God's Unconditional Love
John 3:16, “For God
so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The Bible plainly states "For God so loved the
world." That includes all humanity.
I marvel how some people today claim that God only loves those who obey Him.
That's not what the Bible teaches. God loves everybody, good or evil. The
truth is that we are ALL sinners, even those people whom we may esteem as
the best and most honorable amongst us (Romans 3:10-23).
It is also true that God's wrath abideth upon Christ-rejecters daily (John
3:36; Psalm 7:11). However, just because God is angry with Christ-rejecters,
doesn't mean that God fails to love them. John 3:16 is clear that God sent
His Son into the world, because He loves the world.
2nd Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance." God desires for all
humanity to repent and come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Romans 5:8-9, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his
blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."
Here we learn that God's ultimate expression of His love for sinners was the
gift of His dear Son, Jesus. Notice in Romans 5:9 that we are saved from
God's wrath by HIS BLOOD. God's wrath is conditional, for it will cease the
moment we place our faith in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, to save us.
For those who continue to reject Christ and die in their sins, 2nd
Thessalonians 1:8-9 warns that God will punish them in flaming fire forever.
God does not want this to happen, but His holiness demands justice, which
demands punishment for sin. Thankfully, Jesus paid our sin debt, and eternal
life is a free gift (Romans 6:23); but the gift of God must be received
through faith in the Son of God. That is all that God asks, i.e., for us to
come to Him through His Son. Acts 4:10-12 tells us that there can be NO
salvation apart from the name of Jesus.
God loves sinners, evidenced by Christ's work of redemption for all men. 1st
John 2:2, "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD." The word "propitiation" means "
to appease one's wrath," i.e., Jesus' blood appeases the wrath of God
against sinners. This happens by faith in His blood, i.e., Jesus' work of
redemption, which paid for our sins. Any sinner who places his or her trust
in the Lord for salvation, because of Christ's work of redemption, will be
forgiven and saved eternally. The reason why we are to come to God the
Father through God the Son is because of Christ's work of redemption. If it
weren't for Jesus coming into this world to save sinners, we would all have
no hope.
Thankfully, there is hope in Christ Jesus, because of the unconditional love
of God that has made salvation available to WHOSOEVER wants it. Romans
10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved."
Even those who reject the Savior, God still loves them, which is why Jesus
died for them. 2nd Peter 2:1, "But there were false prophets also among the
people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them,
and bring upon themselves swift destruction." Notice that Jesus "bought"
those who deny Him. That's exactly what 2nd Peter 2:1 states. Jesus die for
all mankind.
Thank God for His unconditional love!
