevalent in the Bible as mercy and forgiveness – are often overlooked or glossed over.
Christians are often taught by churches to deny their God given feelings/consciences, and to accept a narrow interpretation of – a few verses in – the scriptures and to forgive unquestionably. It is truly unfortunate that many church leaders force the need to forgive unrepentant evildoers on their congregations, as if it were a Christian principle. Parents who have lost their children to ruthless evildoers should not be pressured into forgiving such people. If you are the victim of robbery, rape, aggravated assault, or if some other
intentional evil has been done to you, you do not have to forgive the evildoer. In fact, it might be more appropriate to pray for the person’s destruction. Forgiveness is not something that should be handed out lightly. Christians should learn discernment between good and evil, and should recognize the need for justice and are instructed in the Bible to cry out to God for it.
Luke 18:1-8 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a Judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust Judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect
who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
In the above parable, Jesus described the woman’s persistence when crying out for justice. Jesus provided this parable to His followers as an EXAMPLE regarding prayer. Do Christians have to forgive every evildoer who sins against them? No! Jesus clearly taught His followers to continually cry out to God – day and night – for vengeance, and promises that although God bears long with them, He will eventually avenge them.
The parable concludes with a question as to whether or not the Son of Man will find faith on the earth when He returns. The point of the parable was for Christ’s followers to trust in God as a god of justice, and not to lose heart in praying for the destruction of the
wicked. The test of faith had to do with whether or not Christ’s followers would lose heart when their prayers are not immediately answered, and it seems as though the evildoers can act without consequence. Jesus instructed Christians to continue praying for
justice until it is obtained. Christians are not to seek their own revenge, but must wait for God to administer justice at the appointed time.
It is okay to hate evildoers? Yes, God clearly does. Should we surrender to evildoers? No, Jesus taught His followers (Luke 22:36) to sell their coats and purchase swords (for self-defense). Should we pray for the forgiveness of evildoers or the salvation of their souls? This is dependant on the extend of the sin, but clearly there are evil deeds that are so heinous that Christians are to pray for their destruction and cry out to God for justice.
30 Jul 2011, 5:51 pm
