God Loves Everybody?
How many times have you heard that? How many times have you said it? Our God is not a simple God, so when we say God loves you or God loves everybody, this isn’t a simple statement. Pastor R.C. Sproul talked and wrote about three kinds of love when we speak of God’s love. There’s benevolent love, which is love and kindness that God has for all creation. There’s love in terms of God’s beneficence, which goes beyond attitude and feeling and into action, how God displays that love to all creation through grace and mercy—it rains on the just and unjust.
The third kind of love that Sproul identified is the love of complacency. Now we use the word complacency today in a negative context, leaning heavy into the idea of self, being proud or arrogant, but the word comes from the Latin word complacere which means to please. The idea of God’s complacent love is the love that He has for Christ His Son which then carries over to all of those who are in Christ’s love. Often when we tell people “God loves you” it’s this kind of love we are thinking about whether we know it or not, but this kind of love is only for those who are in Christ.
“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)
Paul’s distinction here is so important, that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the love that is reserved for those who are in Christ. This is unconditional love, the idea that once we are in Christ we cannot do anything that will make God stop loving us. In fact, all things can be forgiven in this love except for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
“‘So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.’” (Matthew 12:31-32)
The idea, however, that God loves all people—saved and unsaved—the same or unconditionally, isn’t Biblically accurate and it does not represent God accurately. After all, if God loves the saved and lost the same then why would there be a need to repent? No wonder lost people are confused when Christians tell them that God loves them unconditionally only for that lost person to then learn of the conditions of repentance and confession. Of course there are conditions—we are commanded to repent of our sins! That’s a condition to be inside of this love of God that is in Christ. Why should lost sinners repent if they are loved the same as the ones who have already repented and are in Christ? God’s love and kindness and grace is offered for the whole world, but this love of God that is in Christ is only available to those who are in Christ.
“Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil. You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.” (Psalms 5:5-6)
Did you catch that? God hates all who do evil. He doesn’t love all who do evil, He hates them. The Lord doesn’t love murderers and liars/deceivers—He detests them. Again, God’s love and grace and mercy is offered and available to all, but the love God has for His children is not extended to those who reject Him as loving Father and choose to do evil.
“The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.” (Psalms 11:5)
How can you read that and think the Lord loves everybody? His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. How would people’s behavior change if they knew that God hates those who love violence and do evil? God loves His creation but the love that is in Christ is only for those who are in Christ. Be very careful when you are telling someone who is not yet in Christ that God loves them. It is more loving to be clear about which love of God you are speaking about.
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.’” (Matthew 7:21)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
