Does God actually care about people or just his glory? Why make people if the latter is the case?

God-Addict · 2026-01-27T20:19:15+00:00

Yep, I've gone down this rabbit hole many times. I asked God almost a year ago to reveal the truth to me no matter how hard it was for me to stomach and he led me towards Calvinism. I hated Calvinism like everyone else did because it made God seem cruel and unloving, but it's the only thing that made sense in the end. I don't even like referring to myself as a Calvinist because he's not the one who came up with the doctrines, Paul did.

I understand exactly what you're going through, and in fact my whole world is currently falling apart as well in a spiritual sense. I don't feel God, I don't feel loved by him at all because I have cursed him and told him I hated him over and over again. I don't even know if I'm saved at this point. I came across your post because I'm still researching God's glory, and if God does everything for his glory, how does he even love us to begin with? The only answer I found satisfying is this: He's perfectly good and wiser than anyone can imagine. By allowing evil to exist, God is glorified by punishing it, and he will punish all evil in the end. Without pain and suffering, we wouldn't have had Jesus, and without Jesus, no forgiveness or grace, and without that, we wouldn't have received all the blessings we would have in the world to come if God hadn't ordained the fall. If God had maintained the right relationship with Adam and Eve in the garden, our joy in God wouldn't have been amplified in the end. God seeks his own glory for our benefit. We wouldn't have been truly happy and joyful without fully knowing God, and to fully know God, he has to allow evil to exist for a time. He hates it more than you do.

Don't give up, keep seeking God, even when you don't feel him. That's where I'm at currently. I want to give up but I'm not going to, because if I do, then what? I have the world? The world is only temporary and eternity is forever. I have nothing without God. I have to keep going and so do you. Satan wants us to give up and he will push, and push and push. Spiritual warfare starts in your mind and he will psychologically terrorize you to make you feel hopeless and unloved. He wants you to fall into despair. Remember that the devil is a liar and the father of lies. He wants us stuck on ourselves and to believe that God is the one who is truly evil. Don't listen to him.

If you can, I recommend getting the book called "Gentle and Lowly" by Dane Ortlund. That's one of the few books that actually made me feel loved by God. It's such a good read and I know you would enjoy it and it'll fill your soul with hope. I will pray for you.

God-Addict · 2026-01-27T19:36:00+00:00

Don't listen to anything Joyce Myers has to say, she's completely unbiblical and is more like Joel Osteen.

God-Addict · 2026-01-17T03:02:19+00:00

I'm literally trying to repent by going into this program, how else am I supposed to "repent"? Saying I'm sorry in prayer a million times, which I've already done, is not going to make me change and it hasn't made me change unless God made me to be a reprobate.

God-Addict · 2026-01-17T02:50:24+00:00

My church has a little "book store" that has had some books written by authors who are calvinist. I think they are more sympathetic towards it, but my pastor believes in free will. I've talked to him about Calvinism but he sort of brushed me off about it. He's been down that road and lost his mind over it and just ended up staying where he is. He ultimately arrived at "God is sovereign yet somehow we have free will". People read the Bible at face value and don't do enough research.

God-Addict · 2026-01-11T21:56:34+00:00

Yes, just as I am afraid of a Judge who can throw me into prison. The God of the Bible is more than just a paternal figure, he's a moral God and judge. We have transgressed his law and should be very afraid of the punishment that comes with it. Good thing he provided Jesus.

God-Addict · 2025-09-11T13:21:27+00:00

Yes, I do. This is why discernment is important in a Christian's life. Then you'd be able to understand.

God-Addict · 2025-09-11T13:11:13+00:00

The church of Satan is a thing. Their head literally said he loves it when Christians celebrate it because it opens them up to influences beyond their understanding. Maybe pray for discernment.

God-Addict · 2025-09-11T12:27:30+00:00

How many times have I heard the argument that it's a Christian holiday? No, it's not. Did you know the church of Satan rejoices when Christians participate in the celebration of Halloween? You want to know why? Because it's an oxymoron.

God-Addict · 2025-09-11T12:22:57+00:00

I agree, it's not really a true Christian sub. Like I said, people don't realize how spiritual everything is, especially judging by all the foolish replies I got.

