Who Does God Hate?

Does God love everyone?

Written by David Larsen on November 19, 2003
Last updated December 22, 2005

The Christian should have very little trouble recognizing that he lives in a world opposed to God.  Though it may not be continually apparent, the intensity of the opposition is severe.  Paul, in Romans 1:30, describes the ungodly as “haters of God.”  While man's hatred towards God may be easy to identify and describe, the attitude of God toward such people may not be as easy to encapsulate.

Two questions will be posed to begin discussion.  Does God love everyone?  And if so, how has He loved them?  While the first question may be answered affirmatively by even the most unthoughtful inquirer, attempting to answer the second question would challenge many in their specific understanding of the first.

Before addressing the first set of questions, it will be helpful to provide a brief roadmap for this paper.  Initially, we will determine if and presumably how God loves everyone.  This will lead to a discussion of the gospel message and the accompanying idea of election.   The relationship between God’s love and the gospel will be a central theme.

Does God love everyone?

If you were to ask a wide variety of believers if God loves everyone, you might be surprised that some say He does not love everyone.  Some, especially those who hold to the Calvinistic understanding of predestination, may try to convince you that God does not love everyone.  As shocking as such a statement might be, they could easily answer with any number of syllogisms.  They might argue that because God saves those whom He loves and not everyone is saved, then God must not love everyone.  They would also have to say that the concept of God loving everyone is not found in Scripture.  However, such a statement opposes the clear teaching of Scripture.

A good starting point is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  (NKJV)  This well-known verse is found in the context of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, the stealthy but sincere inquirer.  Nicodemus asks about the mysterious process of rebirth, and Jesus readily explains.  When Nicodemus is confused, Jesus acknowledges his confusion and identifies Himself as one with a heavenly message.  Christ goes on to explain that his mission in coming to earth was one for salvation rather than condemnation.  Surely no incarnation was necessary if condemnation were the goal.  As clearly seen in verses 15 and 16 of the chapter, the reason He was lifted up, the reason He was sent by God was so “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  (NKJV)

Unfortunately, some have tried to reinterpret this verse to fit their understanding of God.  Arthur Pink concluded that “world” in this case “refers to the world of believers” rather than the world in general that would necessarily include the ungodly.1  However, this is clearly a poor explanation of this verse; as R. L. Dabney puts it, “A fair logical connection between verse 17 and verse 18 shows that ‘the world’ of verse 17 is inclusive of ‘him that believeth’ and ‘him that believeth not’ of verse 18.”2  The differentiation is made not in terms of whether or not Jesus came with the purpose of saving the world, but rather in terms of whether or not those in the world believe.  Those who will believe will not be condemned. while those who do not believe will surely be condemned.

The best understanding of John 3:16 must be that the world refers to the entire world.  John MacArthur, Jr. says of the verse:

No delimiting language is anywhere in the context.  Nothing relates to how God’s love is distributed between the elect and the rest of the world.  It is a statement about God’s demeanor toward mankind in general…  To convert it into an expression of divine hatred against those whom God does not save is to turn the passage on its head.3

This understanding fits well with God’s basic nature.   John states that the believer is someone who loves.  Failure to love is to oppose  God’s very nature.  I John 4:8 says, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”  (NKJV)   This previous verse identifies God Himself as the source of the believer’s love.

For further support of the truth that God loves everyone, we can consider His Law.  Notice the reason Christ gives in Matthew 5:45 when commanding Christians to love even enemies:  “…in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (NKJV)  This implies that our love for enemies is following the example of the Father.  So God’s love for those who defy Him is perhaps the best motivation for us to love them.  As Erroll Hulse puts it, “If God does not love them it is hardly likely that we will make it our business to love them.”4  The second greatest commandment, “'You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:21, NKJV) expresses this same idea.  The commandment is not to love only believers.  The love called for here makes no discrimination.

Calvin makes two helpful observations about John 3:16:  “Namely, that faith in Christ brings life to all, and that Christ brought life, because the Father loves the human race, and wishes that they should not perish.”5  The just and holy God loves this sinful world.  He loves it to the extent that He sent His Son so that men might believe and be saved.  All who recognize their sinfulness will find this to be good news.  Certainly it is, for it is the gospel.  However, such statements, though they be wholly true, are not the whole of the gospel.  This brings us to the second point of consideration.

Does God hate anyone?

The preceding discussion might have one conclude that God does not hate anyone.  However, to do so is to ignore some very plain statements of Scripture.  As shocking as it may sound to some, God does hate some.  This is something that was not openly shared in most of our children’s Sunday school classes.
God hates wickedness.  This is part of the holy nature of God.  Not only does He hate wickedness, but He also hates the wicked.  David declares in Psalm 5:5, “The boastful shall not stand in your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.”  (NKJV)  The next verse declares that the Lord “abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”  (NKJV)  God’s soul hates the wicked and those who love violence (Psalm 11:5).  In commanding His people to obey Him, God declares his utter hatred for those whom were driven out of Canaan;  He “abhorred them.”  (Leviticus 20:23, NKJV)  Later in the same book we find how God will respond if His people disobey Him:

“And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.  You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters.  I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you.”  (Leviticus 26:27-30, NKJV)

To say that God has hate for no man is clearly untrue.  However, it must be noted that this hatred is conditional.  Nowhere does God express a hatred for mankind in general without cause.  Even in Genesis 6, the grief God feels is on account of the wickedness of the people.  God’s hatred for people is conditional.  God’s hatred is incited upon certain conditions of disobedience being true of a person.  This seems to be a reliable statement, for God’s declarations of hatred for any group or individual are accompanied by the necessary condition of wickedness.

One might then rightly ask why all men are not subject to the hatred of God if all men are sinful.  First, one must be reminded that God’s general disposition toward man is not one of hatred.  This was the conclusion reached in the first section.  Nevertheless, this is not to say that all are not deserving of God’s hate; for all have been haters of God; all violate His holy Law.  So then God’s love for the world can be explained by nothing other than God’s grace.  His love for us is undeserved.

We must then carefully consider the nature of God’s grace.  Many would say that God’s grace is unconditional.  However, is not entirely true.  Now before you burn me at the stake as a heretic, give me a chance to explain what I mean.  Those who would oppose my assertion might quickly take me to the second chapter of Ephesians.  Very well.  Verses 8 and 9 clearly make the point that salvation is not accomplished through works.  Believers are the result of the work of God.  Really, the point seems to be that salvation is neither deserved nor earned.  However, it would be a mistake to separate salvation from certain necessary conditions.  Just because certain conditions are necessary for salvation by no means implies that salvation is deserved.

A simple example from my recent experience may help explain the difference.  Several weeks ago in history class, a classmate forgot to bring her homework to class.  Although she had completed the work, she did not have it at the beginning of class.  The rules for turning in homework were certainly clear:  no late homework would be given credit.  To give the girl any credit for the assignment would be grace, for she would receive other than what she deserved.  However, I saw that there were conditions involved in experiencing this grace.  She had to ask for it.  Those who sought no grace received no grace.  Asking did nothing make her deserving of grace in any way.  The point is that there can be conditions for grace.

Consider the requirements of salvation.  Scripture knows nothing of salvation apart from belief and faith in Christ.  It knows nothing of salvation apart from repentance.  It would not be wrong to call these conditions of salvation.  In the same way it would not be incorrect to say certain conditions are conditions of damnation.  Unbelief and defiance are characteristic of those who in the end will be damned just as belief and obedience are characteristic of those whom God saves.

This brings us to the third question.

How does God express love toward those He hates?

Does this sound like a strange question?  It should.  The whole question seems at first impossible to answer, because at first look the question seems to contain an impossibility.  Could it be that there are those whom God both loves and hates?  If we are to answer the first two questions affirmatively, then it must be so.  Admittedly, this is difficult to understand; however, we should not be surprised when we have trouble understanding God, for He is wholly beyond and apart from His creation.  There is no one like Him (Exodus 15:11).

Before answering how God expresses love toward those He hates, it will help to answer an easier question but related question:  How does God express love toward those whom He loves?  Obviously, there is a distinction being made here between those God loves and those He hates, so this question is not directed at mankind in general.  The question asks how God expresses His love toward those who repent and believe.  This also means that when we talk about those whom God hates, we are talking about those who practice wickedness and defy Him.

