Tonight I reworked my paper titled "Who does God hate?" in order to correct a few typos as well as improve some of the wording. The following outlines the primary arguments of the paper.
Does God love everyone? Most Scripturally-grounded Christians would say He does in some form or another. Afterall, God's very nature is loving. Because of His love, He sent His Son to earth to save sinners (John 3:1-21). It is His love that is evident in believers (I John 4:8). Christians are much like Christ when they love even their enemies (Matthew 5:45).
I write, "The just and holy god loves this sinful world. He loves it to the extent that He sent His Son so that men might believe and be saved." Yet this is not an entirely complete summary of the gospel. At some point, God's hatred of sin and those who sin must enter into the discussion.
It is a mistake to conclude that God does not hate anyone. Because of His holy nature, He hates wickedness. I write, "Not only does He hate wickedness, but He also hates the wicked." (Psalm 5:5) His hatred is not a general hatred. It has a cause, and that cause is sin. God's declarations of hatred toward people are always accompanied by the necessary condition of wickeness.
Now since all have sinned, all men deserve God's hate. All have been haters of God. Therefore, God's general disposition of love towards people contradicts what we deserve. It is only explained by God's grace.
Now God's grace is, in fact, conditional in a certain sense. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly teaches that salvation is not gained by doing good works. It is not earned in any way. However, certain conditions always accompany salvation. These conditions do not imply that salvation is thus deserved, for what we deserve is wrath.
So how does God express love toward those He loves? Scripture most often points to the sacrifice of Christ as an expression of that love (as in Romans 5:8). And while this act of love must be greater than other graceful provisions, these other provisions are truely expressions of love.
How does God express love toward those He hates? He feeds them. He gives them some measure of safety and health. Most importantly, He sincerly urges them to flee His wrath. And this is a wonderful point for application.
How can men experience God's special love? They must repent and believe in Christ. He is the only way (John 14:6). The offer of salvation to those who repent is real.
Lastly, God does not love you because you are special or because He has a special plan for you. He loves you because of who He is--in spite of who you are. God loves because He is love.
Please read the full text if you have any questions. Comments are always welcome!