Since God Is Love, How Can He Hate People?

The Bible is very clear that God’s essence is love (1 John 4:7-10). He has always been love, even before He created the first human beings. He has always sought to have a close relationship with them because they were made for this love. The entire story of humanity is wrapped up within it. Love is why humans were created, and love is their eternal destiny. This truth is taught throughout Scripture, beginning with Adam in the Garden of Eden.

When God created Adam, He said to him, "I will make a partner suitable to you." (Genesis 2:18 NIV) God was declaring the hidden purpose of His heart from eternity past, the mystery of the ages. The Holy Spirit reveals that this promise ultimately speaks of Jesus and the Church (See Ephesians 5:25-6:1).

God proved He is love by sending Jesus to walk among mankind and die in their place (John 3:16). He now reaches out in tender affection with nail-pierced hands, most purely and intimately.

Sadly, many are not yet able to experience the fundamental reality that Father God loves and enjoys them. Some would argue that God could not possibly be in love with them. What a person believes about God is the most important thing contained in their mind. It affects everything about them.

For too many people, God seems remote, impersonal, and unknowable. Because of that, many suffer from an inability to feel forgiven, nagged by doubt and mistrust of Him. A dysfunctional picture of God results in a dysfunctional way of praying. Jesus revealed this truth;

"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?" asked Jesus. "Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him" (Luke 11:11-13 NIV).

Those who had an earthly father who was never around when they needed him or have experienced trauma, abuse, or extreme and hateful discipline will have a very difficult time pursuing an intimate relationship with the heavenly Father.

Love Defined

The Bible speaks of "agape" and "phileo" love. Agape has been defined as a self-sacrificial love committed to the highest good. It is a love that is not dependent on emotions. Without it, no one could be saved (John 3:16). With "Agape" love, God set aside His wrath against mankind and poured it out on the Beloved Son.

"Phileo" love is best defined as tender affection, love from the emotions in a person’s soul. It is that kind of love that responds to love from another. It is the love of true friends, the love of a child for his parents or for another child, and the love between a husband and wife.

This kind of love can be casual or intense. “Phileo” love can’t be relegated to human emotion. Jesus used this word to describe the Father’s love for Him (John 5:20), and It is also used to describe the Father’s feelings toward the Son’s disciples (John 16:27).

But What About Esau?

The verse that is most often quoted to support that God hates people is when He spoke to Malachi and said,

“‘I have loved you,’” “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ The Lord responded, “Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have HATED, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals’” (Malachi 1:2-3 NIV – also Romans 9:10-13 - emphasis mine).

The English word ‘hated’ comes from the Hebrew word ‘sane,’ which can also be translated as "scorn," "slight," or "be an enemy of." ‘Sane’ represents an emotion ranging from intense "hatred" to the much weaker "set against" and is used for persons and things (including ideas, words, and inanimate objects).

It is critically important to study the context of a verse or passage when studying the Bible. It has been said that if you remove the context from the text, you will be conned! The verse is an example of hyperbole, which is an exaggerated language used to make a very strong and specific rhetorical point. It has nothing to do with the human emotions of love and hate and everything to do with God choosing one man and his descendants and rejecting another man and his descendants. God chose Abraham out of all the men in the world and his son Isaac instead of Abraham’s son Ishmael.

To hate someone is to count and treat them as an enemy. Hatred is not primarily an emotion but a covenant action. Those who treat God as an enemy will find God treating them the same way. Since they are His enemies, He will destroy them.