Hello,
In a few of my classes we have brought up your church, so I decided to come on your site to see more. I had heard of you all before, but I really wanted to check it out for myself.
With all do respect, you are using scriputre out of context. You are taking one verse and just pasting it somewhere, and the way you are using it is just not right. I am not claiming to be an expert or anything, but anyone who has studied the Bible, or just has read it, or someone who has taken Hermenutics, knows context is so important when reading the Bible.
I am close to tears right now reading everything on your site. God has called us to love our neighbors….HE is a LOVING God, so where do you get the idea that He ever HATED someone.I just don’t get it…maybe you can explain but I don’t know. This is not how I see God. I am praying for you, even though you may not think you need it. God loves you.
God Bless,
Ashleigh
Ashleigh-
So glad a little truth from WBC was heard in your class!
You don’t ‘get’ it because your parents, teachers and pastors have lied to you. We don’t traffic in lies and sin. We love our neighbors, unlike this rebellious generation, and speak truth hoping to provoke you to consider the only thing that matters in this life – your duty to submit and obey your Creator. Now, how that lands on your heart is God’s prerogative.
Yes, God is love to those of a contrite spirit and who are ashamed of their sin. They are penitent ONLY because He has bestowed His grace upon them to even see their sinful, depraved heart. The sovereign Creator, whose name is Jealous (Ex 34 and 39), is also a God of wrath and vengeance. He hates those of a rebellious and proud spirit – those that run to sin, those that teach and enable sin, those that lie about sin. The proud sinner will never repent with any sincerity because they are incapable to do so without God’s merciful and sovereign hand upon them. They have no forgiveness and have no hope of salvation. The Lord calls them “vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.” (Romans 9)
God’s words are plain. He hated Esau, the person, not just his sins. He hated Him from the womb (Malachi 1 and Romans 9). Esau is also the standing type in the Bible of all the disobedient. You must first wrap your mind around that truth. People go to hell, not a clump of sins. Too many verses that speak to the pain and torment of the fires of hell to humans to say otherwise. God hates them from eternal ages past. Out of the counsel of His perfect will, He chose not to write their names in the Book of Life. It is His divine decree and your only hope is submitting to His will and rejoicing in every whit!
Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
What’s the point of “fearing the Lord” as He commands if He is only love? There are more verses in the Bible on His wrath, vengeance and hatred than His love. I suggest you get very familiar with those. You are obviously old enough to read and study and the eternal state of your soul depends on it.
This verse applies is this:
2Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Thanks for writing!