The polemic declaration, “The Eternal hates sin but loves the sinner” is popular among those who do not know the Eternal.
What do the Sacred Scriptures say?
This famous saying is popular among the ungodly, but it is also preached by those who call themselves ‘Christians’ and also by many ‘Messianics’. However, does this saying come from the Sacred Scriptures?
Certainly not!
This saying comes from the heart of those who do not know the Eternal, it does not come from the Sacred Scriptures, and that is to say, it does not come from the mouth of Elohim.
The Scriptures teach that THE ETERNAL is HOLY and so clean of eyes that He cannot look at evil with favour.
Habakkuk 1:13
13 You, whose eyes are too clean to see evil, You are not able to look on wrong. Why do You look on those who act treacherously – keep silent when the wrong devours one more righteous than he?
Therefore, the evildoer cannot abide with the Eternal. Why? Because the Eternal is not pleased with evil. The foolish will not be in front of Him. The Elohim of the Scriptures loathes those who practice iniquity (lawlessness). He will destroy all those who speak lies. The Eternal abhors the bloodthirsty and the deceiver
Psalms 5:4-6
4 For You are not an El taking delight in wrong, Nor does evil dwell with You.
5 The boasters do not stand before Your eyes; You hate all workers of wickedness.
6 You destroy those speaking falsehood; יהוה loathes a man of blood and deceit.
The book of Proverbs says:
Proverbs 11:20
20 The perverse of heart are an abomination to יהוה, But the perfect in the Way are His delight.
Psalms 7:11
11 Elohim is a righteous judge. And El is enraged every day
Clearly, the Eternal is angry against the godless, in other words, those who practice sin daily.
Does this mean that יהוה is cruel? Certainly not.
The Psalms teach that the reason that the Eternal hates the sinner is that He is Just. The Eternal is a Just Judge; therefore, He hates the sinner.
It is not a matter of cruelty; it is a matter of PLAIN JUSTICE. How can the Eternal not be angry when He sees His Sacred Will being broken every day?
Some go to the extent to say that this saying is true in the Tanach (Old Testament) but that in the Nazarene Writings (New Testament) we see a different Elohim.
Is it true that יהוה has changed?
The answer is NO.
John 3:36
36 “He who believes in the Son possesses everlasting life, but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of Elohim remains on him.”
Ephesians 5:3-6
3 But whoring and all uncleanness, or greed of gain, let it not even be named among you, as is proper among set-apart ones –
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather thanksgiving.
5 For this you know, that no one who whores, nor unclean one, nor one greedy of gain, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the reign of Messiah and Elohim.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these the wrath of Elohim comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Therefore, the fact that the Eternal hates the perverse of heart is not only a truth in the Tanach, but also in the Nazarene Writings. This is due to the fact that the Eternal is the same yesterday, today and always, He is permanent, He does not change.
He hates the perverse of heart, but He delights in those who are perfect in their ways.
But…
Who is perfect in their ways if all of us have gone astray?
Only one, Yeshua the Just.
Matthew 3:17
17 and see, a voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I did delight.”
The eternal and complete delight of the Father was on Yeshua. For this reason, he was executed on the tree
Matthew 27:46
46 And about the ninth hour יהושע cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lemah shebaqtani?” that is, “My El, My El, why have You forsaken Me?”
[Yeshua’s words in purple]
Why? Because Yeshua was carrying the iniquity of His people so that all those who believe in Him are justified. This means that all those who are in Yeshua now are declared justified through Him and the full delight of the Father is on them, in such a way that the same Love that was on His Son Yeshua, is the same Love are on those that he has justified
John 17:26
26 “And I have made Your Name known to them, and shall make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me might be in them, and I in them.”
The evidence that יהוה is Just and hates the sinner is in Proverbs
Proverbs 13:5-6
15 Good understanding gains favour, But the way of the treacherous is hard.
16 Every one with insight acts with knowledge, But a fool spreads folly.
Yeshua was wounded for our transgressions and became sin for our salvation
Romans 3:25
25 whom Elohim set forth as an atonement, through belief in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His tolerance Elohim had passed over the sins that had taken place before,
The stake is not there for us to FEEL SORRY for Yeshua, rather for us to know and tremble before the Eternal of the Sacred Scriptures, for that reason, Yeshua on the way to death told the women who were weeping
Luke 23:28, 31
28 And Yeshua turned to them and said: Daughters of Yerushalayim, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your sons.
31 For if they do these things with a green tree, what will be done with the dry?
{green tree” and “dry [tree]” see Ezekiel 20:45-21:7}
Psalm 50
1 El Elohim יהוה shall speak, And He shall call the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down.
2 From Tsiyon, the perfection of loveliness, Elohim shall shine forth.
3 Our Elohim comes, and is not silent – A fire consumes before Him, And it shall be very stormy all around Him.
4 He calls to the heavens from above, And to the earth, to rightly rule His people:
5 “Gather My kind ones together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by slaughtering.”
6 Then the heavens declared His righteousness, For Elohim Himself is Judge. Selah.
7 “Hear, O My people, and I speak, O Yisra’el, and I witness against you: I am Elohim, your Elohim!
8 “I do not reprove you for your slaughterings, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9 “I do not take a bull from your house, Nor goats out of your pens.
10 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills.
11 “I know all the birds of the mountains, And all moving in My field are Mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not speak to you; For the world is Mine, and all that fills it.
13 “Do I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats?
14 “Offer thanksgiving to Elohim, And pay your vows to the Most High.
15 “And call upon Me in the day of distress – Let Me rescue you, and you esteem Me.”
16 But to the wrong Elohim said, “What right have you to recite My laws, Or take My covenant in your mouth,
17 “While you hated instruction And cast My Words behind you?
18 “When you saw a thief, you were pleased with him, And you take part with adulterers.
19 “You let your mouth loose to evil, And your tongue frames deceit.
20 “You sit, speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.
21 “You have done this, and I kept silent; You have thought that I was altogether like you – I rebuke you, and set it in order before your eyes.
22 “Understand this please, you who forget Eloah, Lest I tear you in pieces, With no one to deliver:
23 “Whoever offers praise esteems Me; And to him who prepares a way, I show the deliverance of Elohim.”
by Yhemaelh Zeev
Translated by Nazarene Notes
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from The Scriptures,
Copyright by Institute for Scripture Research.
Used by permission.