Does God Love Everyone, "Unconditionally"?

thesunisout

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We hear it often. Many of us say it often, but is it true?

Can we rightly tell any person: God loves *you* unconditionally?

God so loved the world, which is everyone..that He gave His only begotten Son..an act of unconditional love
 
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jimmyjimmy

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There were times when the Israelites may not have thought it too obvious...times when God killed Israelites. Yet, the scriptures say God chose and loved Israel. I think God's unconditional love can include killing when justice is necessary, along with the reality that God

I'm fairly certain that most people could distinguish between loving and killing. For instance, my wife might conclude I love her if I gave her a dozen red roses, and she might also conclude that I don't if I point a gun at her and pull the trigger.
 
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Emmy

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Dear jimmyjimmy. Does God Love Everyone? God is Love, and God Loves us. The only way God does not Love us, is when WE Decide not to Love God, nor want His Love. Jesus told us in Matthew 22: 35-40:
" The first Commandment is: Love God with heart, soul, and mind. The second is like it: love my neighbour as I love myself. ( neighbour is all we know and all we meet) Verse 40 tells us: On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
The Bible tells us: Give up our selfish wishes and keep asking God for Love, then thank God and share all love with all around us. God sees our wishes, and God will Bless us. Matthew 7: 7-10: tells us: Ask and you shall receive. We keep asking God for Love, then we share all Love and Compassion with our neighbour. Let us Love God and love all others, (love them as we would love and treat all we meet and all we know) Let us follow God`s Commandments, and love and be always friendly, that is what God wants from us. I say this with love, Jim. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.
 
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mukk_in

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We hear it often. Many of us say it often, but is it true?

Can we rightly tell any person: God loves *you* unconditionally?
Good question. I guess God's mercy is for all people ("He causes His rain and sun to fall and shine on both the ungodly and the righteous.") but His love is only for blood washed saints (John 3:16). Happy Independence day my friend :).
 
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We hear it often. Many of us say it often, but is it true?
Can we rightly tell any person: God loves *you* unconditionally?

Some say, love unconditional
Should be the story we should tell;
Then sinners to church doors would flock
And even Satan might take stock.
But God's love has one certain law,
Entry is through the narrow door.
><>
 
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spockrates

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I do think we have to meet the conditions of repenting and having faith in Christ. In physical terms, the same way that a man who is cold and lost and in the dark needs to move towards a fire. It's a source of light and heat. If he faces towards it and moves towards it, he'll will get warmer and there will be more light. His shadow will be behind him. No matter how far away he is from the fire, there will still be some heat and light, the Fire is unconditional. The man did not and could not light it. But if he faces away and moves away from the fire, there will be soon be very little light and heat indeed. And nothing in front of him but his own shadow.

In spiritual terms, God is the author of things like light, love, sanity, holiness, forgiveness, life and all the fruits of the spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23

It's not a good idea to move away from those things. But the invitation and way has been made to all to turn, come forward and be a part of them.

John 3:19-21
Petros2015:

Would you say repentance is always easy? Or do you think it's sometimes hard to resist sin?
 
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spockrates

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That would make God's love impersonal. In other words, He wants to love someone, but cannot unless they love Him first.
Sorry for being so slow, and I know the reply wasn't addressed to me, but will you explain why that would make God's love impersonal?
 
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daydreamergurl15

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God's love is unconditional.
Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.​

God's salvation is conditional.

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Mark 16:16
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Galatians 3:21
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Revelations 2:10
10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.​

God's love is unconditional, while salvation cost Him His Son. Sin separates us from God's salvation, not His love.
 
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Hammster

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Sorry for being so slow, and I know the reply wasn't addressed to me, but will you explain why that would make God's love impersonal?
Love is directed towards someone. It's action. It's not potential. So if Christ died to become this fire that may or may not attract people, who exactly is He loving? Sure, it makes Him kind. But not loving since He's not being active to bring folks to the fire (to use the illustration that was presented).
 
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Hammster

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God's love is unconditional.
Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.​

God's salvation is conditional.

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Mark 16:16
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Galatians 3:21
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Revelations 2:10
10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.​

God's love is unconditional, while salvation cost Him His Son. Sin separates us from God's salvation, not His love.
God's love for His people is unconditional. That we can agree on.
 
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daydreamergurl15

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God's love for His people is unconditional. That we can agree on.
I want to expand your premise. God's unconditional love is not just for His people, John 3:16 tells us that "God so loved the world, that He gave us His Son". So, God's love for the world is unconditional.

God does not have a condition that needs to be met for Him to love you.
Ironically, for us to show love to God, there are some conditions-these are the only verses I can think of right now.
John 14:15
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

1 John 4:19
We love Him because He first loved us.

God is love.
 
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Petros2015

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Would you say repentance is always easy? Or do you think it's sometimes hard to resist sin?

