Whom the Lord Loveth, He chastens !

This fact alone is proof that God does not Love all men without exception, because as it is written Heb 12:6-7

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Are all Sons ? Of course not,neither are all Loved by God !

Rev 3:19

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Jesus specifically says here "As many as I love" I chasten !

Why doesnt He just say, I love all without exception, so i will chasten all without exception ? The very fact that He qualifies whom He Loves by saying "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten" proves that His Love is Limited to an exact amount of Sons !

Who is it limited to ? Lets look at Heb 12:7

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Why its the Sons of God Gal 4:6

6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Now everyone Christ died for and redeemed automatically received the Adoption of Sons Gal 4:4-5

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5 To redeem them that were under the law, that[hina purpose clause] we might receive the adoption of son

And because that was so, God sends forth the Spirit of His Son in our hearts !

And none are the Sons whom God is not the Father of as implied when Jesus spoke to certain jews Jn 8:42

42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

We may safely conclude therefore that none who do not come to Love Christ, of which Paul writes of them 1 Cor 16:22

22 If any man[jew or gentile,black or white] love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

Because they are not Sons, and Not Loved by God ! They are exempt from being any of these Jn 3:16 !

 

Will God's Love be in them He so Loved ?

There is a World of People that God so Loved Jn 3:16, and one of Christ's Prayer requext for them, as they are the Ones God so Loved and He Loved and died for Eph 5:25, the request is this Jn 17:26

26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

That God's Love to Himself and to them, which is the same Jn 17:23-24

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

That , that Love might be in them, and that He Himself shall be in them, which happens when God gives them The Spirit Rom 5:5

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

And that results in Christ dwelling in our hearts by Faith Rom 8:9

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

The Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are One and the Same !

Eph 3:17

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

This is because, He requested this to be a blessing for those He would die for, that He would be in them Jn 17:23

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Them refers not only to the disciples, but also to whom shall believe on Him through their word Jn 17:20

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Now this Love of God must be put in them, if God so Loved them, and so John writes 1 Jn 4:19

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

If God so Loved us Jn 3:16, it results in us Loving Him ! If it doesnt, Christ's Prayer to His Father was not Honored by the Father !

 

Gods Love in Christ brings to Faith !

Gods everlasting Love for His Elect [in Christ] causes their Faith, Jer 31:3

3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Because of this Love and by this Love they are being drawn/led to Him, Persuaded by Him, its the same Truth seen and taught in 2 Thess 2:13

13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord[those loved with an everlasting love], because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

By being the beloved of Lord, it results in belief of the Truth, which is Faith !

Gods Everlasting Love to the Elect is no doubt based upon His Eternal Love of Christ their Head, who stated that He was Loved by the Father before the foundation Jn 17:24

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Note: Christ here is not speaking as a mere private person, but as the Head of a People given to Him Jn 17:2 !

And so He Loved those given Him, In Him so we do read Jn 17:23

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Because God Loved the Head and the Body of Members Simultaneously, so this is the Love of them which is only in Christ Jesus Rom 8:39

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So it is I understand that Love in Jer 31:3 to be that same Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord Rom 8:39, which Love draws to Faith in Christ via the Gospel , the belief of the Truth 2 Thess 2:13-14 !

 

Who are the objects of His Everlasting Love ?

Who are the objects of God's Love from Everlasting ? It is written Jer 31:3

3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

To whom is this meant ? I have Loved thee with an Everlasting or Eternal Love !

Its none other that the Church, the Body of Christ meant here ! Its as when Jesus prayed these words regarding members of His Body Jn 17:23-24

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

The reason why this could be said, "The Father Loved them as He Loved Christ His Beloved Son, before the foundation of the World, its because His Church was in a Elective Union with Him, and therefore Loved in Him, Christ Jesus Rom 8:39

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This Love of God is exclusive, its preceded by the definite article, there is no other Love of God save that which is in Union with Christ Jesus !

Some may contend that Jesus means His Disciples in Jn 17, which is correct, however it doesn't mean only the Disciples to whom He was speaking, because they were part of an whole Elect society, the Body of Christ 1 Cor 12:12

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

Rom 12:5

So we[Apostles/believers], being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

So God's Love for His Son, who by God is the Head of His Body the Church, necessitated that He Loved the entirety of His Son equally, so hence we have Jn 17:23-24.

This Love of God was in Christ Jesus, and time and eternity cannot separate His Members from it, If we are of the Church, the Elect Rom 8:33,37-39,

So that's who is being referred to in Jer 31:3, and to think its referring to any Love of God outside the Church which is In Christ Jesus, He being its Head, is error and foolish !

 

Who are the objects of His Everlasting Love ? 2

That Love by which they were Loved from everlasting Jer 31:3

3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

This word lovingkindess, which is obviously related to that everlasting Love preceding, its the hebrew word checed and basically means favor,

keep-eth the covenant and the lovingkindness

Its a Faithful Covenant Love of God to His Creatures chosen in Christ,

Its the same word for mercy here Ps 103:17

17 But the mercy or faithful covenant Love,favor of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

You see, the from everlasting agrees with the Love spoken of in Jer 31:3

3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

This Love has no beginning or ending for those who are the objects of it !