The list of things that God hates (below) is borrowed from (Joel) ‘Meredith’s Book of Bible Lists.’ I looked through it and I can’t find anywhere where God says that He hates, abhors, or considers the Christian religion to be an abomination. What the list does reveal is that God hates false religions that lead men to their destruction, man-made components added to the Christian religion, and religious hypocrisy (e.g., Christians who preach one thing, but then continue to do sinful things).
Jesus doesn’t hate religion, nor did He come to abolish it. That notion can’t be found anywhere in God’s Word. To suggest otherwise is to add words to the Bible (a practice God despises). To say Jesus hates religion and He came to abolish it is a lie. God hates lying.
Here’s what God hates according to the Bible.
The List
1. Homosexual acts (Leviticus 18:22).
2. Bestiality (Leviticus 18:23)
3. Idols, and the materials used to make idols (Deuteronomy 7:25)
4. Blemished sacrifices (Deuteronomy 17:1)
5. Worshipping the sun, moon or stars (Deuteronomy 17:3-4)
6. Divination (Deuteronomy 18:10)
7. Astrology (Deuteronomy 18:10)
8. Enchanters (Deuteronomy 18:10)
9. Witches (Deuteronomy 18:10)
10. Charmers (Deuteronomy 18:11)
11. Wizards (Deuteronomy 18:11)
12. Necromancers (Deuteronomy 18:11)
13. Transvestitism (Deuteronomy 22:5)
14. The hire of a whore (Deuteronomy 23:18)
15. Remarriage to a former wife after she has been married to another man (Deuteronomy 24:4)
16. Dishonest scales (Deuteronomy 25:13-16)
17. Workers of iniquity (Psalm 5:5)
18. The wicked (Psalm 11:5)
19. Those who love violence (Psalm 11:5)
20. The froward [perverse] (Proverbs 3:32)
21. A proud look (Proverbs 6:16-17)
22. A lying tongue (Proverbs 6:17)
23. Hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17)
24. A heart that devises wicked imaginations (Proverbs 6:18)
25. Feet that are swift in running to mischief (Proverbs 6:18)
26. A false witness who speaks lies (Proverbs 6:19)
27. Anyone who sows discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:19)
28. Lying lips (Proverbs 12:22)
29. The sacrifices of the wicked (Proverbs 15:8)
30. The ways of the wicked (Proverbs 15:9)
31. The thoughts of the wicked (Proverbs 15:26)
32. The proud in heart (Proverbs 16:5)
33. Those who justify the wicked (Proverbs 17:15)
34. Those who condemn the just (Proverbs 17:15)
35. Vain sacrifices (Isaiah 1:13)
36. Feasts as Israel celebrated them (Isaiah 1:14)
37. Robbery for burnt offering (Isaiah 61:8)
38. Idolatry (Jeremiah 44:2-4)
39. Evil plans against neighbors (Zechariah 8:17)
40. False oaths (Zechariah 8:17)
41. Esau (Malachi 1:1-3; Romans 9:13)
42. Divorce (Malachi 2:14-16)
43. The deeds of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6, 15)
44. Sacred pillars (Deuteronomy 16:22).
45. “I hate, I despise, your feast days” (Amos 5:21).
46. “Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates.” ( Isaiah 1:14)
What is the Christian Religion?
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines religion this way:
Religion, in its most comprehensive sense, includes a belief in the being and perfections of God, in the revelation of his will to man, in man’s obligation to obey his commands, in a state of reward and punishment, and in man’s accountableness to God; and also true godliness or piety of life, with the practice of all moral duties…Religion…is godliness or real piety in practice, consisting in the performance of all known duties to God and our fellow men, in obedience to divine command, or from love to God and his law.
I have gone through that definition word by word and I cannot find anything therein that God said He hates or would desire to abolish. What I like about the definition is that it points out that the Christian religion is in obedience to God’s commands, implying the components of our faith are not man-made. So if you’re in a church that says you must do works to be saved, or you must attend that denomination to get to Heaven, or you must recite these words to Mary ten times, your religion has man-made parts that need to be rejected.
God’s Mandates for Religion
As we already pointed out, people do not have to do works in order to earn their salvation. The Bible tells us that it’s by faith we are saved. ’For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.’ (2 Corinthians 7-10) Jesus finished all the work at the cross. In love and gratitude, we willing submit ourselves to the only One who could have saved us. It is our desire to obey, not because some cleric said we had to, but because we desire to; it blesses our Lord and Savior. Therefore, we utilize the components of the Christian religion that God has established — they serve to bring us closer to Jesus and to equip us for ministry.
What are some of those religious elements of God we practice?
Praying, reading our Bibles, meditating on His word, going to church, fellowship with other believers, communion, worship, baptism, and marriage, are a few that top my list.
Here are a few others:
Keeping God’s word (John 14:23 )
Feeding God’s sheep (John 21:15-17 )
Heal the sick (Matthew 10:8)
Teaching (Matthew 28:20)
Preaching repentance and remission of sins (Luke 24:46-47 )
Preaching the gospel (Mark 16:15)
Doing good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27-28)
Not being hypocrites (Luke 12:1)
Giving (Matthew 5:42)
Loving God (Mark 12:30)
Loving one another (John 13:35)
Not being deceived (Mark 13:5-6 )
Being ready in season and out (2 Timothy 4:2)
Making disciples (Matthew 28:19)
Letting our light shine (Matthew 5:16)
And there are plenty more.
…Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:1-6
There is a bottom line here. While I might call the adherence to God’s mandates religion, you might call them your steps of faith. Someone else might call them the elements of their relationship. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we’ve committed our lives to Jesus Christ and that we’re submitted to His authority…because we want to, not because we have to.
What’s not okay is for one Christian to suggest or imply that another Christian is not saved because they’re not using the same vocabulary as them. Frankly, that practice wreaks of the kind of man-made dogma that God hates. So if you want to say that Christianity isn’t a religion, but a relationship, that’s fine. If I want to say I practice the components of my religion religiously, that’s fines too. But let neither one of us ever say the other is wrong based solely on semantics.
- What are your thoughts?
- How did God speak to you?
- What is your prayer?
~ ~ ~
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Dave Wells
Great page Dave! I will put this to good use when I am doing my work in the prisons.
Blessings!
God bless you Dawn, what a wonderful ministry that must be!
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One thing that really came to mind as I was reading your list is this, if a non-Christian, seeker, came to your site and read through that list, they might find things there that they were guilty of. It could be that reading through that list, alone, could make them feel that they couldn’t be forgiven if God hates those things. They would stop reading, stop searching. I am very careful when talking about things from the old testament especially to non-believers. Not because they aren’t still valid or true, but because we first share the truth of forgiveness and then allow the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and areas that we have to rid our lives of. The Pharisees were great at convicting everyone of their sin and never giving them the opportunity for change. Religiosity, is what did most of them in. They couldn’t see past their religious “works” to find grace and salvation. As Christians we have to be so very careful not to become like the Pharisees. Everyone is on their own journey to and with Christ. If we swing to far toward legalism we are in danger of isolating others, if we swing too far toward grace we are in danger of allowing all manner of sin into our lives. A balance of the two is what we need. I think that that is what the slam poet was trying to get across. It’s all a matter of the dialect he used. In some circles it would be perfectly clear and to others it would be offensive and seem that he was slamming them personally. I could say the same about what anyone writes, myself included. Just some thoughts, your writing is a blessing to me!!
Yes, that certainly could happen, but couldn’t the same non-Christian, seeker open the Bible randomly and read any of those same verses and be turned off for the same reason? I suppose that’s the danger when ever somebody comes into the middle of a conversation, so to speak and since practically every one of my blogs typically deals with a singular topic, the risk you speak of is to some degree ever present.
The way to correct it (in my case and as it pertains to my blog), would be to include a disclaimer at the bottom of the page or parenthetically after each controversial doctrine that would cover these issues. And I’m not just being flippant about your remarks. The Lord last week gave me a verse that closely pertains to what we talking about now.
All that’s to say is that as the topics pop up to blog about, I try really hard to cover all the bases (Biblically) regarding the issue, but at the end of the day, you cannot cover all the bases and someone is bound to be offended. That’s where I have to put the entire thing in God’s hands and let Him be responsible for the results. I do pray before, sometimes during, and always after I post.
Anyway, I am aware of the matter (and others as well) and I’m always open to honest critique, admonition, and rebuke when necessary, and I thank you for sharing your concerns today. I do appreciate them.
God’s blessings!
The verse “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation” comes to mind here. You could limit the gospel to the parts of the Bible specifically about Christ’s coming, life, death, burial, and resurrection, or you could expand it to the entire Bible, which is really all the story of Christ. The OT is the part that explains man’s predicament; the NT explains what God did about it. Understanding that God really does hate sin explains our need for a savior.
While understanding the need for being careful, at some point there comes a danger of putting disclaimers on the Bible itself. God doesn’t say, “I hate X sin, but don’t get too offended please because I really love you and want you in heaven with me.” He says, “I hate that.” And just when we’re thoroughly convinced that our sin is pretty loathsome, that’s when he gives us the good news.
I suppose my point is just that some people get so focused on the love and mercy of God that they forget why we need love and mercy in the first place. Others get so focused on convicting sinners and preaching hell that they forget that there is love involved.
I think you present a balanced view here. You’re certainly not hateful, but I like that words are not minced, either.
Thanks Sarah. I really do appreciate feedback. I try to take seriously what everyone has to say, praying about it and researching it. The fact is i wish more people took the time to write the things where they thought I was off base in an interpretation (or similar). Mostly I’ll get encouraging words (which is wonderful), but I recognize that I need a balance of of encouragement and correction. I don’t just want to write, I want to write right (lol) and as led by the Lord. What I really enjoy is when we can all come to the table and discuss the matters openly. That’s how people will know we are His disciples (for our love for each other). Have a great day in the Lord Sarah!
I’ve read separate reports that the slam-poet, Jeff Bethke, has responded to all the criticism on Twitter and said HIS CRITICS ARE “SPOT ON,” and he will be more careful with his words. He understands the importance of being more precise in matters like this, and in theological discussions in general.
I hope that is true. I find that very encouraging and I look forward to his future poem slams (if that’s the correct terminology–lol).
This was what I was looking for! Great B’log!
lol — never occurred to me that you meant this one. My bad. Thank you
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So perfectly written and clarified. I wish this was mandatory reading for every single Christian. Well done!
To God be the glory! Thank you for the encouraging word, God bless you.