Does God Love Sinners?

Yes. A verse?

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Really, does God love sinners (again)?

No. Another set of verses?

“For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with Thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” – (Psalm 5:4-5)

“The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth.” – (Psalms 11:5)

So, it’s a ‘yes’ and a ‘no’.

Is this a contradiction?
No! It’s an issue of “time” (season) as this verse reveals His unchangeable Principle:

“a time to love and a time to hate,…” (first part, Ecclesiastes 3:8)

Remember, God’s Greatest Love “Began” and was demonstrated (applied) while we were yet “ungodly” (sinners) and ‘not’ after we became righteous in Him:

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)

Also, God loved the “world” (all creation, not just believers but all others also —> His all inclusive love) but those “who believe” attain the ‘reward’ of “age-during life” (life in the coming age while the wicked are sent for a period of punishment and correction in fire for the ‘final’ painful destruction of “evil” in them):

“for God did so love the world, that His Son — the only begotten — He gave, that every one who is believing in Him may not perish, but may have life age-during.” (John 3:16)

Also, note that the Act of His Son (sent by God) to die on the Cross —> applies to the whole “world” as implied by the verse above since He sent Him by Love for the “World” (intrinsically implied too).

So, “hate” vs “Love”?
Yes, but both are Justified by Him (nothing wrong when He does it Perfectly with all the right Reasons).

A man’s hate in the form of ‘anger’ “cannot” produce ‘righteousness’ but God’s Hate in His “Wrath” produces Righteousness (—> so, God’s Anger is Holy and “cannot” be understood by the perspective of the unrighteous ‘anger of man’; these are “different”):

“because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:20)

Next, let’s consider a Biblical case study for this: The Israelites.

Now, the “Israelites” contain some of the greatest “enemies” of the Gospel (plenty of “unbelievers”, “Jesus rejecting”, “Jesus & Christian hating murderers” etc. among them too):

“From the standpoint of the gospel they (the “unbelieving Israel”) are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;” (Romans 11:28)

The question:

“I ask then, Has God cast off His People (the “Israelites”)? No, indeed…” (part of Romans 11:1 emphasized)

The explanation (foreknowledge of God):

“God has not cast off His People (the “Israelites”) whom He knew beforehand…” (part of Romans 11:2)

Don’t be ‘ignorant’ of the “Mystery” (Secret, of Christ) below that He Will eventually “Save all Israel” (yes “all”, especially refers to these unrepentant enemies of the Gospel among them —> in any context of this verse/chapter) with the Deliverer (Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ) somewhere out of Zion (indicating in the “spiritual realm of God”) after ‘all Gentiles’ (non-Israelites) are “Saved” (“all Gentiles” = “fullness of the Gentiles”):

“For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of this secret — that ye may not be wise in your own conceits — that hardness in part to Israel hath happened till the fullness of the Gentiles may come in;

and so all Israel shall be saved, according as it hath been written, ‘There shall come forth out of Zion He who is delivering, and He shall turn away impiety from Jacob,

and this to them [is] the covenant from Me, when I may take away their sins.’ (Romans 11:25 – 27)

Note the warning in the verse above that those who don’t accept (being ignorant of) this “secret” (or mystery) that “all Israel will be saved” (including all those enemies of the Gospel) will be “wise in their own opinions & conceits, but ‘not’ in God” (read carefully again and again —> learn Scripture correctly).

Lastly, here is the literal proof that God’s Wrath (or Anger) produces “righteousness” (salvation) in the ‘end’ (as its result; the intended outcome of “His Will”).

Firstly, Here is the ‘Hate’ (note the words such as wrath, all anger, fire, jealousy etc):

“Therefore wait for Me,”

declares the Lord,

“for the day I will stand up to testify.

I have decided to assemble the nations,

to gather the kingdoms

and to pour out My wrath on them—

all My fierce anger.

The whole world will be consumed

by the fire of My jealous anger.” (Zephaniah 3:8)

Finally, do note that the ‘result’ is “universal Salvation” (mysteriously described here) for “those” (upon whom the ‘fiercest all anger’ of God was poured) end up having “clean lips” and most importantly, “all” of them will “call upon the name of the Lord” (and will be saved) and serve Him “shoulder to shoulder” (sounds like they’re all ‘saved in the end’):

“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,

that all of them may call on the Name of the Lord

and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.” (Zephaniah 3:9)

P/S:

Here are two ‘summary’ verses from the New Testament that prophesy this “same ending”:

“To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10)

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” – Lord Jesus Christ (John 12:32)

And, that’s how ‘love the sinner but hate the sin’ makes ‘sense’.

‘Blessed Saviour of the World’