There seem to be contradictions about this in the bible. In the old testament it says things like God hates the wicked and workers of iniquity, but yet in the new testament it says that God loved the new believer even while he was a sinner and an enemy of God. I've also heard some christians say that believers should hate unbelievers. I saw this on the website biblelife.org. It says that loving an evil person is an offense to God and that a true child of God will hate evil people. It also says that Jesus hated the Pharisees. Is this true? As someone who is seeking, this is quite confusing.
The first, and most important, aspect of understanding this potentially difficult and
seemingly contradictory biblical truth is that none are deserving of anything but the wrath of God. Unless one starts from the understanding that man has rightfully earned his place as the enemy of God, of his own volition, an understanding of the measure of grace in Christ's sacrifice cannot be fully ascertained.
Likewise, it is a misnomer, and a pointless strawman, to pit the biblical truth of election, a precept in some form or another to which anyone claiming to be Christian must adhere, against that of "freely choosing," or as it is more commonly known by it's overused and biblically inaccurate nomenclature, "free will." Election is not at odds with man's inherent volition. On the contrary, it stems from the very understanding that man cannot choose God in his unregenerate state primarily because he views God as the enemy while in that state:
Romans 8:7
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
In short, unregenerate man cannot choose God because he will not.
Additionally, it must be understood that biblical hate, and biblical love for that matter, rarely, if ever, refer to the emotional platitudes that we often use the words to mean. In the Bible, "hate" and "love," at least when referring to God's dealings with man and man's dealings with his fellow man refer to doing that for the object of your
actions that which they most need to be conformed to the image of Christ. For instance:
Proverbs 13:24
Whoever spares the rod
hates his son,
but he who
loves him is diligent to discipline him.
As I intimated, "hate" and "love" are action words in the Bible, not references to emotion. In this verse from Proverbs, we see that parents who fail to discipline their children such that they be sanctified and brought to repentence are actually failing to give them that which they most need to be conformed to the image of Christ, i.e., they hate them. Conversely, those who are diligent in disciplining their child when needed are teaching them many valuable and godly traits and, in doing so, conforming them to the image of Christ, i.e., loving them.
Let's look at another verse:
Romans 9:13
As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
The prefatory passages leading to this proclamation refer to God's act of merciful benevolence toward one and not the other. And, to stave off the expected claims that God's choice to be merciful and gracious to the one and not the other is based on what they did, a completely anti-biblical proposition that has found its way into many of the responses in your thread, Paul, the teacher
par excellance, explicitly states the contrary:
Romans 9:10,11
And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though
they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls
The standard objection to this clear passage is made by inserting the word "yet" into its context which, while uncalled for on its own merits, makes a mockery of the passage. I'll show you what I mean:
Romans 9:10,11 (my revision)
And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad
YET—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—
You see, this erroneous contention is made on the grounds that God's knowledge of all things is not bound by a linear passage of time. Therefore, if God knew that Jacob was going to choose Him
of his own free will, then it makes perfect sense that God would choose to bestow His love upon Jacob. The problem facing such a view is that it nullifies the very point being made in the passage. You see, according to Jewish custom during that time, the eldest son would basically inherit the lion's share of all things and be the head of the household. God purposely chosed to grace Jacob with a new heart that sought after God's pleasure and, in doing so, revealed His will in an undeniable way. Contrary to Jewish custom, God chose Jacob, the younger son, and He did so before either Jacob or Esau had done anything, good or bad, that would serve in the eyes of man as a justification for his election. If God had considered the works and deeds of Jacob and Esau and used that as the basis of election, which is what many here are contending, we would be, once again, resigned to a works based covenant. This would be to the utter downfall of all mankind, just as it was in the time of the first Adam. Adam merited for himself and all of his progeny, i.e., mankind, the wrath and enmity of God for his failure to comply, and that was a man that had no inherent sin nature. It would be pointless to claim that Jacob was chosen because he chose God being that the minute he sinned he would lose his place with God on the basis of a sinful choice. And, as I said, God's purpose of election is not man's prideful notion that he was chosen by God because of anything to do with his ridiculous free will.
While man is a volitional creature and acts according to his desires, he is, in truth, a slave to his desires. He is anything but free. Remember this first and foremost:
John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
We must be set free, and until the Lord does so, we are slaves to sin. Sadly, we are willing slaves to sin, seeking only that which matters to our sinful nature. The Bible is clear on this. Man does not seek God until and unless God gives him a new heart, a heart that has been given an abiding love for God and the Law.
So, the answer to your question is that God loves, and has always loved, those whom He elected unto salvation, these same whom He will call unto a rebirth and ultimately glorify in Heaven. Those from whom He has chosen to withhold this measure of grace are the recipients of justice, though they too have enjoyed mercy at the hands of God.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
God bless