Q88 : Does God Love or Hate?

The question I have I can't answer. Hope you can help. In John 3:16 we see God's love for the world. However, Psalms 11:5 seems to indicate something different.

My Bible(NASB) states: “And the one who loves violence His soul hates.” Also, Psalms 5:5 states: “The boastful shall not stand before Thine eyes; Thou dost hate all who do iniquity.”

This seems controversial. I sure could use your wisdom and knowledge. Thanks again.

A88 : by Tony Garland

There are several issues to consider here:

• What does love really mean?
• Can the human mind ever reduce God's perfect character to the level of our own limited logic?

We know that God is perfect. What that means, in part, is that His personality reflects the perfect balance of different elements which are in tension. For example, God loves justice and God loves truth. But how can he love justice and truth and at the same time love injustice and falsehood? Obviously, love means nothing without the balancing aspects of justice and judgment.

Some of the smartest and most devoted minds have struggled for centuries to grasp the balance which the Bible reveals concerning the nature of God.

There is perfect love. There is perfect justice and judgment. God loves, but He also hates (Rom. 9:13).

All of these truths are taught in the Bible and they only appear to contradict one another when we force the revelation of God to bow to the limitations of our human intellect.

Paul understood that a detailed consideration of the nature of God will leave our human intellect floundering:

You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed [it], “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? [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, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, [even] us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? (Romans 9:19-24)

I don't think we can understand the perfection of God’s character from our limited perspective. Even in the eternal state—when we are glorified—He will still be God and we will still be His creatures and thus remain unable to comprehend His full person.