God's "Unconditional" Love

"I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. " Proverbs 8:17

I have been thinking a lot about the "unconditional love" of God.  This is commonly asserted by many Christians, and most often in relation to sin, "God loves us unconditionally in spite of our sin."  However, is this sentiment really biblical and what is meant when people say this? I ask you to think honestly about this question.

Increasingly people are being lulled into a false standing with God which seems to hinge on some perversion of God's love.  The purpose of this article is not to attempt to divorce man from God's great love, but to ensure that we are truly abiding in His abounding love.

For a doctrine that has become so central to the contemporary church, Scripture is relatively silent on this issue.  That is why many asserting that "God's love is unconditional" must deduce that it is so.  They seek to appeal to what might be called your sense of reason saying, "God's love must be unconditional because...[fill in the blank]"  Yet, there is not one Scripture which states that all have God's love unconditionally.  Is God's love undeserved by all?  Yes!  Yet, undeserved does not mean unconditional. At the very least this concept should be supported by God's word if it is to be believed.  Otherwise, it is likely false - no matter how warm & fuzzy it makes us feel.

So, what does it mean biblically to say that God's love is unconditional?

unconditional: not limited by conditions; asserting that the existence or occurrence of one thing or event does not depend on the existence or occurrence of another thing or event.

God's love simply exists, for He is love (I John 4:8).  It is not dependent upon anything else for - like His very nature - He (and it) just is.  Yet, the fact that God's love exists unconditionally does not mean it is received by man unconditionally. 

Even So, Lord Jesus Come

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17 

It Is Well With My Soul

The following article is an excerpt from a post on the "For His Glory Alone" blog and I wanted to share it here as an encouragement for you.

Have we truly grabbed hold of the peace which the world has not given and the world cannot take away?  Are we truly living in the joy of the Lord, even in the midst of our tribulations?  Do we believe that it is even possible to do so?  The Lord assures us that it is; that we can rejoice even in our sufferings.

This is only a portion of the article, which speaks about how to be encouraged in the Lord.  The article may be read in its entirety by clicking on the link above.

The History of a Man of Faith

In the late 1860s, life was good for Horatio G. Spafford and his wife Anna. They were living in a north side suburb of Chicago with their five children, Annie, Maggie, Bessie, Tanetta and Horatio, Jr.

He had a successful law practice in Chicago. The doors of the Spaffords' home were always open as a place for activists to meet during the reform movements of the time.

Horatio G. Spafford was quite active in the abolitionist movement. Frances E. Willard, president of the National Women's Christian Temperance Union, as well as evangelical leaders like Dwight L. Moody, were often guests in their home. Spafford was a Presbyterian church elder and a dedicated Christian.

In Need of Prayer?

"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." I Thessalonians 5:16-18

We have shared this info before, but the need for corporate prayer with the saints of God is more of a necessity each day as the times grow ever darker.  It is not about religious rituals, church affiliation, or doctrine, but about encouraging one another and grabbing hold unto the promises of God. 

If you have not already, take time to listen to the following sermon from Min. David Pawson on the topic: Prayer with the Saints.

Wake Up Church!

A video compilation from Holy Desperation.

The Most UNPREACHED Message in the Church

The Severity of God

"To not major on the same truths that Jesus and His Apostles emphasized, is to preach a completely different Gospel altogether..." 

Today, many Christians are majoring in the minors.  What I mean by that is they are taking selective aspects of Jesus' life and expounding upon that, but ignore what they do not like.  They are forsaking the weightier matters of what Jesus taught in order to depict an idol called Jesus who will tickle their ears with smooth things.  Today's contemporary Christians rejoice that God loves us unconditionally in spite of our sin (which I have never found supported anywhere in Scripture), yet they never stop to think whether such "love" is enough to keep them from eternal damnation.