The Universal Love of God

I John3:16 – “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

Human love is imperfect. It usually comes with conditions. Many of these conditions are rooted in selfishness. I Corinthians 13:4-5 says, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.” Jerry Bridges writes, “God’s unfailing love for us is an objective fact affirmed over and over in the Scriptures. It is true whether we believe it or not. Our doubts do not destroy God’s love, nor does our faith create it. It originates in the very nature of God, who is love, and it flows to us through our union with His beloved Son.”^[I]

The Spirit Filled Life Study Bible Commentary Notes says, “The love of God is an unconditional love. It comes from the Greek word, agape, “A word to which Christianity gave new meaning. Outside of the NT, it rarely occurs in existing Greek manuscripts of the period. Agape denotes an undefeatable benevolence and unconquerable goodwill that always seeks the highest good of the other person, no matter what he does. It is the self-giving love that gives freely without asking anything in return, and does not consider the worth of its object. Agape describes the unconditional love God has for the world.”^[ii]

B. Keith Whitt writes in an article, What Does it Mean That God's Love Is Unconditional? “Unconditional love does not mean that God loves everything we do, but rather His love is so intense that He loves every sinner, no matter how vile and despicable he or she may be in the eyes of humanity, so much that He provides a way for them to find love, life, and holiness. ‘Intense love does not measure, it just gives’ (Mother Teresa).”^[iii]

What does true love look like? The Apostle Paul answers this question in Romans 5:6-8, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

I found this quote from an unknown author that describes the unconditional love of God. “God’s love is the love that never fails. The unfailing love that we desire comes from Him. His love runs toward me, even when I am unlovely. His love comes to find me when I am hiding. His love will not let me go. His love never ends. His love never fails.”^[iv]

God’s love cannot always be explained with mere human words, but it can be experienced by those who come to Him in faith.

^[i] God’s Love Quotes, retrieved from the internet 3/14/24, ttps://biblereasons.com/gods-love-quotes/

^[ii] Nelson, Thomas. NKJV, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word . Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

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