Is there a Bible contradiction in Psalm 5:5? Psalm 5:5 states, “You [God] hate all workers of iniquity.” However, John 3:16 says God loves the world. Don’t these verses contradict each other?
Psalm 5:5 King James Version (KJV) 5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
Psalms 5:5
ESV - 5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
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Asked March 18 2020
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Jack Gutknecht
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Tim Maas
God is holy, which means that He cannot tolerate or permit the existence of sin in His presence. All humans in their natural (unsaved) state are thus subject to punishment (in the form of temporal consequences and eternal separation from Him) because of their sin, which also renders them unable to change or escape from that state through their own works or efforts. God's anger is especially intense (as noted in Psalm 5) against those who do not even attempt to be righteous, but who deliberately act in ways that they know are wrong or even evil. However, despite that state of affairs, and as noted by Jesus in John 3:16, God still loved humans (whom He had originally created) -- and even such humans as those noted in Psalm 5 -- sufficiently to provide them, through His grace (undeserved favor) and mercy, with a means of escaping the eternal effects of their sin through the incarnation, sinless life, atoning death, and subsequent resurrection of His own Son, who was both fuly and truly God, and also fully and truly human (but without sin due to the manner in which He was conceived). God continues to hate sin (which all humans still commit) to the present day. However, humans can now receive forgiveness of their sin, and escape from that sin's eternal results by repenting of their sin and placing their faith in Christ for their salvation.
Danny Hickman
Supporter
No, there's no contradiction between John 3:16 and Psalm 5:5. John 3:16 says, 'God loves the world.' It means that God loves His creation, specifically, He loves mankind. Psalm 5:5 says, 'God hates the workers of iniquity.' It means there are individuals for whom God, at times, chooses to not show His love. It doesn't mean God FEELS a certain way at times, and at other times feels some other way. God is unchangeable. His feelings for us don't shift according with how we're acting. Micah said it best: "Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious acts of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love." (Micah 7:18) Everyone sins. God hates sin (Prov 6:16-19). But He loves us (1 Jn 4:16). There's no contradiction. He loves us and hates the sin that ensnares and imprisons us. It makes sense. Anything that separates His children from Him, He hates. But He doesn't hate His own. Remember this: He pardons, or He forgives the workers of iniquity. If He didn't we'd all be dead. There is no one who does good (Psalm 14:1b, Psalm 53:1).
Jack Gutknecht
God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God’s justice demands that sin be punished (Eze. 18:4; Rom. 6:23). So this is God's problem. How did He solve it? God’s love carried that punishment for every man in the person of His Son (2 Cor. 5:21).
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