The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless. (Proverbs 11:20)
Wait, doesn’t God love everyone? Isn’t God supposed to be love? How, then, can it be said that God detests those whose hearts are perverse? Some folks detest the idea that God can detest anyone. They detest any god who detests anyone, and they feel justified in doing so. That’s the one that has always made me go, “Huh?” So, let me ask you this. Would you want to spend eternity living next door to Hitler – not some Hitler who has come to see that his ways were wrong, but Hitler at his Hitler worst? Or the Son of Sam? Or an unrepentant serial rapist, child molester, or abuser of animals? Those who detest God because He detests always seem to assume that everyone goes to Heaven because everyone realizes the error of his/her ways and turns from them. Hitler turns into a Jew-loving teddy bear. The Son of Sam becomes an Eagle Scout. The serial rapist, child molester, and abuser of animals all agree that those things are no longer fulfilling, and those they abused become their best friends. And those who spent their lives hating God and dedicating their lives to oppose the very idea of a god all think, “well, oops,” and sit down for a cup of tea with God like they’ve always been best buds.
It seems to me that such an idea is cruel. Hell, for an atheist would be to spend eternity with God. It is merciful, then, that God gives to such people what they want separation from Him. They want Him to detest them because His love is too painful and any price they have to pay to be away from God is worth paying. We may ask, “But don’t you realize?” because we expect that somehow, at death, God will over-rule those who reject Him and transform them into what they should have been all along. But that would be cruel. That would be hateful. It is a blessing that God is willing to part with those who chose to part ways with Him.
Wait, doesn’t God love everyone? Isn’t God supposed to be love? How, then, can it be said that God detests those whose hearts are perverse? Some folks detest the idea that God can detest anyone. They detest any god who detests anyone, and they feel justified in doing so. That’s the one that has always made me go, “Huh?” So, let me ask you this. Would you want to spend eternity living next door to Hitler – not some Hitler who has come to see that his ways were wrong, but Hitler at his Hitler worst? Or the Son of Sam? Or an unrepentant serial rapist, child molester, or abuser of animals? Those who detest God because He detests always seem to assume that everyone goes to Heaven because everyone realizes the error of his/her ways and turns from them. Hitler turns into a Jew-loving teddy bear. The Son of Sam becomes an Eagle Scout. The serial rapist, child molester, and abuser of animals all agree that those things are no longer fulfilling, and those they abused become their best friends. And those who spent their lives hating God and dedicating their lives to oppose the very idea of a god all think, “well, oops,” and sit down for a cup of tea with God like they’ve always been best buds.
It seems to me that such an idea is cruel. Hell, for an atheist would be to spend eternity with God. It is merciful, then, that God gives to such people what they want separation from Him. They want Him to detest them because His love is too painful and any price they have to pay to be away from God is worth paying. We may ask, “But don’t you realize?” because we expect that somehow, at death, God will over-rule those who reject Him and transform them into what they should have been all along. But that would be cruel. That would be hateful. It is a blessing that God is willing to part with those who chose to part ways with Him.
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