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A Study in Values and "Conflicting" Obligations
and
Application of These Principles to the Bible's
Use of the Words
"Love" and "Hate"
This study began with a look at Psalm 5:5, where we read that God hates those who do evil. The passage does not say, "God loves the sinner but hates the sin." Here, it says he hates the sinner. This forces us to decide whether to accept what it says "as is," or to "interpret" it in a manner that we find more acceptable. If we accept it "as is," we must then ask the question of "how" (or "why") this verse is true.
Since our "starting point" is that God's Word is to be accepted "as is," this study explores those questions. In doing so, we discover that this verse is not the only instance in which such an emphasis occurs. We also discover that this concept of "hate" is actually compatible with the Bible's concept of "love." We do not have to be apologetic, defensive or embarrassed, when we discover verses such as this one!
Beyond all this, however, we discover that this "love-hate" concept opens up an entire perspective toward understanding the Bible - and toward life itself. And so, though this study began with a look at the word "hate," it has expanded to include some of the most fundamental issues regarding values, obligations and perspective on life.
Because these issues are so fundamental to one's perspective about the Bible and life, we urge you to not blindly accept what is written. Search the Scriptures yourself (as in Acts 17:11), to see if these things are true!
Dennis Hinks © 2001