Many Christians today recite a saying that seems to make sense: “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” But is this a Biblical principle that Jesus and the Bible taught?

Is there any example in the Bible where God says that He hates the sinner?

Yes. There are several texts where God is described as hating not merely sin in the abstract, but certain sinners because of their persistent wickedness. This is an important distinction because the popular statement, “God hates the sin but loves the sinner,” is not a direct quotation from Scripture. It expresses a truth in some contexts—God does love sinners and desires their repentance—but it does not tell the whole biblical story.

God Hates the Wicked. The clearest text is:

“Yahweh examines the righteous, but the wicked and him who loves violence his soul hates.” (Psalm 11:5)

Notice that the text doesn’t say God hates the wickedness but loves the wicked person. It says God’s soul hates “the wicked” and “him who loves violence.”

God Hates All Workers of Iniquity

“You hate all workers of iniquity.” (Psalm 5:5)

The Hebrew text is directed toward people (“workers”), not merely their actions.

God Is Angry With the Wicked

“God is a righteous judge, yes, a God who has indignation every day.” (Psalm 7:11)

Some translations state this text as:

“God is angry with the wicked every day.”

The object of God’s anger is the wicked person.

Esau

Paul cites Malachi regarding Esau:

“As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'” (Romans 9:13)

Paul is quoting Malachi 1:2-3.

There is debate over whether “hated” means literal hatred or covenant rejection in comparison to God’s special love for Jacob. The context of this scripture is that the word itself is used of a person, not merely an action.

Seven Things God Hates

Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things Yahweh hates. While some are actions, others refer directly to people:

“A false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.”

The hatred extends to the person committing the evil.

Yet God Also Loves Sinners. The Bible teaches both truths simultaneously.

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

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son…” (John 3:16)

Before salvation, every believer was a sinner under God’s wrath:

“We also all once lived among them in the lust of our flesh… and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” (Ephesians 2:3)

The Scriptures describing sin and the sinner present a tension that modern catch phrases often oversimplify:

• God loves the world and desires sinners to repent.
• God demonstrated His love by sending Christ to die for sinners.
• God is presently angry with the wicked.
• God hates workers of iniquity who persist in rebellion.
• God’s wrath remains on those who reject His Son.

Jesus said:

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36)

The biblical picture is that God hates sin, but He also feels compassion toward every unrepentant sinner. He doesn’t want anyone to be lost. God loves His creation and offers mercy to anyone who repents through Jesus’ death for all sins. He also genuinely hates, opposes, and judges the wicked person who persists in rebellion against Him. The cross is where these truths meet: God’s love provides salvation, while God’s holiness demands judgment for sin.

This subject is often difficult because modern Christianity sometimes emphasizes only God’s love while minimizing His holiness, justice, and wrath. The Scriptures consistently present all of these attributes together.

One helpful way to frame the issue is that God does not hate sinners in the same way fallen humans hate. Human hatred is often sinful, emotional, vindictive, and unjust. God’s hatred is a holy and righteous opposition to evil and those who persist in it. His hatred is never arbitrary, malicious, or capricious.

This is why the Bible can simultaneously say:

“Yahweh examines the righteous, but the wicked and him who loves violence his soul hates.” (Psalm 11:5)

and

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

The same God who hated Saul of Tarsus’ wicked rebellion loved him enough to confront him on the road to Damascus and transform him into Paul the Apostle. Before conversion, Paul was an enemy of God, a persecutor of Christ’s church, and under God’s wrath. Yet God extended mercy and made him an example of divine grace.

Theologically, the Bible teaches that an unrepentant sinner is loved as a creature made in God’s image. They are offered mercy through the gospel. But they are under God’s wrath because of sin.

These facts in comparison to God’s holiness.

The sinner is in danger of eternal judgment if he refuses repentance. This is why Jesus began His ministry with the command:

“Repent, and believe in the Good News.” (Mark 1:15)

The call to repentance makes little sense unless a person is presently under God’s judgment. The good news is that God’s wrath is not the final word for those who come to Christ. Through faith in Jesus, the sinner who was once an enemy becomes a son or daughter of God.

Paul said:

“For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10)

That single verse captures both truths beautifully: before salvation, we were God’s enemies, yet He loved us enough to reconcile us through the death of His Son.

Categories: Robert Clifton Robinson