Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Yes or no?



1. Yes Gods love is unconditional.
2. No there are conditions upon his love.

Feel free to elaborate.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

This is tricky as yes His love in unconditional.... but then it comes to you based on conditions....

I would say His common grace is unconditional... which is love.....

He showed us thru the crucifixion that His love is for all that believe in and walk with Him... but then believing could be considered a condition... and walking with Him surely is conditional


In the end I'd say yes it is unconditional, but that doesn't mean one cannot severely anger him....
It is the same way I love my two sons, no matter what they did in life I would love them unconditionally, but then they could greatly anger me or bring such sorrows that I would have to let them go on their own.

SO: 1. unconditional

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

This is a tricky answer, and as I know there are going to be those who check to see who voted and for which position, I am attempting to make reasons clear.

I was originally going to say that the love of God was unconditional, however that could not be true as there are certain individuals who actually earn His hatred and loathing.
"As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." (Rom 9:13)

However, when we look at the reason that Esau earned the hatred of God, several things become apparent. 1) Esau despised the inheritance that he had coming to him, for he sold the birthright to Jacob. 2) He was filled with pride, anger, bitterness, and hate. 3) He never attempted to walk according to the teachings of his father and grandfather, and instead of turning to his father's people to marry, instead he married outsiders, and caused his parent's grief. 4) He passed on his antipathy of his younger brother to his children, for they were not hospitable to Israel when they left the land of Egypt and were seen cheering the the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem.

Jesus makes it clear that for a person to continue to abide in His love, we must be obedient to His commands (law). However, He did love us enough, that before while we were yet breaking His laws, He came to pay the penalty of those laws for us.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Personally I don't see scripture that teaches Gods love is unconditional.

Jesus:

John 15:21

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

As to our initial salvation we are not saved by any righteousness we had done. According to our present walk he will love us if we continue in his commandments.

John 15:9-10

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Does God's love follow I Cor 13?

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

maybe a better paradigm for the issue of love is whether it is universal. god's love is universal and conditioned upon individual response to his universal love.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Yea that's sounds like it.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

To me it seems like there are MANY conditions.

Here we see God will BE WITH US under certain CONDITIONS.

Phillipians: 4:9

9 Those things, which ye have both learned , and received , and heard , and seen in me, do : and the God of peace shall be with you.

Paul said if we lived like he did God would be with us.



Of course Yeshua said plainly if we loved him by keeping his commandments he would love us:

John 15:21

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

What about "God so loved the world He gave" or He loved us even while we were His enemy?

God does love us unconditionally, but Salvation is conditional.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

What does this mean?

John 15:21

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Yes I do think there is a general love God has for man. However it does not seem scriptural to think its unconditional.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Here we see conditions to be met for God to be with us.

2 Cor. 13:11

11 Finally, brethren, farewell . Be perfect , be of good comfort , be of one mind , live in peace ; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Generally speaking it seems apart from Christ and assumedly obedience to him that this must be true?

36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

I don't know Michael, but by the sounds of this scripture it is not just a general love. I do see your point.

Romans 5:8

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

God loved us UNCONDITIONALLY to have sent His SON Jesus Christ that whosoever believeth in Him will not perish but have eternal life. There is a condition placed on believing in the Son to cross from death unto life.

I see God's love as being unconditional YET He gives us a freewill to choose His way or the devil's way

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

I should have actually phrased it more like "Is Gods love for believers/Christians unconditional.

God is a very deep being. While we agree he has a general love for mankind he also hates sinners generally!

11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. Psalms 7:11

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Michael... God's love is unconditional. Absolute unconditional love. However, God's holiness requires that sin be judged. God loves ever soul that will be condemned to Hell. In a very real sense... the vast majority will have condemned themselves to Hell.

In the verse you posted, we read...

11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. Psalms 7:11

God is "angry" with the wicked. He doesn't "hate" them as we would define hatred. I can be angry with my son... knowing I must punish his behavior... and still love him very very much.

God's love...

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Who did God love? The world. That includes the most vile of sinners.

We also read...

Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God commended His love towards us... in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

You can't tell me that God "hates" sinners. God's love for sinners is the reason for this entire drama unfolding on earth.

Michael... you've failed to think categorically again. :)

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Michael... if you've ever broken one of Christ's commandments since being born again, and have been forgiven and restored... you are a living example of God's unconditional love.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Imagine that I'm a police officer. And my son commits a terrible crime and I end up being the one who confronts him. Now... I have to arrest him for his deed and bring him to justice. However, that doesn't mean that I don't still love him.

People who cannot think in terms of categorical logic cannot see the relationship between two "seemingly contradictory" subjects. They cannot see that God's love is unconditional with relation to His essence (God is love). God will never stop loving His creation. However, God's nature (namely divine justice and holiness) requires judgment towards sin.

Two distinct ontological categories.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

People who cannot think categorically will either think that God is a big teddy bear who doesn't care one bit about sin... or they will see God as a darkened, angry, vicious God that must be appeased or else.

Both are terrible misrepresentations of our God. God is unconditionally loving. However, due to His very nature He must judge sin. And we must keep in mind that there are many different ways and manners in which God judges sin. It's not always, "To Hell with you sinner!"

