Does God Love Everyone, "Unconditionally"?

[Tolworth John]

I do not agree.
Yu might read my post 82. God would love everyone equally.

It is demonstratable that he doesn't.
Christians are indewlt by the Spirit, they know the peace of God, have communion with God, a promise of a place in Heaven etc etc etc.
Non of these demonstrations of Gods Love for his people applies to non christians.

 

[bling]

Okay. God love those who do good, and loves less than those who don't.

Look at my post 82

 

[Hammster]

Look at my post 82

I stopped reading your posts years ago.

 

[bling]

It is demonstratable that he doesn't.
Christians are indewlt by the Spirit, they know the peace of God, have communion with God, a promise of a place in Heaven etc etc etc.
Non of these demonstrations of Gods Love for his people applies to non christians.

God is offering all those gifts and much, much more to all mature adults, just because individuals refuse God charity does not mean God does not love them the same.

 

[bling]

Of course not, God HATED Esau before he was born, as stated clearly in both the old and new testaments.

Hate is not the opposite of Love and when Deity uses the word "hate" it does not mean a lack of Love, but like we are commanded by Christ to both hate and Love our family at the same time, God can hate and Love Esau at the same time.
You might read my post 82.

 

[Tolworth John]

God is offering all those gifts and much, much more to all mature adults, just because individuals refuse God charity does not mean God does not love them the same.

The gifts are conditional on our recieving them.
There is a difference between the potental of love and the actual love in action.

Yes God loves the sinner, but his special love for the Christian is waiting for them to turn to him, they are not experiencing this special love.
The love from God that a nonchristian has is a lesser experience of Gods love when compared to the love that a Christian experiences.

 

[bling]

I believe you misunderstand the verse "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Rom:9:13). This is not "written" in Genesis in reference to the individuals of Jacob and Esau, but in Malachi:1:2-3 : "I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau...." and then quoted by Paul in Romans. God is not referring to Jacob and Esau as individuals (as Calvinists erroneously insist) but to the descendants of Esau and Jacob: Edom and Israel. God hated Edom because of the way they treated Israel which He knew would be the case before Esau's birth. God continued to love Israel, in spite of their unfaithfulness, because of His irrevocable promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Genesis:25:21-23 confirms Malachi 1:2-3 is referring to nations when God tells Rebekah as she is pregnant with twins: "Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from your body and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger." Clearly this is not about Jacob and Esau as individuals, but the nations and peoples descended from them. Otherwise, it would have been a false prophecy because Esau never served Jacob, but the nation Edom became subject to and did serve the people of Israel. The Bible does not teach that God hated Esau personally or predestined Jacob for heaven and Esau for hell.

Just as we are to both Love and hate our Family, God can both Love and hate Esau.

 

[bling]

The gifts are conditional on our recieving them.
There is a difference between the potental of love and the actual love in action.

Yes God loves the sinner, but his special love for the Christian is waiting for them to turn to him, they are not experiencing this special love.
The love from God that a nonchristian has is a lesser experience of Gods love when compared to the love that a Christian experiences.

The "condition" is in our accepting God's Love as it was given (as pure charity). God is doing His part perfectly and equally for all in the transaction of Love, but some humbly accept it and others refuse it, but that does not mean God's part is different. Just as the father in the prodigal son story "Loved" both his sons equally no matter what they did.

 

[bling]

God's unconditional love is for those in Christ (Romans 8)

And those not in Christ are under His wrath (John 3:36)

So I would say the only condition on God's love is if one is in Christ, otherwise I wouldn't say God loves everyone unconditionally, there are also verses saying God hated certain people (Psalm 11:5)

Why do you make it God's fault and not the receiver's fault for not accepting God's Love as the issue?

 

[Tolworth John]

The "condition" is in our accepting God's Love as it was given (as pure charity). God is doing His part perfectly and equally for all in the transaction of Love, but some humbly accept it and others refuse it, but that does not mean God's part is different. Just as the father in the prodigal son story "Loved" both his sons equally no matter what they did.