Where there is no conviction, there is no repentance. Where there is no repentance, there is no resistance. Some things I have had great conviction for. The sin-nature of the self that we seek to crucify will never seek it's own conviction, it seeks only it's own self-justifiction and status-quo pardon without change. I think it is wise for a Christian to seek ongoing conviction in their walk.

There is a tradition surrounding the death of St Sisoës that I have come to identity with.

When St Sisoës lay upon his deathbed, the disciples surrounding the Elder saw that his face shone like the sun. They asked the dying man what he saw. Abba Sisoës replied that he saw St Anthony, the Prophets, and the Apostles. His face increased in brightness, and he spoke with someone. The monks asked, "With whom are you speaking, Father?" He said that angels had come for his soul, and he was entreating them to give him a little more time for repentance. The monks said, "You have no need for repentance, Father" St Sisoës said with great humility, "I do not think that I have even begun to repent."

 
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Hammster

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I want to expand your premise. God's unconditional love is not just for His people, John 3:16 tells us that "God so loved the world, that He gave us His Son". So, God's love for the world is unconditional.

God does not have a condition that needs to be met for Him to love you.
Ironically, for us to show love to God, there are some conditions-these are the only verses I can think of right now.
John 14:15
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

1 John 4:19
We love Him because He first loved us.

God is love.
We love Him because...

Who is the "we"?
 
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jimmyjimmy

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God loves all people.. But an eternal realtionship with God requires two to love.. The individuel must love God.. Otherwise the love of God for them has no eternal benifit..

So, God only (really) loves people who love Him first. Is that it?
 
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daydreamergurl15

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Who is, "us" referring to?
Paul's letter was to those in Rome. So, the "us" Paul speaks to are to the Christians in Rome...Yes, I understand that it is expanded to mean Christians everywhere.
Romans 1:7
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ​

If by "us" you mean that God's unconditional love is referred to Christians ONLY due to the verse in Romans, I disagree. I quoted that verse to show that nothing can separate you from God--meaning no conditions, while I am aware that you think that God's unconditional love is applied to Christians only-- but there are other verses that I could have quoted where the application would be for the whole world.

John 3:16 which I quoted twice:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life".​
Romans 5:6 says
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrated His own love toward "us" in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us....​

John 3:16 says that God loved the world by giving us His begotten Son. We're told in Roman that God demonstrated His love for us while we were still sinners by allowing the death of His Son. He loved us unconditionally before we were Christians.

We're told again in Acts 17:22-31 of God's love--and while it does not use the word "love" in this passage, it demonstrate His love by reminding us of His Son's death.

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 or as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

BTW, the "us"/"we" in these verses are speaking to the Man of Athens (Acts 17:22), yes, I understand that it can be applied to us Christians.

His love is unconditional to all, it's not only for the Christian.

EDITED, for whatever reason, this system doesn't update all my edits.
 
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So, God only (really) loves people who love Him first. Is that it?
No God loves everyone... But like any relationship it takes two people to love each other for a relationship to happen.. God can love you with a love so pure it is bejond our human understanding.. But if we do not love God back then we shall not have eternal life with Him in His perfect existence..
 
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Hammster

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No God loves everyone... But like any relationship it takes two people to love each other for a relationship to happen.. God can love you with a love so pure it is bejond our human understanding.. But if we do not love God back then we shall not have eternal life with Him in His perfect existence..
But scripture says that we love because He first loved us. His love is causal. It does something.
 
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jimmyjimmy

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Paul's letter was to those in Rome. So, the "us" Paul speaks to are to the Christians in Rome...Yes, I understand that it is expanded to mean Christians everywhere.
Romans 1:7
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ​
If by "us" you mean that God's unconditional love is referred to Christians ONLY due to the verse in Romans, I disagree. I quoted that verse to show that nothing can separate you from God--meaning no conditions-- but there are other verses that I could have quoted where the application would be for the whole world.

John 3:16 which I quoted twice:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life".​
Romans 5:6 says
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrated His own love toward "us" in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us....​
John 3:16 says that God loved the world by giving us His begotten Son. We're told in Roman that God demonstrated His love for us while we were still sinners by allowing the death of His Son. It shows that He loved us even before we were Christians.

We're told again in Acts 17:22-31 of God's love--and while it does not use the word "love" in this passage, it demonstrate His love by reminding us of His Son's death.

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 or as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

BTW, the "us"/"we" in these verses are speaking to the Man of Athens (Acts 17:22), yes, I understand that it can be applied to us Christians.

His love is unconditional to all, it's not only for the Christian.

If I read the Bible as you do, I could make it say just about anything I wanted it to.

If the apostle Paul is addressing Christians in Rome, then we can definitely understand that his words apply to those particular people. We might also find indirect application to all Christians; however, being faithful students of scripture, cannot make Paul's words apply to all mankind.

Also, you are assuming what, "world" means in John 3:16.
 
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