Before the foundation of the world, the persons of the Trinity loved one another with a perfect and everlasting love. God was a God of love before any human beings were ever created. God did not suddenly become a God of love when He made Adam and Eve. Even if God hated all mankind (as sinners), He would still love Himself within the Trinity and would, therefore, still be a God of love. Even if God sent every sinner to hell and refused to have mercy on any, He would still be a God of love.

A related question is this: Does God have to love everything to be a God of love or can He hate some things and still genuinely love other things? The answer is obvious. God can love righteousness and hate unrighteousness. His hatred of unrighteousness does not diminish His love for righteousness. In fact, it heightens it. God loves justice and He hates injustice. He loves faith and He hates unbelief. God loves humility and He hates pride.

This principle is just as true when it comes to God’s love or hatred for human beings. God does not have to love every human being to be a God of love. God can also hate some human beings, even most of them, and still be a God of love. Where is the biblical proof for this thesis? It is as follows:

“Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’” (Rom. 9:13)

Can God claim to be a God of love if He loves Jacob but not Esau? Must He love Esau, too, or else forfeit His claim to be a God of love? Of course not. God is a God of love whether He loves Esau or hates Him. God’s love is demonstrated here in His love for Jacob, not Esau. The doctrine of election cannot be dismissed because it turns a loving God into an unloving God. On the contrary, the doctrine of election defines the love of God. By the doctrine of election, we understand what the love of God means and are saved from the sentimental notions of love espoused by Arminians and Pelagians, John 3:16 notwithstanding. John 3:16 is a wonderful verse demonstrating God’s love for believers throughout the world, but it has been turned into a verse that supposedly proves God’s love for every person in the world. If you are interested in a full treatment of this verse, I have a booklet on the sermon audio website bookstore, entitled “John 3:16 Revisited.”

In the following passage, look carefully at verses 10ff.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (2) Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (3) Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (4) To Him who alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; (5) To Him who made the heavens with skill, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; (6) To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; (7) To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: (8) The sun to rule by day, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (9) The moon and stars to rule by night, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (10) To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (11) And brought Israel out from their midst, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (12) With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (13) To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (14) And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; (15) But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (16) To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; (17) To Him who smote great kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (18) And slew mighty kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: (19) Sihon, king of the Amorites, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (20) And Og, king of Bashan, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (21) And gave their land as a heritage, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (22) Even a heritage to Israel His servant, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (23) Who remembered us in our low estate, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (24) And has rescued us from our adversaries, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; (25) Who gives food to all flesh, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (26) Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” – Ps. 136:1-26

Notice that the passage is primarily about the everlasting lovingkindness of God. The psalmist lists many demonstrations of God’s love. Verses 1-9 pose no problem to our preconceived notions about the love of God. So far, so good. But, beginning in verse 10, the wheels in our brain begin to grind to a halt, and the smoke comes out our ears. “To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn, for His lovingkindness is everlasting?” Wow. Exactly how is smiting the firstborn children of the Egyptians an example of God’s lovingkindess? It is a demonstration of God’s love to Israel, NOT Egypt. By killing the firstborn children of Egypt, God broke the proud, rebellious spirit of Pharaoh, and he finally let the Israelites go free. You see, our notions of God’s love are twisted and unbiblical. We think that because God is love, that means He loves everyone and that He HAS to love everyone, including Pharaoh and the Egyptians, or else He is not a God of love. But it isn’t so.

We have a tendency to take our preconceived and unbiblical notions of love and impose them on God. We tend to reserve for ourselves the right to define the love of God and then come to scripture and determine what must be true or false according to those preconceived notions. The examples of God’s lovingkindness continue throughout Psalm 136. Drowning The Egyptians in the Red Sea was a demonstration of the lovingkindness of God – not to the Egyptians, but to Israel. The destruction of Sihon and Og were demonstrations of God’s love – not to Sihon and Og, but to Israel. Let’s go back to Romans 9.

“Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’ (14) What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! (15) For He says to Moses, ‘I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.’" -- Rom. 9:13-15

God loves Jacob and hates Esau. God has mercy on whom He has mercy. He has compassion on whom He has compassion. God’s love and mercy do not HAVE to be universal to be real. They can be quite selective and be just as real. God loves whom He chooses to love and He hates whom He chooses to hate. Consider the following verses, which speak of people whom God hates. In each verse, consider that it does not say, “God hates the sin, but loves the sinner.” No, it says He hates the sinner.

“There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.” (Prov. 6:16-19)

“The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.” (Ps. 5:5-6)

“Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I will drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them.” (Lev. 20:23)

“But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow. For they provoked Him with their high places And aroused His jealousy with their graven images. When God heard, He was filled with wrath And greatly abhorred Israel.” (Ps. 78:57-59). In this passage, we see that God even came to abhor Israel because of the nation’s wickedness and idolatry.