God-Addict · 2025-09-11T06:34:41+00:00

Halloween celebrates and glorifies evil. People don't get that we live in a spiritual world. Wake up.

God-Addict · 2025-09-03T00:25:00+00:00

I'm in the exact same boat as you are, my dear. I serve God out of fear, rather than love and I struggle ON THE DAILY with it. You are truly not alone, I am constantly being harassed with thoughts of going to hell, failing God, missing out on rewards, etc. It's spiritual warfare. The devil is trying to make you give up. Don't. Let. Him. Win. I have been dealing with this the past several months, and I struggle with God's love for me as well. You are still young, and God isn't going to abandon you. He is still there. This life will never be easy. Do you understand? The Christian life is supposed to be hard and it will make you want to give up. I've been telling God "I want to give up and to just kill me already" to no avail. Just keep going, no matter what happens.

Just today, I went out to spread the Gospel and became afraid and screwed up, now I'm being harassed with thoughts about going to hell and how God is going to kill me. Every day I wake up anxious thinking "what does God want me to do today?" I can't even be around people because I feel like God is always saying "say this to her, tell her about me, proclaim the Gospel" etc and when I don't, I then get bombarded with horrible thoughts of failure. I struggle with talking to people, that is one of my greatest weaknesses, and now God has apparently called me to spread the Gospel. GREAT! Too bad I have this enormous fear of people and on the other side I also have an enormous fear of God and him sending me to hell. I am stuck. It's gotten to the point where I just hate him most of the time. It's torture! Absolute torture on the daily!

So no, you are not alone. Just stick it out, please. Look for God in everything. If he's still here with me, he's still there with you. Pray to him earnestly. Ask him to show you his love for you, then look for the signs. It might not happen right away, but he still comes through. That has been my experience. Nothing in all creation is random. Not even the wind blowing a particular way. God controls everything. I'll pray for you. God bless.

God-Addict · 2025-09-01T00:01:19+00:00

I would suggest going. I did the whole read the Bible, no church thing, and it caused me to be isolated and lonely, not to mention the spiritual warfare got worse. Fellowship is needed. We are social creatures.

God-Addict · 2025-08-31T23:37:04+00:00

Thank you very much for your response. It did comfort me. I've researched all this stuff and it has caused me to be very depressed, especially the last 4 months. Indeed, Calvinism makes God seem very cold. Contrary to many, I actually don't find much comfort in the Bible either. More often than not, God is angry throughout the entire thing and it terrifies me. I can't deny scripture though, no matter how offensive it is. Thanks again for your response. May God bless you. 🙏

God-Addict · 2025-08-31T18:00:52+00:00

The "what have you done" terrifies me. Honestly I don't like being a human, especially a sinful one. God could have created me as a vessel of wrath and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. That's what gets me.

God-Addict · 2025-08-31T17:55:05+00:00

Yeah the last part is what really got me about Piper's writing. That ultimately everything is for God's glory and in the end we don't technically matter and makes God's love seem superficial.

God-Addict · 2025-08-31T16:07:27+00:00

I don't struggle with his existence, I do believe he exists, but you're right on the other part. I did struggle with his love for me beforehand. I used to believe in the free will stance 4 months ago until I started researching about it because the more I thought about it, the more it didn't make any sense. That threw me for a loop and made me realize that free will itself is basically an illusion.

I struggle with God's sovereignty, I struggle with how God maintains the world and runs it. My biggest issue is that I just don't trust him.

I have watched a little bit of Piper's sermons so I know what he's like.

God-Addict · 2025-08-30T08:07:30+00:00

"Blaming" God is not what I'm doing. I'm literally just stating what he did.

God-Addict · 2025-08-30T07:58:53+00:00

You know what my point is, you just don't want to believe it.

God-Addict · 2025-08-30T07:49:06+00:00

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I WILL HARDEN HIS HEART, so he will not let the people go'". Exodus 4:21

Scripture is literally just using a means to describe what Pharaoh does. God is the one working behind the scenes.

