Is It Even Possible to Offend God?

[Ganulous]

God, the being of utmost beauty and perfection, can get offended by small and seemingly insignificant humans and their shortcomings? The phrase “offending God” seems very wrong to me when I think about it. How is it possible to offend God? That makes it sound as if we bring dis-ease to a Being which doesn’t even need us to start with. Thoughts?

 

[St_Redemption]

I would say yes it is possible to offend His laws and Values, and even Him to a degree, but it’s hard for us to say what that would mean to Him. A human being being offended and The Lord being offended are certainly different things. What cannot truly know what it means to Him to be offended.

 

[captainrick]

God, the being of utmost beauty and perfection, can get offended by small and seemingly insignificant humans and their shortcomings? The phrase “offending God” seems very wrong to me when I think about it. How is it possible to offend God? That makes it sound as if we bring dis-ease to a Being which doesn’t even need us to start with. Thoughts?

I tend to agree with you - God is not a human being, capable of being “offended” as we mortals are.

 

[Dorothy]

God, the being of utmost beauty and perfection, can get offended by small and seemingly insignificant humans and their shortcomings? The phrase “offending God” seems very wrong to me when I think about it. How is it possible to offend God? That makes it sound as if we bring dis-ease to a Being which doesn’t even need us to start with. Thoughts?

The way I see it is that God Almighty is “offended” because he loves us and has prepared all of history for the Incarnation to take place for our salvation. . Our salvation is His concern. He endured a torturous death for love of us. He has given us his very self as the Bread of Life, is the cornerstone of the Church, and every heavenly gift we can possibly need to aid us. (Sacraments, prayer, angels, Blessed Mother, etc.)

What more can He do for us!

 

[ynotzap]

It is true that we humans can not affect God in anyway, for how can a human whose total existence depends on God have any power over Him. But humans can go against what He desires for us, and disobeying Him we are actually hurting ourselves. He makes Himself vulnerable out of love for us, because He is Love. and for our sakes, not His. Humanly speaking, we can offend God, offend His love for us. And He disciplines those He loves, not out of vindictiveness but love. Jesus showed His disapproval about the moral way the Scribes were acting, and He reprimanded them(out of vindictiveness, hatred?) Jesus wept over Jerusalem for their lack of faith in Him, He knew what was going to happen to them. We punish ourselves, and He desires to prevent it. If we receive what appears to be punishment for our acts, it is to purify us, to make us whole, and holy, ultimately to be united with Him. Nothing imperfect will enter Heaven…Jesus. He always acts with this in mind, that’s why He created us. God is sufficient unto Himself, needing nothing.

 

[Robert_Sock]

To the degree that our world has meaning and purpose, any behavior not in accord with the meaning and purpose would be offensive to God.

 

[Mintaka]

The meaning of the English word “offend” has changed.

The meaning of the Latin word “offendere” has not changed for many centuries.

In this case, the meaning of “offend” is the Latin meaning, which is “to displease someone, to do wrong against someone.”

So no, God’s feelings are not hurt. But yes, we can do wrong against God and displease Him.

 

[littlestsouls2]

God to St. Catherine of Siena: ‘You have no being of yourself; but you were made by Me Who am the Creator of all things that exist, except sin, which has no being because it was not made by Me; and, as it is not in Me, it is unworthy to be loved. Creatures become guilty by loving sin which they ought to hate, and by hating Me whom they ought to love so much, because I am the Sovereign Good, and because I gave them existence with so much love.’

 

[svid2]

The meaning of the English word “offend” has changed.

The meaning of the Latin word “offendere” has not changed for many centuries.

In this case, the meaning of “offend” is the Latin meaning, which is “to displease someone, to do wrong against someone.”

So no, God’s feelings are not hurt. But yes, we can do wrong against God and displease Him.

Pax Christi.

This.

We can and do disappoint, displease, hurt. We can and must repent, repay, revert.

God bless.

 

[boomerang]

If you believe in the Fatima apparitions, you would know that God is “very much offended” at our behavior.

THE ANGEL OF PORTUGAL:

“In every way you can offer sacrifice to God in reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for sinners. In this way you will bring peace to our country, for I am its guardian angel, the angel of Portugal. Above all, bear and accept with patience the sufferings God will send you.”

“Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the most precious body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended. And by the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.”

OUR LADY:

“Will you offer yourselves to God, and bear all the sufferings He sends you? In atonement for all the sins that offend Him? And for the conversion of sinners?”

"You have seen hell, where the souls of sinners go. It is to save them that God wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved, and there will be peace. This war will end, but if men do not refrain from offending God, another and more terrible war will begin.

"People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended! "

“Fashions will much offend our Lord. People who serve God should not follow the fashions. The Church has no fashions. Our Lord is always the same.”

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

But we also say God is unchangeable. So for the above to be true, we would have to say that God goes from a state where He is not “offended,” to being “offended.” Would that not be a “change?”

 

[oldcelt]

But we also say God is unchangeable. So for the above to be true, we would have to say that God goes from a state where He is not “offended,” to being “offended.” Would that not be a “change?”

Indeed…and to change his will from creation would imply another change…wouldn’t it?

 

[Charlemagne_III]

But we also say God is unchangeable. So for the above to be true, we would have to say that God goes from a state where He is not “offended,” to being “offended.” Would that not be a “change?”

Perhaps this is to attribute to God changes that are only apparent to us because we change. God is unchangeable, but we are changeable; we can move from not offending God to offending God. When we look at God after offending him we see that he must change because we have changed, but on the contrary, his will is constant. God does not live in time, and change requires time to move from not offending God to offending him. He wishes only good for us, and the only good we can have is the choice between doing good and evil. If we did not have this choice, we could not be good or evil. We could only be puppets. That is what the materialists and determinists believe, a grim vision of human destiny.

 

[fred_conty]

God, the being of utmost beauty and perfection, can get offended by small and seemingly insignificant humans and their shortcomings? The phrase “offending God” seems very wrong to me when I think about it. How is it possible to offend God? That makes it sound as if we bring dis-ease to a Being which doesn’t even need us to start with. Thoughts?

What Jesus said to Saul has a bearing on this. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”. He takes it personal.

I’m not sure we can put it in words just how he is offended. I personally do not believe that theology and logic can explain everything. Even tho those are the tools we have, they do not suffice to explain everthing when it comes to God.

We do know that Jesus, the man, is in heaven. But different than on earth in that he is resurrected in glory. But still a man. His love burns brightly for us in his heart. I would think it would offend his love anytime one of his sheep makes off.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.