So again, how does God express love toward those whom He loves?  The majority of verses identifying God’s expression of love refer to the sacrifice of Christ.  Romans 5:8 may provide the clearest statement of this:  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.”  (NKJV)  Even John 3:15,16 seems to be expressing this idea, for it was God’s love that caused Him to offer His Son.  Titus 3:4-6 declares the appearing of God’s love to be when He saved men through Christ.  He loved us by giving Himself for men (Ephesians 5:2).

While other graces could be justly said to be expressions of God’s love, these must be kept secondary to the great expression of love in sending the Son of God to save sinners.  This is where the third question finds resolution.  There is a sense in which some experience both the love and hate of God.
Love is experienced in God’s general goodness.  Theologians use the term common grace  to describe such a goodness.  God’s provision of sustenance and shelter are certainly expressions of God’s love, for we have no right to demand such things of our Creator.  Surely as the Psalmist David declares it, “The Lord is good to all.”  (Psalm 145:9)

This disposition  of kindness is seen in God’s desire for the wicked to repent.  To a nation that would recognize the condemnation brought by sin, God said “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”  (Ezekiel 33:11)

Even to the non-repentant, non-submissive rich young ruler of Mark twelve was loved by Christ.  One who would reject Christ was no exception to God’s love, for the passage ends with:  “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him.”  (Mark 10:21)  This gives insight into another aspect of God’s love for those who reject Him.  God expresses His love for them by warning them and commanding to repent.  John MacArthur emphatically states, “Nothing demonstrates God’s love more than the various warnings throughout the pages of Scripture, urging sinners to flee from the wrath to come.”6  God is clear in Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.  (NKJV)

There is no way that you can say God’s offer of mercy is insincere.  God’s pleadings with sinners to repent are not insincere.  However, John MacArthur has asks a legitimate question:  “How can unfilled desire be compatible with a wholly sovereign God?”  Afterall, “Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps” (Psalm 135:6).  Does this mean that the Lord is pleased in destroying the wicked.  Before answering this question, you might consider Ezekiel 18:32, which says, “’I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,’ declares the Lord God. ‘Therefore, repent and live.’”  There is a sense in which God desires men to be saved, and there is also a sense in which God desires that the ungodly be punished.

Here, MacArthur makes an obvious, but important point:  “God is not at the mercy of contingencies.  He is not subject to His creatures’ choices.”7  No one can reverse the work of Almighty God (Isaiah 43:13).  This is certain.  However, MacArthur leaves one point untouched in his statement.  While God is not subject to His creatures’ choices, they are most certainly subject to their own choices.  Was not even Adam personally acquainted with sin by his own choosing?  But how do men make choices?  Does God cause people to make certain decisions?  The whole issue of how God directs men and influences their choices is beyond the scope of this paper.  Therefore, this discussion will be brought to a close with a brief bit of application.

How can men experience God's special love?

The question itself makes a necessary distinction.  Certainly all are subject to God’s general love expressed in common grace, clear calls to repentance and a sincere offer of mercy through Christ.  But how can one experience that love that caused God to provide the sacrifice of His Son?  The gospel message is clear:  repent and believe in Christ.  He is the only way (John 14:6, NKJV).

Certainly the certainty of God’s hatred for the wicked should not extinguish hope.  While it is clear that no one who remains defiant will be saved, there is a real offer of salvation to those who repent.  It is not as though God left the wicked without means of mercy.  This is really the point of John 3:16.  Christ’s incarnation was no vengeful appearance.  His coming was the great expression of God’s love for all mankind.

Before closing, it is worthwhile to put down a common misapplication of the truth that God loves us.  Many, in presenting God’s plan for salvation, have said something along the lines of “God loves you because you are special.”  Really?  Is that why God loves people?  God gives no reason for His love for us, for there is none.  It is wholly undeserved.  God’s love for people is not a love of value.  As MacArthur puts it, “God loves because He is love; love is essential to who He is.”8

Conclusion

Does God love everyone?  Yes.  Does God hate those who defy Him?  Yes.  There is undeniable tension in this, especially considering the full power of God to do as He pleases.  God has a general, unconditional love for mankind; however, hate will be expressed toward those in a condition of opposition to God.

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