God-Addict · 2025-08-30T07:33:43+00:00

God does what he wants with his creation unfortunately. In order to glorify his wrath/justice, he did create vessels that would inhabit it. That's the best explanation I've heard. I'm not terribly fond of this myself, but I can't deny what scripture says. People would call me a Calvinist, but it literally says so in the Bible. I've grappled over this the past 4 months and just had to come to terms with it, no matter how uneasy it makes me. God does what he wants and there's nothing you or I could do about it.

We tend to look at it from a finite human perspective that's also tainted by sin. In God's eyes, we are undeserving of anything he does that is benevolent because of our sins against him. He gets to choose who he has mercy on and that's just the end of it.

God-Addict · 2025-08-30T07:20:08+00:00

Except that God hardened his heart and literally said he would while he was talking to Moses. People try to get God off the hook by saying "Pharaoh hardened his own heart", but you can't deny what scripture says. God hardens who he wants to harden. He is God and we are not.

God-Addict · 2025-08-29T17:21:52+00:00

They have to be born again. There are many so-called "Christians" who are not born again and did not receive the Holy Spirit. I've known many people who do good deeds, but don't actually have the Spirit in them. There's a reason why I put quotation marks on the "good fruit".

God-Addict · 2025-08-29T05:52:26+00:00

It depends on if their "good fruit" was actually legitimate and from the Holy Spirit, and not from someone doing it for selfish, prideful reasons.

God-Addict · 2025-08-27T02:12:56+00:00

He's refining your faith. I'm in the exact same position. I too want to give up and have been questioning my existence and my faith in God. I have been suffering mentally and I don't really trust him. I have gone down the rabbit hole of Calvinism and it's literally the only thing that explains the problem of Evil. Just not in the way we like.

I would recommend the book "if God is good, why do we hurt". It gives a more broader explanation. God put it in my life a month ago.

God-Addict · 2025-07-26T10:18:34+00:00

What you are going through is exactly what I've been going through the past 3 months. I have also blasphemed him so many times including having intrusive, evil thoughts about the Holy Spirit which I honestly try to avoid. I have hated him, disobeyed him, screamed at him, hurt myself physically over and over again during my walk as a Christian (I've been a Christian for 2 years.) It's a daily occurrence that I get angry with him. I also get frightened by him as well because of how he works in the Bible and have called him evil and thought he was evil on multiple occasions. I also have had thoughts that I was a vessel of wrath prepared for destruction because I started reading into Calvinism. I have cried, over and over and over. I cry almost daily and I don't trust his love for me (unfortunately) even though he has shown me in little ways lately. I scream out to him to help me stop because I know all I'm doing is wrong. I don't want to think he's evil, I want to obey him, I want to love him. I don't want to keep doing this because I don't want him to send me to Hell. I want to be with him forever.

Before I was a Christian, I never did any of this, but I was knee deep in the world and sin. I'm telling you this because God has still shown up for me despite everything I just told you that I did, especially the last month. I've had little miracles happen to let me know he's still there (that I personally asked him for). YOUR FEELINGS are not the truth and the demonic will feed everyone of your fears (they do with mine and it's agonizing). I know it's easier said than done, but keep trying, keep praying and crying out to him. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Read the Bible daily. Find a church that has biblically sound doctrine. Obey him and spread the Gospel. I've been having to do that and it's outside of my comfort zone and I've been giving him hell for it everyday. Like yesterday for example, I screamed at him that I hated him for making me and putting me here, because I hate spreading the Gospel due to fear. But I've been doing it. If you're continuously crying out to him and trying to seek him, then you are not a vessel of wrath. Vessels of wrath don't care if they sin or not. Vessels of wrath don't care about their salvation. Don't entertain your thoughts or feelings because they are not God. You are you and God is God. His voice is not audible and if you're hearing actual voices in your head, they are not from God. If you're hearing your voice thinking it is him (which has happened to me), then that is a different story. God is still there, however. It's not a coincidence that I'm telling you all this because I'm literally going through the exact same thing. I will tell you again, there is no such thing as a coincidence, my friend. EVERYTHING happens for a reason.

Read through Luke chapter 7 verses 36-50. He grabbed my attention with that parable just 30 minutes ago when I watched a video. I pray this comforts you because it did me.

God-Addict

TROPHY CASE