is love, He also has the capacity to hate. He hates sin, and He will
judge it with the fierceness of His wrath. This generation is schooled
in the teaching about an indulgent, soft-hearted God whose judgments
are uncertain and who coddles those who break His commandments. This
generation finds it difficult to believe that God hates sin.
I tell you that God hates sin just as a father hates a rattlesnake
that threatens the safety and life of his child. God loathes evil and
diabolic forces that would pull people down to a godless eternity just
as a mother hates a venomous spider that is found playing on the soft,
warm flesh of her little baby.
It is His love for man, His compassion for the human race, that
prompts God to hate sin with such a vengeance. He gave Heaven's finest
that we might have the best; and He loathes with a holy abhorrence
anything that would hinder our being reconciled to Him.
What Does God Hate?
What does God hate, you ask? Solomon answers the question in the Book
of Proverbs. We read: "These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are
an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed
innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift
in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows
discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-19).
First, God hates a proud look. The Bible says, "Pride goes before
destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). It
says, "those who walk in pride He is able to put down" (Daniel 4:37).
And again the Bible says, "Behold, I am against you, O most haughty
one!" (Jeremiah 50:31).
In almost every instance in the Bible, as well as in life, pride is
associated with failure, not success. We hear a great deal about the
inferiority complex, but the superiority complex of pride is seldom
spoken of. Pride caused the fall of Lucifer, and he became Satan, the
devil.
Pride keeps thousands away from Christ today. What will my friends
say? What will my family think? Will my reputation be affected if I
become a Christian?
Jesus said, "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who
humbles himself will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12). The entrance to the
Kingdom of Heaven is gained through your coming in humility.
The greatest act of humility in the history of the universe was when
Jesus Christ stooped to die on the cross of Calvary. And before anyone
can get to Heaven, they must kneel at the foot of the cross and
acknowledge that they are a sinner, that they have broken the
commandments of God and that they need the grace of God in Christ. No
one can come proudly to the Savior.
Second, the Bible says that God hates a lying tongue. Where did we
learn to lie? Isn't it strange that children lie instinctively without
being taught? The flagrant sins of fraud, embezzlement, slander, libel
and breach of promise are the products of a lying heart.
Where did this blighting deceit come from? Jesus gave us the answer
when He said to those who spoke a lie in His day, "You are of your
father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do" (John
8:44). Human nature was warped and twisted in the fall of Adam. But
Jesus Christ, who is the truth, came saying, "Ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).
Third, the Bible says that God hates hands that shed innocent blood.
The sixth commandment says, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13).
Psychologists tell us that the seed of murder lurks in the heart of
the most respected person.
The Bible says, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know
that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him" (1 John 3:15).
Murder can be committed in many ways. You can murder your wife, your
children and your friends by the poisonous venom of hatred and
bitterness.
Not all murderers are behind bars. It so happens that only those who
kill the body are punished by the law; but many who are free are just
as guilty of destroying the lives, the personalities and the souls of
others. The Bible says that you can strike someone with your tongue
(Jeremiah 18:18). You can ruin another person's reputation. God holds
such people accountable for murder.
Fourth, the Bible says that God hates a heart that devises evil
imaginations. Thought is sown in the mind before it is reaped in the
field of action. The law judges sin according to the act, but God
judges us according to the evil of our hearts. "Whoever looks at a
woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his
heart," said Jesus (Matthew 5:28).
We are living in a day when men and women's imaginations are evil in
the sight of God. The Bible says that He hates this. No person with an
evil imagination can inherit the Kingdom of God. God hates evil
imaginations. They lead to habits, habits lead to bondage, and bondage
leads to death: "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
Fifth, the Bible says that God hates feet that are swift in running to
mischief. Evil thoughts and imagination, if nourished and fed, will
eventually lead to sinful actions. There are people in every community
who openly and flagrantly violate God's law. They boast that they are
not hypocrites, and they make no pretense of being good. But this does
not excuse them for their wickedness.
Sixth, the Bible says that God hates a man or woman who sows discord
among brethren. We seldom hear the slanderer, the libeler or the
malicious gossip denounced. We have come to think that it is a
harmless thing to sow discord in the office, the shop, the church or
the home; but the Bible says that God hates discord and strongly
denounces those who sow strife.
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put
away from you, with all malice," says the Bible (Ephesians 4:31). And
the Bible says, "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does
not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion
is useless" (James 1:26).
What Can We Do?
"What can we do about these dreadful traits that are in our hearts?"
you ask. There is little that you can do, but there is something God
has done. The secret is found in the words of the Apostle Paul: "Do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind" (Romans 12:2). Jesus Christ, if received into your life,
can make your tongue so that it will speak only that which is good.
Jesus Christ can come into your heart and transform you, change your
nature, until you'll love instead of hate. Gossiping, slandering and
maligning will no longer provide pleasure.
How can this be? I'll tell you. Christ, through His triumphant death
on the cross, purchased for you a new lease on life. "I have come that
they might have life," He said (John 10:10). The Bible says, "If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). This is not just
a theological theory; it actually works. It has worked in my own life.
What is more, it will work for you. We have seen thousands of people
whose lives have been transformed by the power of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ (see Romans 1:16). The same power of Christ can transform your
life.
You say, "But Gabriel, I'm guilty of all the things you have mentioned
today." Yes; the Bible says, "all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
But no matter how guilty you may be (you may have broken every one of
the commandments), God can forgive you today because Jesus Christ died
on the cross for your sins. Yes, God hates the evil of your heart, but
He loves you. Just as a parent despises the bad behavior of their
child but still loves the child, God loathes the forces that would
cause you to be lost, but He loves you with an infinite love.
However, this matter of salvation is not thrust upon you; it is a
gift, and it must be duly and properly received. Here is the promise
on which you may put your whole trust: "But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who
believe in His name" (John 1:12).
At this moment you can receive Christ. He will forgive every sin that
you have ever committed and give you new strength, new power over the
temptations of life. But first you must renounce your sins, confess
them and receive Christ into your heart. Will you do that right now?
You can at this moment, and He will change your life.
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