All right, I have to mention something that might … help. On the other hand, it might unleash a new era of confusion, sending us back into the dark ages of this conversation. However, I have a feeling that it might … actually … help. Hopefully.
JK, you’ve been saying that the only thing God loves about the devil now is his existence. I think (but I may be wrong) that this not true. Indeed, though, existence is one thing God loves about the devil. However, God also loves the devil’s nature.
However, we must make an important distinction with the word “nature.” It could mean at least two things: 1) the essence of a thing, or 2) the behavior of a thing.
With regard to the first kind of nature (a thing’s essence), this can perhaps clearly be seen looking at humans. We have human nature. God gave us human nature. God also gave us existence. Both human nature and the our existence is good. Our nature in this sense defines “what we essentially are,” and our existence makes us “be.” Just because we sin, this does not make our essence evil. We still have human nature, despite our evil actions. The sexual act will always be good in itself, no matter how much it’s abused. The devil, likewise, was given a nature by God as well as existence. He has an angelic nature, and even though he has rejected God and has acted horribly, he nonetheless still has angelic nature … the devil is still an angel. God thus loves (ontologically) both the devil’s existence and essence.
However, there is the other kind of nature (i.e. behavior … there might be a better word for this too). To illustrate this … when one chooses to do something enough, it changes him in a certain way. For example, if one does carpentry enough, that man gets defined as a “carpenter.” This change isn’t an essential change (that is, his human nature doesn’t change … otherwise he wouldn’t be human), but this is more a superficial change, a kind of “nature” that isn’t as essential as the previously talked about nature. This kind of more superficial (but important) nature can be called Second Nature! Doing something enough can make it second nature to you, such that you actually become a carpenter, a taxi driver, a computer analyst, etc. Very importantly, if one sins enough, one starts being defined as a sinner. When one fornicates, he takes the nature of fornicator … or when one murders, he starts being defined as a murderer. However, once again, this doesn’t change your essential nature (you are always still human … even if you’re not acting human). Even though your essence doesn’t become “a murderer” you become “a murderer” … in the second nature sense. It is a thing that defines you. It is when talking about people’s second natures, that God hates people in that sense. God hates fornicators, murderers, liars, etc. Indeed God hates the sin, but in a sense, also hates the sinner as the person has defined himself (in his second nature) as being a person who commits sin.
Does that make sense? I hope it does. It may explain what you, rinnie, were trying to say.
Hence, God always loves your existence, and always loves your primary nature (i.e. essence), but can hate your second nature (but can love it too if your second nature is good). A person can be referred to in reference to their second nature (e.g. carpenter, teacher, fornicator, murderer), and so in that sense, it is possible for God to hate a person (or love them more if their second nature is the divine nature of Christ).
God never said it either:shrug: