No Matter What
Is it really true that God loves us unconditionally? Well, that just all depends on what you’re talking about.
It is important to inspect well-intentioned slogans for actuality and application- even those of the Christian variety. Brevity may be the soul of wit, but it may not adequately convey intricate principles.
God loves the world and gave His Son as a sacrifice to buy salvation for the race. He is kind to the ungrateful, loves all sinners and is not willing that any should perish. The Almighty does not hate those we hate but claim we don’t, and the weakness of God is stronger than any strength of mankind. It is probably such sound, biblical assertions that rooted the colloquialism. That’s usually the way with these things.
When we speak of the unconditional love of God, it is true that God loves us without condition if we are referring to His concern for the salvation of His creation. It is also true that God will not stop loving us when we are disobedient. However, these great truths have encouraged many to see God as a benevolent overseer concerned only with forgiveness and love with no thought of justice. There is no other way to explain current perceptions, but such a deity is not pictured in Scripture.
Today, people are certain that love is the main attribute of God and brook no denial rendering grace impotent. All around, we see so-called believers with unchanged behaviors viewing such as optional in their learning and understanding. This view is unbiblical. The grace of Scripture is powerful and life-altering. It must be for it to be saving.
Grace is free to us, but it cost the Father His Son and the Son His life. True faith grasping grace without merit produces lives with merit and desires differing from the graceless. The resulting life is lived by faith in the Son of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit. A serious and sacrificial pursuit, it is not a carnival ride of emotion fueled by fads of the day. Though there are elements of cultural expression in faith, the convictions of the true believer influence the surrounding culture to a greater degree.
It is a plain fact that we live in a world of cheap grace and easy believism. The ideas are not only prevalent- they are dominant in both secular and sacred thought. It is extremely common to find converts (and I use the term loosely) to Christ with no concern for righteous living or changes in lifestyle which the Bible pictures as hallmarks of real Christianity. The simplicity of salvation has produced in many minds a meaningless belief which calls itself “salvation by faith apart from works.” Current ideas are misinformed if not heretical.
Confusion on the nature of salvation in the beginning inevitably leads to confusion about the character of God and the practices of the faithful. Bad theology leads to bad conduct, and this misunderstanding of God’s grace produces Christians with forms of godliness which deny its power. Reflective believers are increasingly rare as “cool converts” and institutional branding rule the day. Simply stated- we take sin lightly. It can as hard to discern believers from unbelievers as the animals from the humans in Animal Farm.
Jesus said we’d enter heaven through the straight gate. And few at that. He also said many would reach the end of their days believing themselves to be Christians but finding themselves undone. Our Lord could not have been clearer regarding the possibilities of confusion on salvation and sanctification.
Scripture is pretty clear on the essential elements of the life that pleases God. We should be concerned about the flippant attitudes of the many who claim God loves them unreservedly. While the aforementioned aspects of this statement are true, such an assertion does not mean God takes pleasure in us regardless of the abominations we embrace. Many Bible texts warn of the dangers of sin, unconcern and reckless living.
Full and free forgiveness is God’s gift to the penitent. It is not reflective of a lax attitude toward holiness on His part. Redemption is for those who repent, and repentance means change. God forgives readily when we turn in reality.
In our “name it and claim it” culture, those who would make heaven their home must beware of catch-phrases and bumper-sticker Christianity. We dare not make Jesus’ sacrifice for sin a lesser gift.
Sterl