The Love of God - White on TV

Here's an excellent off-the-cuff presentation in response to an audience question on British television by Reformed Baptists Elder James White (link). Note how shocked the audience member is to hear that God loves even those whom he creates for destruction.

To finish up Dr. White's point, God loves different people in different ways. As we know from other parts of Scripture, "Hate" is typically used to mean "Love less." God hated Esau, but yet God loved Esau: he blessed him with a family and a name that will be remembered. The nation of Edom has been cut off, but Esau had an enormous number of descendants, and many kings were his grandchildren. So, despite the audience member's incredulity, God can love someone and provide them with good things in this life and tolerate their sin for a season, and yet (by comparison) hate them in contrasted to (as Paul puts) the great love (πολλην αγαπην) with which God loved us before the foundation of the earth and consequently sacrificed His own Son for us.

Both are love, but by contrast the former is the hatred of God. Is that truly hard to understand?

-Turretinfan