¿Does God hate me?

Desperation and anguish can lead us to think that God does not love us and ask us: "¿Why does God hate me?" What does the Bible say about it? What things does God really hate? And ¿what do you want to show us about your deep and eternal love ? 

Some of the questions we receive by correspondence are truly heartbreaking. There are those who wonder: "¿Does God hate me?", And others desperate say: "God hates me! ¿Why?".

The following message is an example of the conflicts and despair that many feel:

“I have too many problems in my profession. I have to face various conflicts day after day, and I have many fears about my work. I pray often, but God doesn't listen to me at all. ¿What I can do? ¿Who else but Jesus can help me in this world? I am very distressed and have lost all hope. Why doesn't Jesus help me? Have I done something wrong? ”

Doesn't God care? Are the problems and heartaches that so many people suffer a test of their lack of love? ¿Or of your indifference? ¿Or even his hatred?

God shows his love

John 3: 16-17 is quoted so often that it may lose its impact. But imagine being in the place of God the Father or Jesus Christ.

Imagine being willing to make as much sacrifice as possible for a large number of people you created but who became selfish and sinful. Imagine the thoughts and plans, hopes and dreams, worry and care involved in ridding the world of the death penalty and offering you a family relationship with your Creator for eternity.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world would be saved by him. "

There is no greater love than this!

And we will continue talking about it right away. But first, let's take a closer look at how the universe works. ¿Why are things not always what they seem? ¿Who really hates us when we feel hated?

The real enemy

The Bible reveals that Satan is a cruel and furious enemy (1 Peter 5: 8; Revelation 12:12). He hates God and humanity, and tries by all means to hinder the Father's loving plan. His goal is for us human beings to lose all hope.

The book of Job gives us an idea of ​​how things work behind the scenes. In it we can see the reality of Satan's aggressive attacks: desperate attempts to discourage Job and make him surrender.

But Job did not understand what was happening. He simply assumed that his suffering came from God, and in his anguish he asked: "¿Why do you hide your face, and tell me about your enemy?" (Job 13:24). To his three friends, who understood the situation even less than he did, he also said: "His anger tore me apart, and it has been contrary to me" (Job 16: 9).

Job's story is not a simple one. God did allow me to go through that terrible ordeal, but not because I hated him. What happens is that God's love for Job, and for all of us, exceeds our capacity for understanding.

Understanding suffering

Job's unfortunate comforting friends insisted that his suffering was a sign of God's discontent. But God later said they were wrong (Job 42: 7). They were judging according to appearances.

It is easy to base our feelings on our physical circumstances. Naturally, we believe that if God loves us we will have an easy and blessed life, but if our life is difficult and painful, it must be because God hates us.

However, circumstances and suffering do not tell the whole story. Many faithful and beloved servants of God have gone through terrible trials, and Paul tells Christians: "It is necessary that through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).

Trials are not an automatic sign that God hates us or wants to punish us. However, many times we ourselves have unintended consequences. It is always wise to analyze our actions and regret whatever we have done wrong, rectify what we can, and work to avoid making the same mistakes again.

Breaking God's law (sinning) causes terrible suffering and, ultimately, death.

What things does God hate?

God doesn't hate you!

But the Bible does mention a few things that it does hate:

The sin and injustice (Psalm 45: 6-7).  

Pride, lies, violence, wickedness, and discord (Proverbs 6: 16-19).

Paganism and child sacrifices (Deuteronomy 12:31).

The divorce (Malachi 2:16).  

All these things are causes of evil and suffering for those who do them and those around them. God hates sinful thoughts and actions, as well as the destruction they cause.

Hates sin, but loves sinners; and loves them enough to deeply desire that they (all of us) stop sinning. Hates sin, but loves sinners; and loves them enough to deeply desire that they (all of us) stop sinning.

What about those few biblical passages where God is said to hate "the evil one" (Psalm 11: 5), ¿or specific people like Esau?

These scriptures do not imply that God's hatred and love are mutually exclusive. In fact, God loves even those he "hates." His deep wish is that all the wicked change.

Even though we ourselves sometimes become hateful, and God hates what we do wrong, his love for us remains.

¿How to respond to the love of God?

Marveling at the immense love of God, the Apostle Paul wrote:

“Because Christ, when we were still weak, in due time died for the wicked. Certainly, hardly any will die for a righteous man; nevertheless, it could be that somebody dared to die for the good. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us ”(Romans 5: 6-8, emphasis added).  

God hates sin because of its dire consequences. He does not like to see how we harm ourselves, and his desire is that we do what Christ told the adulterous woman: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more ”(John 8:11).

But God's great love requires — deserves — an answer from us. As the apostle John wrote: "Look what love the Father has given us, so that we may be called children of God ... And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure" (1 John 3 : 1, 3).

Experiencing the pure love of God should motivate us to be like Him — to purify ourselves and love as He loves.

"We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). But how do we demonstrate our love for God? "Beloved, if God so loved us, we must also love one another" (v. 11). “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not burdensome ”(1 John 5: 2-3).

The Ten Commandments teach us to love God as He wants to be loved, and also to love others in such a way that we have peace and good relationships.

The correct response to God's love is to repent - change our way of life - and live his beautiful and beneficial path.

When we accept God's love and respond to his call with repentance and conversion, we don't need to worry about whether God hates us again. Then, "the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4: 7).

God's love is the most powerful force in the universe. As Paul said to the Christians in Rome: “I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor the present, nor the time to come, nor the high, nor the deep, nor nothing else created can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord ”(Romans 8: 38-39).

Box: ¿Why doesn't God answer me?

The Bible has a lot to say about the way and times when God answers prayers. He can respond in different ways, which we sometimes find difficult to recognize:

Yes.

Yes, but not yet.

No, but I have something better for you.

Box: “I hated Esau”: ¿What did God mean?

In Malachi 1: 2-3, God said, "I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau" (see also Romans 9:13). This expression simply means that God favored Jacob over Esau, who, being the firstborn, would normally have received his father's inheritance and promises. The point in both scriptures has more to do with the choice and rejection of Abraham's descendants than with God's love for someone.  

In other words, the promises to Abraham's descendants would be extended through Jacob, and not through Esau, who "underestimated ... the birthright" (Genesis 25:34).

Why is the word abhor used? According to Jamieson , Fausset and Brown's Commentary [Blurb Jamieson , Fausset and Brown], God hated Esau in a relative sense, "ie, God chose him to be in his favor, as [God] did with Jacob" . God chose Jacob and his descendants as his people and those who would receive his blessings, instead of Esau.