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Is there really such a thing as unconditional love?
There are some words in our language that are absolute "either-or" words.
The word "perfect," for example, is one of those. A thing is either "perfect" or it is not. There are
no varying degrees of "perfection." One thing cannot be "more" or "less" perfect than another.
Because perfection is an absolute.
The same is true of the word "unconditional." It is an absolute term. There can be "shades" of
variation in just how conditional conditions might be ... unless they are said to be
"unconditional." In that case, that word itself stipulates that there can be absolutely no
conditions of any kind whatsoever, period.
Of course, nothing is impossible for God. It certainly would be possible for Him to manifest
"unconditional love," if He chose to do so. However, the Bible demonstrates that God's ways of
dealing with mankind throughout history have been quite different than "unconditional love."
While God's love has always been offered freely without any pre-conditions needing to be met
in order for His offer to be given and received, it seems very evident that God's masterplan for
the universe includes very stringent conditions under which His love can continue to flow.
God loves the world (John 3:16), but it is important to also realize that God hates sin and He
does condemn to Hell and eternal damnation sinners who do not repent.
Therefore, how can it be possible to reconcile the reality of God's righteous judgment and
condemnation of unrepentant sinners to Hell with this notion of "unconditional love"?
This notion of "unconditional love" seems, rather, to be a term and concept that has sprung forth
from pop psychology and has been embraced and propagated by various writers and speakers
including some who have claimed that it is a Christian concept.
But that is very curious considering the biblical record:
In Hosea 9:15, God said: "All their wickedness is in Gilgal, for there I hated them. For the
wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more. All their
princes are revolters."
In this passage, God specifically declares that He will "love them no more." Therefore, is it not
true that this very definitive recision of God's love is an irrefutable example of His love having
been conditional?
In Matthew 18:15-20 and 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, the doctrine of church discipline is set forth and it
seems to be directly contradictory to this notion of "unconditional love." For anyone who
professes to be a Christian but who then openly and defiantly continues to persists in sin, the
Bible declares is to be put out of fellowship and believers are to have nothing to do with them.
How can such an action be considered "unconditional love"?
In Romans 1:28 we read: "And accordingly, since they did not like to acknowledge God, God
gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not proper."
Since the Scripture tells us that God gave some over "to their reprobate mind to do things that
are not proper," how can that be considered an example of "unconditional love"?
In Leviticus 20:2 and 24:16 (among many other similar verses), we read: "Whosoever of the
children of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that gives any of his seed to Molech,
he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones." and
"Anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death and all the
congregation shall certainly stone him, as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when
he blasphemes the name of the Lord, shall be put to death."
Since God ordered people to be stoned to death, how can such judgments be considered
examples of "unconditional love"?
These examples all seem to demonstrate a strong case that God's love is conditional. He
certainly does not condone or tolerate evil to continue endlessly and forever.
Jesus and His Apostles exposed and condemned evil, and their exhortations to action were
designed to motivate those who engaged in evil toward an attitude of repentance ... else face
dire consequences.
In Romans 12:9, the Scripture teaches us to: "Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is
good."
How could anyone abhor evil and manifest "unconditional love" at the same time?
Either God's love is unconditional or it is conditional. If it were to be "unconditional," then, by
the very definition of that term, that would mean that there could _never_ be _any_ conditions
under which His love could be limited -or- suspended -or- rescinded. It would mean that the
word "love" would have to be unconditionally all-encompassing in the broadest possible
definition of that word "unconditional." This would mean that everyone, under _all_ conditions,
would be an equal recipient of God's unlimited, infinite, universal, and unconditional love
_forever_. That, therefore, would mean that judgment by God to eternal damnation would be
impossible.
Instead, God has ordained His creation in such a way that His love is offered freely and without
pre-conditions ... to anyone who will _accept_ it and reciprocate it. However! the recipient's
acceptance of God's offer of love definitely is a condition for God's love to be received and
continued eternally.
Otherwise, as the Bible clearly spells out in no uncertain terms, there are points in which God
did both suspend His love and in some cases rescind His love ... and there certainly is a day of
judgment coming when everyone who has refused to accept and respond affirmatively to God's
love will face eternal damnation and permanent separation from His love. This is an absolute.
Without question, the Bible definitively spells out that there are no options available to anyone
who dies in a state of not having responded affirmatively to God's freely offered gift of eternal
life.
God's love is eternal, but it is not given unconditionally. Only those who meet His conditions for
eternal life as members of His own family will receive God's love for all of eternity. To everyone
else, to all who do not meet God's conditions, He has promised judgment to eternal damnation.
There are seven major attributes of God's love described in the Bible: It is: abiding, Zep 3:17;
constraining, Hos 11:4; everlasting, Jer 31:3; great, Eph 2:4; sovereign, Deu 7:8, 10:15;
unalienable, Rom 8:39; and unfailing, Isa 49:15-16. However, the word "unconditional" is not in
this list and it does not appear a single time in the Bible. The notion of "unconditional" love is
not found in the Bible, but seems, rather, to be a man-made concept ... one that seems to be
utterly impossible.
Perhaps a more apt and more appropriate and accurately descriptive term for God's love
would be that His love is not pre-conditional and it is non-conditional toward everyone
who has accepted God's invitation to join His family. God willingly extends His offer of
love to everyone with no performance pre-conditions. However, He definitely does have
conditions for His love to be continued throughout eternity. His offer of love to us is
conditional upon our acceptance of it. It must be received and reciprocated in order
to achieve fulfillment and permanence. Mark 16:16 is the ultimate proof of that reality:
