Posted on 08/15/2015 7:48:28 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Last week, I wrote about “unconditional love.” I claimed that it was a myth. In truth, love as such cannot occur absent conditions. All emotions are a response to preconceived values, and values are by nature conditional. We love what we love because it is what it is.
Reaction to the piece was mixed, as reflected in the comments section. Some followed the argument. Others disagreed. Of particular interest to me, since I am a Bible-believing Christian, was this response from “Harald”:
Christ loves me unconditionally. He died for all of us, no exceptions.
Is that a myth too?
Yes, Harald. Yes, it is.
The idea that Jesus Christ loves everyone unconditionally remains popular among believers and non-believers alike. Yet it has no biblical basis and actually runs counter to the truth of the Gospel.
Other commenters provided additional context for Harald’s point, reminding readers that the English language has one word for “love” to reference several different meanings. “DaveK Or” states:
Trying to discuss unconditional love without setting its definition is probably pointless.
Fair enough. Of course, in the context of this discussion, the definition has been set. The popular usage of “unconditional love” refers to universal acceptance of anything a person does, says, or believes. Anytime someone misapplies the verse “judge not lest ye be judged,” they appeal to this notion of “unconditional love.” The religious left thrives on the theme, which has underscored certain denominations’ embrace of the homosexual lifestyle despite clear biblical prescriptions.
Let’s look at Harald’s comment again. “[Christ] died for all of us, no exceptions.” I believe that. The Bible teaches that. However, Christ’s act was not an expression of unconditional love. We must consider why Christ died for us.
If Christ’s love were as unconditional as many portray, then his death would not have been necessary. It would not matter whether we believed in Him. It would not matter whether we obeyed Him. Of course, the Bible teaches otherwise. The biblical narrative outlines in great detail the conditions which required Christ to offer his life on the cross.
Christ died as an atonement, to absorb God’s wrath in our place. He died to satisfy justice. Even then, to benefit from his glorious act, we must conscientiously believe in Him and repent of our sin. These are clearly articulated conditions. One cannot benefit from God’s love unconditionally.
Certainly, through the work of Christ, God has offered salvation to everyone without exception. All may partake of Christ’s saving power. This might be described as “unconditional love” in the loosest sense of the term. However, the fact remains that the miracle of salvation is only possible because Christ met a condition which made it possible. In that most literal sense, there remains no such thing as “unconditional love.”
This point matters. If we get it wrong, we get the Gospel wrong. If we fail to acknowledge the gravity of sin and the necessity of Christ’s payment for it, then we remove the essential context in which his news proves good.
The Bible teaches that the overwhelming majority of created souls will pour through a wide gate into the fires of hell. By contrast:
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. – Matthew 7:14
In that context, it seems irresponsible to throw around a term like “unconditional love.”
He loves us unconditionally when we surrender unconditionally.
In the story of the Prodigal Son, the Father restore the son’s condition with no restrictions, but only after the son returned. The Father did not go and drag the son back, he did not reserve him his place until he returned. He did sit a single condition: the son must come and repent.
Once that condition was met, then there were no other conditions.
Excellent point.
John 3:16 says God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son. Not just individuals who were saved. The world.
That said, John 3:16b requires receipt of the Gospel for salvation.
God IS love (1 John 4:8). It is not for us as men to make judgments on the ability, or inability, of God to love any member of His creation unconditionally.
That said, receive the Gospel and be saved.
John 6:29
John 6:29New International Version (NIV)
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
John 14:6
John 14:6New International Version (NIV)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The author is confusing unconditional LOVE with unconditional eternal salvation.
God STILL loves Adolf Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson - the SAME as He loves you, me, Billy Graham, or any other human being HE created.
Yet, He gave US the choice of loving Him back or not.
HIS love IS unconditional; ours is not.
This above is the money quote from the post.
There are no good deeds we can do to atone for our sins.
It is Christ Who died for our sins.
It is Christ Who paid for ALL of our sins.
It is Christ Who was offered as a one time sacrifice for ALL of our sins.
It is Christ and Christ alone who makes us righteous.
As the old hymn goes....
what can wash away my sins? nothing but the blood of Jesus
what can make me whole again? nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Romans 5:8 (emphasis mine)
This guy has never heard of Reformed/Calvinistic theology because it deals with all of those questions. Whether you agree or disagree with the doctrines of Grace, they have been a major school of Christian theology from the beginning and just pointing out that there is an alternative perspective is not to much to ask. It is not my point to hijack the thread and turn it into a “predestination vs. free will” thread, we’ve had way to many of those already. I’m just pointing out the a author is either ignorant of a major branch of Christian theology or for some reason he just chose to ignore this perspective on “unconditional love”.
” John 3:16 says God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son. ”
I’m sorry, but I never found that to be much of a sacrifice for a supreme being with power to do anything.
First, “his only begotten son” - he’s all powerful, he can get more begotten sons. In fact aren’t we all his sons?
As for sacrificing his son, how much of a sacrifice is it when you know, in fact you planned it, he will shortly come back to life?
Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
You are confuse undeserving with unconditional. Hitler and Dahmer are already in Hell. Thank God.
“When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.”
Even though I am a believer, I have had the same question.
But not Esau (Malachi 1:3 and Romans 9:10-13). I'm not trying to put you on the spot. I have found this to be a difficult topic to understand. How can God be love (1 John 4:8) and yet hate as His Word says? I haven't yet figured that out. I assume limitations in my abilities to understand - I have seen explanations but none which I found fully satisfying. I have no problem with saying that I don't know but I wouldn't say that God loves everyone.
John said it all:
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
Similar question to how God could have hardened Pharaoh’s heart? He couldn’t repent and relent? He lost his free will?
Yes, God loves us unconditionally.
However, that does not mean He's obligated to save everyone.
In His love, He provided a means by which ANYONE could come to Him and be saved, a way easy and simple enough for a child to do it.
But His not forcing salvation on people against their will does not mean He doesn't love them.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God's love is unconditional also, because He is no respecter of persons.
If His love was conditional, there would be some criteria on which to base who He loves and who HE doesn't.
No, God does not love them-or they’d have been saved. God did’t chose not to love them, rather they chose to reject their only hope for salvation. we love God because he loved us first, but sometimes his Grace runs out when we harden our hearts and then die. God would do anything to reach for them if they’d have just asked, bulgur they chose not to, sadly..
He didn’t “love” the money changers defiling the Temple.
St. Thomas Aquinas defined "love" as the willed *choice* to pursue the authentic good of the beloved. According to that definition, God most certainly does love everyone unconditionally. He wants what is best -- truly best, not what you or I may wrongly think is best -- for every person.
As much as we are humanly capable of judging others to hell.... The hell.. That destroys the soul/spirit has yet to be created. Satan/Lucifer is the only named entity, plus his most fervent followers, (Genesis 6: calls them Sons of God) that to date have been judged to yet future hell.
These that are called Sons of God refused to be born of woman. Christ’s lesson to Nicodemus. All that take this flesh journey have opportunity to ‘see’ the kingdom of God.
The parable of the rich man describes a ‘gulf’ that separates the saved versus the unsaved. The rich man did describe a different type of hell, but that rich man has yet to face the Day of Judgment wherein all souls/spirit individually, will choose life or death.
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