God's love is unconditional in that he loves his people despite their disposition toward him. God demonstrated his unconditional love by sending his son Jesus Christ to die for sinners while they were still rebelling against God. As Christians, we need to understand that while God's electing and regenerating love is unconditional, his saving love is conditional upon faith in Jesus Christ. God's love is shown through his gracious act of sacrificing Jesus to save mankind from sin and reconcile them to himself.

1. "Is God'slove unconditional?"- 29thMay 2017
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.”(Romans 5:8).
God’slove,as describedinthe Bible,isclearlyunconditional inthatHislove isexpressedtowardthe
objectsof His love - that is,Hispeople,despite theirdispositiontowardHim.Inotherwords,Godloves
because itHisnature to love aswe can learnfrom 1 John 4:8, “Whoeverdoesnot love does not know
God,because Godis love.” It isthat love thatmovesHimtoward compassionate action.The
unconditional nature of God’slove ismostclearlyseeninthe gospel because the gospel message is
basicallyamessage of divine rescue frometernaldamnation. AsGodconsidersthe plightof humanity -
His rebelliouspeople - andHe determinestosave usfromour sin, whichisdue to Hislove.Thislove is
furtherdemonstratedwhenwe read John3:16, “ForGodso loved the worldthat he gave hisone and
onlySon, that whoever believesin him shall notperish but have eternal life.”He sentHis son Jesus
Christ,to save us.
We don’tlike tohave conditionsplacedonus.Infact the human tendencyiseventobreakor oppose
God’srequirements,suchasthe Ten Commandmentsgiventous.Theyare conditionsthatHe has laid
downfor us…andwe fail most!Asour humannature we generallydonotlike conditionsbeingimposed
on us,beginningfromparents,school,worketc. Amongthe emotional needsof humanisticpsychology,
we wouldlove tohave unconditionalacceptance,unconditionalself-regard,unconditionalself-
acceptance,and unconditionallove...butthisisan impossibility! The usual meaningof the word
unconditionalis"withoutconditionsorreservations…absolute."The practical extensionof the theories
of unconditional loveisapermissive attitude andamorallynonrestrictive atmosphere.Thatmeansno
conditionsorrestrictions. Butasfor humanbeings,unconditional loveisamyth.That is because
humansare naturallyself-biasedandthe humanheartisso deceitful thatone canfool oneself into
thinkingthathe or she lovesunconditionally,wheninfactthere are all kindsof conditions imposed
some time or the other!
There issuch a thingas unconditional loveinGod,butit’snot whatmost people meanbyitand
therefore asChristianswe needtounderstanditsmeaning.Firstlywe needtounderstandthat
‘unconditionallove’isnota savinglove thatGod hasfor everybody…orelseeverybodywouldbe saved,
since theywouldnothave tomeetany conditions, the tenCommandmentsand notevenfaith.ButJesus
saideverybodyisnotsaved because those whoare NOTSAVEDwill face eternal punishment.Sothere is
a condition.We can learnfromMatthew 25:46, “Then they will goaway to eternal punishment,but
the righteousto eternal life.”
How then doesGod love unconditionally?FirstasChristianswe needtosteadfastlyknow that He loves
us withelecting love unconditionally. “He chose usin himbefore the foundationof the worldaswe can
readthis in Ephesians1:4-5, “Forhe chose us in himbefore the creation of the world to be holyand
blamelessinhis sight.In love 5
he predestinedus for adoptionto sonshipthroughJesusChrist,in
accordance withhis pleasureand will.” Here we can see thatGod had a planfor us evenbefore
creation,forhumanitytolive a perfectand blamelesslife.Butwe failed…AdamandEve disobeyedHim
and wentagainstHiswill,fueledbythe deceiver!Butdue toGod’slove,he sentJesusChristasan
atoningsacrifice tosave mankindandthusacceptedus back to Hispresence andalso availedthe
possibilityof usbeingadoptedtosonship.We getafurtherunderstandingwhenwe read ApostlePaul’s
wordsin hislettertothe Romans: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless,Christ
died forthe ungodly. 7
Veryrarely will anyonedie for a righteousperson,thoughfor a good person

2. someone mightpossiblydareto die. 8
But God demonstrateshisown love for us inthis: Whilewe were
still sinners,Christdied for us.” (Romans5:6-8).
Secondisthat God lovesuswithregeneratinglove before we meetanycondition. AsChristianswe know
that we have the possibilityof a“free”giftof salvationandbeginningof anew life andentity devoidof
sin.But we needtobear inmindthat this new life we receive throughsalvation isnotGod’sresponse to
our meeting“anycondition.”Onthe contrary, it isa freelyavailedgiftof Godwith the promise of a‘new
birth’enablesustobelieveandhave Faithinthe incarnate Sonof God…notthe otherway around.
“Everyone whobelieves that Jesus isthe Christis bornof God,and everyone who lovesthe fatherloves
hischildas well.” (1 John5:1). It saysthat everyone whobelievesthatJesusisthe Christ hasbeen
[already!] bornof God,”It is importanttounderstand asstatedin John 1:13, “…childrenborn not of
natural descent, nor of humandecisionor a husband’swill,butbornof God.” Therefore letuspraythat
thousandsof people whospeakof the unconditional love of Godwoulddiscoverthe biblical meaningof
whattheysay. If that happenedmanywould findtheirfeetonsolidground.
Despite thishostilityandenmitywe hadtowardGod due to sin, he revealsHislove towardusinthe
givingof HisSon,JesusChrist,as the propitiation(thatis,the appeasementof God’srighteouswrath) for
our sins.Goddid notwaitfor us to betterourselvesasa conditionof atoningforoursin.Rather,God
condescendedtobecome amanand live amongHispeople asstatedin John1:14, “The Word became
fleshand made hisdwellingamongus.We have seen his glory,the glory of the one and onlySon,who
came from the Father, full ofgrace andtruth.” God experiencedourhumanity—inshorteverythingit
meansto be a human being—andthenofferedHimself willinglyasa substitutionaryatonementforour
sin…adivine rescue tosave us! This divine rescue resultedinagraciousact of self-sacrifice.AsJesus
saysin John’sgospel, “Greaterlovehasno one than this,that he lay downhis lifefor hisfriends” (John
15:13). We get a furtherunderstandingwhenwe read 1 John4:9-10, “Thisis how Godshowedhis love
amongus: He sent hisone and onlySon intothe worldthat we mightlivethrough him.This is love:not
that we loved God,but that he lovedus and sent hisSon as an atoningsacrificeforour sins"
It isimportantto note that God’slove isa love that initiates;itisneveraresponse.Thatisprecisely
whatmakesit unconditional.If God’slove were conditional,thenwe wouldhave todosomethingto
earnor meritit.We wouldhave to somehow appease Hiswrathandcleanse ourselvesof oursinbefore
God wouldbe able tolove us.But that isnot the biblical message.The biblicalmessage—the gospel—is
that God, motivatedbylove,movedunconditionallytosave Hispeople fromtheirsin. “ButGod
demonstrateshis own lovefor us in this:Whilewe were still sinners,Christ diedfor us.”(Romans5:8).