God's Enemies

In sharing my experience of judging the impromptu apologetics Saturday, I have received some very quizzical looks when I explained that God does NOT love everyone. I suppose this should not surprise me since we have a generation of people raised under the influence of the evangelistic tool "The Four Spiritual Laws," with the first one being "God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life." The astute non-Christian should rightly respond to that statement with something like, "Great...then I have nothing to worry about. I've got it made!" So then, how can a Christian proceed with his gospel message after offering that false hope? Add to the equation that God's holiness, judgment, wrath, and hell are rarely taught in churches these days, and it's no wonder so many people believe God loves everyone. In actuality, most people are at enmity with God, whether they realize it or not. Consider the following verses:

"God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day." Psalm 7:11

"For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity." Psalm 5:4-5

"He who believes in the Son (Jesus) has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:36

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." Romans 1:18

"But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Romans 2:5

"What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction." Romans 9:22

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others." Ephesians 2:1-3

"For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty works for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." Ephesians 5:5-6

So rather than telling non-Christians that "God loves you," a warning should be given that God's holiness cannot tolerate their sin, and that faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross alone is the only way to be saved from eternal damnation. Then, instead of being objects of God's wrath, they will become objects of God's mercy and love.