There is nothing wrong (that is, nothing
unscriptural) about saying that God "hates" some people—depending upon how the word is being understood. The words can be found in places like those that Mark Driscoll cites (e.g., Psalm 5:5 and 11:5). But the term "hate" needs to be understood as the opposite of "liking" (an
emotional reaction) rather than the opposite of "loving" (a
moral response).
In Psalm 5, for example, God's hatred for certain people is parallel with taking no "pleasure" in wickedness:
For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You.
Note the structure of the following couplet, which contains two parallel lines—which I will label 1(a, b); 2(a, b):
1 (a) The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; (b) You hate all workers of iniquity.
2.(a) You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; (b)The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
In the two lines, the (a) clauses speak of people's speech: 1(a) boasting; 2(a) speaking falsehood.
In both lines, the (b) portions speak of actions: 1(b) working iniquity; 2(b) bloodthirstiness and deceit
In 1(a) and 2(a) fates are described: not standing in God's sight and being destroyed.
In 1(b) and 2(b) God's attitudes are described: hatred and abhorrence.
Abhorrence is here parallel with hatred. The former clearly means finding something disgusting or loathsome, and is strictly an emotional reaction.
"Hatred" can mean "not loving" (as in 1 John 2:10-11), but often really means "not liking" (as in Psalm 5).
"Liking" has to do with finding enjoyment and pleasure in a thing: "I
like coffee."
If I find immense displeasure in a thing, I can express my antipathy with the word "hate": "I
hate cream soda."
In such cases, "love" and "hate" refer only to emotional or visceral reactions.
Though we sometimes use the word "love" only to mean "extreme liking" (as in, "I
love chocolate"), it is not used this way in scripture. There, love has to do with a person's commitment to another's benefit, and a willingness to sacrifice to secure another's well-being.
We can love someone, in this sense of commitment to their good, even when the object of our love brings us great displeasure and unhappiness. God loves His enemies, though it cannot be imagined that He likes (or "finds pleasure in") them. Similarly, we are never told to "like" our enemies (or even our brethren!), but only to love them—which we can do, even when our dislike of them is extreme.
Such extreme displeasure can be expressed as "hatred" in the sense of great dislike: "I
hate going to the dentist!"
However, finding extreme displeasure in a person does not mean we do not love them, in the biblical sense, while hating them in this other sense.
It is not contradictory for God to say He "hates" certain things and certain people (if His saying so means only that they bring Him the polar opposite of "enjoyment"), and, at the same time, to say He "loves" them (if we see this as meaning He is willing to sacrifice everything to secure their well-being).
God's "hatred" of sinners is, therefore, His
emotional reaction to their thoughts and behavior, while His love for them is His
moral response toward their plight.
When "hate" means only the polar opposite of "like", it is entirely possible to harmonize statements about God's hatred with those affirming His love.
