Comments welcomed and encouraged.

In his blog posting, Smile, God Hates you, Jesus Saenz asks whether it’s accurate to say that “God loves the sinner but hates the sin.”

He’s asking some valid questions. For example, where can this be found in the Bible? Why is it that we seem to exalt some weak, incomplete version of love as the highest “virtue” of God? Finally, how can we say that “God loves the sinner but hates the sin” in light of Psalm 5:5-6?

Let’s take a quick look at the Scripture that Mr. Saenz is using.

Psalm 5:5-6
The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.
You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors.

Before we go any further, I would like to say that I have never found the phrase “God loves the sinner but hates the sin” in the Bible. However, in contrast to Mr. Saenz and the video he posted, I do believe that God loves sinners and desires their redemption through Jesus of Nazareth and that a case can be made to this end from the counsel of Scripture. » Read more: Who Does God Love?