One of our Pastors said that God hates people in hell. God loves every sinner, but when that sinner goes to hell that love turns to hate. This sounds odd, could you help me out, maybe give me some verses?

It’s hard to imagine God hating anyone. God is a God of love. However, the following verses should be considered:

1. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” – John 3:36.

2. “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God” – Hebrews 10:26-27.

3. “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will give to each person according to what he has done”. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger” – Romans 2:5-8.

Wrath and anger are different from hatred. Wrath is defined as “vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger”. No where in the scripture does it say that God hates anyone. God hates the sin, but not the sinner. He is also angry with the unrepentant sinner, but He doesn’t hate them! God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell, but it’s the decision of the individual to reject God’s love and His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.