The universalists repeatedly say things like, "God loves us all so much that He will save us all"; or "He hates the sin, but loves the sinner"; or "God is love, and will not send anyone to hell."
Universalists teach that God is so full of love, that He simply cannot send anyone to eternal hell fire. It is against His infinite love. They want God to forgive all, even those who openly reject Him and die cursing God.
I must admit, it is nice to think of God's love being so infinitely great that all will ultimately be saved. Hell is a terrible place and I don't want anyone to go there. But it does not matter what I think. It matters what the Bible says.
God is love (1 John 4:8), but God also punishes the sinner and hates all who do iniquity. God is not one sided. He is not simply an infinitely loving God. He is also infinitely just. He must deal with sin. He must punish the sinner.
In the truth of God's word, we find that the Lord has provided one way by which we may be saved. That single way is through Jesus' sacrifice. For all who trust in Him, salvation will come. But to those who turn away, God's wrath abides upon them: "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him," (John 3:36).
Does God hate anyone?
Does God hate anyone? The answer is yes.
Psalm 5:5, "The boastful shall not stand before Thine eyes; Thou dost hate all who do iniquity,"
Psalm 11:5, "The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence His soul hates."
Lev. 20:23, "Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I shall drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them."
Prov. 6:16-19, "There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers."
Hosea 9:15, "All their evil is at Gilgal; indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will love them no more; All their princes are rebels."
Are these verses hard to read? Do they make you feel uncomfortable? They should. God hates sin. But, He does not punish sin. He punishes the sinner. Sin cannot be tied up and thrown into a fire. It cannot be put in a box or glued to a stick. It is rebellion. It is rebellion in the heart. It is breaking God's Law. Sin occurs inside the heart and mind of people. Therefore, God must punish the sinner. Why? Because He is both Holy and Just and the person who sins offends God. God's Holy and Just character will not allow Him to ignore this offense. Why?....
God's Law is Perfect
When God said, "Let there be light," it happened. When He commanded that the oceans be, they came into existence. God's word is powerful. What He says is never futile, empty, or without power.
The Law is a reflection of God's character. It is pure and perfect. It is powerful. The Ten Commandments reflect God's holiness and justice. These commandments are not without punishments. A law without consequences is only an empty slogan.
To sin is to break God's Law and offend His character. To sin means to challenge His character and authority. It means you go against His word. But God is not a liar. His word is true. He has said He will punish the lawbreaker.
But, praise be to God, that while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us (Rom. 5:6). There is no way we can appease God. That is why God became one of us (John 1:1,14; Heb. 2:17), to take our place and become sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, people have two options:
Trust Jesus, God in flesh, as your savior and put your faith in the sacrifice that He made on the cross and in nothing you do.
Reject the cross and let the penalty of the Law fall upon you.
Either God pays, or you do -- forever. Which will it be?
"For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins," (Heb. 10:26). If there is no sacrifice available for you, then God's wrath abides upon you because He hates sin and your sin is not removed (John 3:36). Trust Jesus alone or the wrath of God will abide upon you forever.
Conclusion
The sobering fact is that God is so holy and righteous that He hates the sinner (Psalm 5:5; Lev. 20:23; Prov. 6:16-19; Hos. 9:15). Some say that we should say that God only hates the sin but loves the sinner. But, the above scriptures speak contrary to that. But it is also true that He is love (1 John 4:8). It is better to accept the love of God found in Jesus than to reject it and suffer His wrath.
So - who does God hate? As shocking as it may sound to some, God does hate some. This is something that was not openly shared in most of our children’s Sunday school classes.
God hates wickedness. This is part of the holy nature of God. Not only does He hate wickedness, but He also hates the wicked. David declares in Psalm 5:5, “The boastful shall not stand in your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.” The next verse declares that the Lord “abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” God’s soul hates the wicked and those who love violence (Psalm 11:5). In commanding His people to obey Him, God declares his utter hatred for those whom were driven out of Canaan; He “abhorred them.” (Leviticus 20:23, ) Later in the same book we find how God will respond if His people disobey Him:
“And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you.” (Leviticus 26:27-30, )
To say that God has hate for no man is clearly untrue. However, it must be noted that this hatred is conditional. Nowhere does God express a hatred for mankind in general without cause. Even in Genesis 6, the grief God feels is on account of the wickedness of the people. God’s hatred for people is conditional. God’s hatred is incited upon certain conditions of disobedience being true of a person. This seems to be a reliable statement, for God’s declarations of hatred for any group or individual are accompanied by the necessary condition of wickedness.
One might then rightly ask why all men are not subject to the hatred of God if all men are sinful. First, one must be reminded that God’s general disposition toward man is not one of hatred. This was the conclusion reached in the first section. Nevertheless, this is not to say that all are not deserving of God’s hate; for all have been haters of God; all violate His holy Law. So then God’s love for the world can be explained by nothing other than God’s grace. His love for us is undeserved.
We must then carefully consider the nature of God’s grace. Many would say that God’s grace is unconditional. However, is not entirely true. Now before you burn me at the stake as a heretic, give me a chance to explain what I mean. Those who would oppose my assertion might quickly take me to the second chapter of Ephesians. Very well. Verses 8 and 9 clearly make the point that salvation is not accomplished through works. Believers are the result of the work of God. Really, the point seems to be that salvation is neither deserved nor earned. However, it would be a mistake to separate salvation from certain necessary conditions. Just because certain conditions are necessary for salvation by no means implies that salvation is deserved.