So... if you are struggling with sin today... confess it and be of a repentant heart... asking God to forgive you. God's unconditional love will break forth and you'll find yourself awash in oceans of grace.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Once Saved Always Saved lol

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Not necessarily. God even loves those who rebel against Him and end up backsliding into Hell. The love is without condition. However, God's justice must be appeased. And if they do not walk in the light of Jesus, the blood of Jesus cannot cleans them of their sin.

Beware of the false dichotomy that appears to demand that one must believe in OSAS or reject the belief in God's unconditional love.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Would that mean that at some point they become un-redeemed, un-born again children of God, loved by their Father but with the destination of hell?

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

It means that they have become reprobate with regards to their sin. Yes, God still loves them... but there comes a point when the price for sin must be paid. And one can either stay walking in the light of Jesus and allow Jesus to pay that price for them... or walk away... and pay for it themselves.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

In your opinion, would those who walk away still be redeemed, born again children of God but would no longer enjoy the benefits of being a child of God, including missing hell?

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

They would have failed in their calling and election. Like Esau trading his birthright for a bowl of pottage... they traded their birthright for the pleasures of sin and the world.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Yeah but. :)

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

God's love is unconditional, for this love to be perfected in us and for us to walk in the fullness of His love calls for us to pursue God, and to know God. The person that does not "know" God lacks the ability to receive His love. But have no fear God is not finished yet, eventually He will reveal Himself to each and everyone, and in this He is irresistible.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

God unconditionally loved the whole world when he sent His son to die for it

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

No greater love! :thumbsup

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf0ut-fgixM

Joh 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

:thumbsup

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

He is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane, I am a tree

Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy

When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory

I realize just how beautiful You are And how great Your affections are for me

Oh, how He loves us, oh. Oh, how He loves us, how He loves us all

And we are His portion and He is our prize

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes

If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking

Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest

I don't have time to maintain these regrets

When I think about the way

Oh, how He loves us, oh Oh, how He loves us, how He loves all How He loves

Yeah, He loves us, oh, how He loves us Oh, how He loves us, oh how He loves

Oh, He loves us, yeah, He loves us How He loves us, oh, how He loves us all

... Unconditionally!

DAVID CROWDER - HOW HE LOVES LYRICS

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

But Jesus said he will love those who keep his commandments.

John 15:9

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Obviously there are conditions to his love. If one does not keep his commandments they will not abide {stay} in his love. Multitudes of people who think Jesus is loving them will find out at the judgment that they fell out of his love.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Not disagreeing with you Michael... just adding a depth to it that is hard for our human mind to comprehend.... 'While we were YET SINNERS, Christ died for us'... 'Greater LOVE hath NO man than to lay down his life.' You know the addresses. :) I believe that OUR KEEPING the commandments of God is a byproduct of our LOVE for Him, which is a byproduct of His LOVE for us and is actually the indwelling spirit (HG) IN us giving back to God what is His. It's a process that happens out of our control by simply allowing God to do His work in us. 'For by grace are ye SAVED, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift from God. Not of works, lest any man should boast' Yep... not our work... His work. :)

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Michael... read the words closely. If we keep His commandments, we "abide in His love". It's kind of like saying, "If you keep in step with me, you'll abide under my umbrella." If you don't keep in step... you'll walk out from under the umbrella. However, He isn't taking the umbrella away. He's still standing there with it wide open asking you if you're ready to come out of the rain.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

What kind of fickle God would love us with absolute love... a love that would cause Him to go the entire way to the cross... and then suddenly... if we screw up just once... that love is viciously taken back and suddenly He doesn't love us any more?

That's not God.

Think categorically people.

Religion is so deadly. Religious people know all about Him. But few really really know Him. :(

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

I love my daughter and there was a time (years) that she turned her back on me and did not talk to me or have anything to do with me.

I never ever stopped loving her she is my kid. If I who is imperfect can love how much more does the perfect One whose very nature is love.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

You bring up an excellent point. Did the prodigal's father stop loving him? No.

However, I had a preacher tell me once that our ability to love a rebellious child only demonstrates how corrupt our idea of love really is. He said a rebellious child deserves instant death in God's eyes. I was dumbfounded. He obviously failed to understand the purpose of the law... and even more sad still... failed to grasp the reality of the cross.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

And because I kept loving her and praying, God who loves restoration has restored that relationship 10 fold.

Re: Poll: Is Gods Love Unconditional
 

Here's a great quote...

"If there is a dark side of our Father that is something other than Love; a side to Him that is capable of suddenly flying off on you in a frenzied strike of anger; a side of Him that should cause people to be afraid; a side of Him that you *don't* want to see - then Jesus did a horrible job in revealing His Father to us. To leave out that kind of information would be a serious mistake, and just plain wrong. But there is no such side. Jesus perfectly revealed His Father to us, as surely as sunbeams express the true nature of the sun. Stop formulating your opinion of God from OT writers who only saw Him through a clouded lens of partial understanding. Instead, stare straight into the face of Jesus and you will clearly, completely and thrillingly see the Face of Your Father. Jesus didn't lie about His Father by leaving out "the other side of God" when He revealed Him to us. There is no more. Love. That's it. Just pure, unconditional, irrevocable, unchanging love."