There is exactly the same difference.
In the prodigal son a party was thrown for the returning son, no party for the son who remainded.

In the same way Christians experience God's love far more deeply and intermitly than nonchristians do.

Yes that love is poised to be poured out on the nonchristian, but if they don't respond they will never know it and will never be loved as much as Christians are.

You are saying God loves everyone and he does, but for some people that love is never applied to their lives and in the end it will be as if that love never existed for them.

 

[bling]

Can I (rightly) say to anyone walking down the street, "God loves you unconditionally"?

Isn't ironic that some hold so fast to the idea "Salvation has to be unconditional!" (Which I agree with ) and yet do not see this as an act of unconditional Love?

 

[fhansen]

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

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

Yes-He allows us to place conditions on it though; we can reject His unconditional love; we can choose to live without He-who-is-love. That's the essence of our free will.

 

[bling]

There is exactly the same difference.
In the prodigal son a party was thrown for the returning son, no party for the son who remainded.

What? The older son was invited to the party given by the father at the younger son’s return, but it is not “given” for the younger son (that son deserves nothing), but for the joy of the Father (His Love for the son able to be expressed). This parable is really given for the Pharisees in the audience who represent the older son, will they join God in celebrating the forgiveness of sinners (especially gentiles) into God’s Love Feast? The question is left open for them to answer.

In the same way Christians experience God's love far more deeply and intermitly than nonchristians do.

I agree with this fully, but it does not mean God does not Love the sinner, just as the Father loved the younger son if he returns or not.

Yes that love is poised to be poured out on the nonchristian, but if they don't respond they will never know it and will never be loved as much as Christians are.

They will never “experience” God’s Love because they have rejected God’s Love, but that does not mean they “will never be loved as much as Christians”, just as a parent Loves all their children equally no matter what they do.

 

[Tolworth John]

You are mistaking the potential for the reality.
In the parable the elder son had an invite, but he didn't use it.
The nonchristian has an invite, but untill they accept it they will not recieve the reality of Gods love.
hey are not being loved as much as Christians are.

 

[-V-]

Unconditional love does not mean killing your enemies.

God sentenced ALL of humanity to death because of sin. Your logic insists that God doesn't love anyone.

 

[bling]

You are mistaking the potential for the reality.
In the parable the elder son had an invite, but he didn't use it.
The nonchristian has an invite, but untill they accept it they will not recieve the reality of Gods love.
hey are not being loved as much as Christians are.

First: we do not know if the older son accepted or rejected the personal invitation by the father, that is speculation.
Just because Christians experience God's Love by accepting God's Love does not mean God Loves the non-Christian less. Do you think the Father in the prodigal son story would love the young son less if he did not return?

 

[JacksBratt]

No. But why hell? If God loves these people, He certainly could have come up with something else besides eternal torment.

Hell was not designed for humans. Originally it was meant for the fallen angels.

Matthew 25:41
However, those who reject the free gift of salvation and the truth that Jesus is who He is and those that reject that there is a God at all....... will be given the same destiny as Satan and his ilk.

 

[-V-]

But scripture says that we love because He first loved us. His love is causal. It does something.

It CAN do something, but God's love does not force itself on someone. If someone does not love God, it is not because God didn't love them, it's because they reject God's love.

Suppose I'm extremely wealthy. I write two checks for a million dollars. I give them to two people. The first person deposits the check and says, "I'm rich because -V- was rich first." The second person throws the check away, wanting nothing to do with me. In the case of the latter, I didn't withhold my gift from them, I gave to them the same as I gave to the person who accepted the gift.

God's love is given to all, some just choose to throw it away.

 

[JacksBratt]

Yes, the OP has been answers. Most of those answers have been incorrect.

According to whom?

 

[Hammster]

God sentenced ALL of humanity to death because of sin. Your logic insists that God doesn't love anyone.

It does in the larger context of the discussion. But I see what you're getting at.

How about unconditional love does not mean eternal separation.