Is God's love unconditional?

[Sopranette]

I've heard this many times. I've heard people say God's love is unconditional, even from Christians, but I cannot find any verses to support this. I've also heard Heaven is full of unconditional love. If it is, then why are so many people in Hell? Wouldn't everyone be in Heaven?
How about after you are saved? Is His love unconditional then?

love,

Sopranette

 

[Joe]

My understanding is God's love operates under "conditions" so it isn't unconditional. He loves us while are sinners but expects us to fulfill his obligations (conditions) at the same time. Otherwise, it makes it difficult to be close enough to him to feel the love.

The few "unconditional love" accounts I can think of is that Jesus died for us on the cross though we are sinners and the prodigal son story in Luke.

In heaven, I believe there is no need for unconditional love because I understand there is to be no sinning. Without sin, there would be no reservations to loving another. God loves the sinner, even when they are deemed to hell but I don't have any evidence of this fact. Just can't recall anywhere where God takes away his love upon one ascending into hell

 

[Joe]

I would like to add the Story of Ruth & Esther. Ruth was a widow who stuck by her Mother in Law Esther throughout the years even when it got real rough and Esther urged her not to. It's a fairly short story.

 

[menageriekeeper]

Uh Joe? The mother in law was Naomi, not Esther. (See the book of Ruth. Esther has her own book.)

 

[SaggyWoman]

I would hate to think that anyone's love for me, let alone God, was based on any condition I had to do, be or perform.

 

[just-want-peace]

God's love IS unconditional!

If you think it is conditional, what are the conditions?

Don't confuse LOVE with ACCEPTANCE.

We become ACCEPTABLE to Him thru the blood of Christ.

He loves us whether saved or not, BUT, and a big BUT, for the believer, His love is coupled with MERCY; for the un-believer, His love is coupled with justice.

The love for us is there in either case, else Jesus would never have been sacrificed for mankind.

 

[Mr.M]

Better than asking whether God's love is unconditional or not, rather...ask How does God love?

God loves OBJECTIVELY as opposed to SUBJECTIVELY. Now the treatment of people by God is subjective at times, yes. But he loves objectively. Hmmm...what doth I mean.

Objective loves bases the integrity of the love not on the subject of the love (for example, your boyfriend, girlfriend, children, husband, wife...etc) but on the one doing the loving. God loves objectively. He doesn't love us because we are or are not lovable but because of He has determined to love us. This might best be expressed as IMPERSONAL LOVE.

Subjective love is love we humans all too often experience. It comes and goes based on the subjects we love. Whether it be a person, a hobby, job and so on the love we have for such subjects often vacillates with its desirability. When the subject of our love is most pleasing we love it most and when it is unpleasant we love it less. This might best be expressed as PERSONAL LOVE.

This is why we are commanded to love with divine love, so that our personal preferences and prejudices are removed and the integrity of the love we have for another is not based on their performance or desirability but our integrity and choice to love.

Hence, God's love is based in HIS integrity. Does this mean God does not respond with love but that He is a machine that just loves like a Robot? Of course not. It is to make clear God does not love as a human loves, He is God and it is His integrity that guarantees His love. The very reason those born again, those possessing the righteousness of Christ are double recipients of God's love. Because in that case not only are we the recipients of God's impersonal love, his objective love but as well a unique form of Divine Personal love (remember not human subjectivity). Because by possessing the righteousness of Christ God automatically responds to His Own Divine Righteousness with Personal Love.

Feeling Love By God now? I hope so.

 

[Joe]

Uh Joe? The mother in law was Naomi, not Esther. (See the book of Ruth. Esther has her own book.)

Oops!!!!! Shhhh....don't tell her ok. She'll never know....

 

[pinoybaptist]

He loves us while are sinners ........

And there I would stop.
He loves us while we are sinners, He loves us even if we were, and are, sinners, He loves us despite our being sinners then and sinners now.

No ifs, no buts. No conditions.

 

[Baptist in Richmond]

God's love IS unconditional!

If you think it is conditional, what are the conditions?

Don't confuse LOVE with ACCEPTANCE.

We become ACCEPTABLE to Him thru the blood of Christ.

He loves us whether saved or not, BUT, and a big BUT, for the believer, His love is coupled with MERCY; for the un-believer, His love is coupled with justice.

The love for us is there in either case, else Jesus would never have been sacrificed for mankind.

:thumbs:
I cannot speak for anyone else on the board, but I would be in some SERIOUS trouble if His Love was conditional.

Regards, hope all is well,
BiR

 

[LeBuick]

:thumbs:
I cannot speak for anyone else on the board, but I would be in some SERIOUS trouble if His Love was conditional.

Regards, hope all is well,
BiR

I second this!

 

[Dale-c]

I cannot speak for anyone else on the board, but I would be in some SERIOUS trouble if His Love was conditional.

And I will put a 3rd signature on it!
If God's love was conditional I would be in big trouble.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

 

[Analgesic]

How can the possibility of God's love being conditional mean that one would be in serious trouble without first identifying what conditions would be attached?

 

[donnA]

God's love is always unconditional. If He loved us when we were at our worst (still sinners) would He love us now that we are covered by Christ's righteousness.
If you had to earn God's love you'd never be able to do, none of us are good enough.

 

[Sopranette]

Thank you, all. Just-want-peace, I guess you explained it most clearly to me. Now, I know there are several verses where God hates, but it is the actions of that person, not the person themselves that He hates. Also, to compare His love with the love parents have for their children is not quite right, either. I have seen parents lose all contact with their children for many reason, whether it is something as serious as the child being found guilty of a serious crime, or for something as small as marrying outside their race, or leaving the church. I could never imagine God being this way.
I guess the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference, and God is never indifferent.

love,

Sopranette

 

[DeeJay]

Gods love is unconditional. The problem is the way we think about love. It is not the opposit of hate. Love is not a fuzzy feeling. God tells us to love our enemies, how can we do that if love is a feeling. So how does God love us.

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.
John 3:16

And

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
John 15:13

This is Gods unconditional love for us. To lay down His life so that we have the oppertunity to be forgiven.

One more

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:9-10