ForgottenWoman

Unconditional?

My heart wants to love like Jesus. Over the past few years in reflecting and studying the subject, my thoughts have led me to a conclusion. We hear the term “unconditional love” often when someone is speaking of God’s love for us, or the love we should have for one another.

Unconditional love as defined today: I love you no matter what. There are no conditions that change my love for you. There is nothing you can say or do that will alter how I love you. And because I love you no matter what, you can say and do and behave however you choose and I will hug you, tell you that I agree with you, celebrate your choices, and pretend that all is well.

Now, when we tell the world that we are Christians and that we love like Jesus, and then buy into this concept of unconditional love; we create chaos! Look around. Can we not agree that our world is one big chaotic mess and that we as believers, who are supposed to be living as salt and light have added to the chaos?

Of course, this isn’t true of all – but for the most part; it seems we fall into one of two camps, and well; neither one is exemplifying the true love of Christ. One camp is those who call themselves Christians who are filled with condemnation, anger, fury, and hateful rhetoric – sometimes shouting absurdities to make a point. The other camp is those who call themselves Christians but are so bent on riding the ‘unconditional love’ and acceptance train that they either refuse to discuss anything of substance or they beg everyone to just be nice and accept all in the name of Jesus’ love. Neither of these camps is a true representation of Jesus’ love and how God tells us to live while we are on this journey on earth. And why are we discussing this today? Because both ideas are extremely dangerous.

When unbelievers look at what we call unconditional love – often they are confused by the misunderstanding of how unconditional love is portrayed. Christlike love does not mean acceptance of wrong behavior, attitudes, words, and choices. God so loved the world… God’s love doesn’t change. However, God does not unconditionally accept our sinfulness and withhold the consequences.

So, the idea that if I love like Jesus I will unconditionally accept your behavior and choices is a fallacy. The idea that Jesus’ love means that He smiles and nods when I hurt others, when I violate His Word, and when I choose myself over others is a fallacy! The idea that Jesus’ love means that I must not feel anger, disgust or frustration over sin is a fallacy!

Does God love His children unconditionally? Does God hate? Whew! Now, there’s a question that will rattle our brains. Let’s look at what God says instead of trying to figure it all out in our human-ness. I can only do this by sharing Scripture.

God flat-out says he hates… In Scripture He describes some things as “despicable” or “abominable.” God hates idolatry, sexual immorality, injustice, hypocrisy, deceit, pride, and evil thoughts.

And then… Psalm 11:5 puts it bluntly: God hates wicked people. “The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” (Psalm 11:5). He hates wicked people from the very depth of his being. God hates their ways (Proverbs 15:9), their thoughts (Proverbs 15:26), their worship (Proverbs 15:8), their actions (Proverbs 6:18), and their evil deeds (Psalm 5:5). What????

Clearly, God hates the thoughts, deeds, and desires of evil people. But further, in some way, he hates the evil people themselves. He reacts to them with righteous revulsion as His arm extends toward them in holy fury. But who are the wicked and why does God hate them? Hopefully, describing what they do will reveal to us exactly who God calls wicked.

God hates the wicked because their wickedness reveals their rebellion against Him. God created humanity to be perfect and sinless, to live in fellowship with Him, to offer Him pure worship. But humanity rebelled and that disloyalty is displayed when we act contrary to God. God hates those who express their hatred toward him.

God also hates the wicked because their wickedness is expressed in ways that harm His people. Wicked people cannot storm the gates of heaven to dethrone and destroy God Himself, but they can turn on what is dearest to Him and nearest to His image. In their wickedness, they turn against other people. They mock them, hurt them, abuse them, and seek to destroy them. What does God tell HIs children to do? He tells us to trust Him to deal with the wicked who seek to hurt us. He promises to deal justly. He does not promise to coddle those who hurt His own.

God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.
If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
He has bent and readied His bow;
He has prepared for him His deadly weapons,
making His arrows fiery shafts.
Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
and is pregnant with mischief
and gives birth to lies.
He makes a pit, digging it out,
and falls into the hole that he has made.
His mischief returns upon his own head,
and on his own skull his violence descends.(Psalm 7:11-16)

“The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked He will destroy” (Psalm 145:20). Psalm 1:5 promises, “the wicked will not stand in the judgment” (5). Indeed, in Luke 13 we find Jesus speaking of that final judgment. He says that in that day some will expect to be welcomed by God into His kingdom, yet all they will hear is this terrifying judgment: “Depart from me, all you workers of evil” (Luke 13:27).

God will judge the wicked and give them the fitting punishment for their wickedness. GOD will judge. GOD will deal with the wicked. GOD and GOD alone is righteous and holy and capable.

God’s Word is enough to convince me that today’s concept of unconditional love (acceptance of evil) is not God’s definition of love. I can’t end here without reminding us that when God says He sent His Son to die for ALL – He meant it. His wrath and fury for evil are immediately removed when one bows before Him in humility and repents, accepts His gift of salvation, and follows Him. He says He removes our sins as far as the East is from the West. He chooses to remember them no more. He accepts us as His children. He gives us eternal life. That is LOVE – with one condition: true repentance.

So, what is my love for others supposed to look like? How am I to be salt and light in this world? How am I supposed to respond to the wicked when they hurt me?

Everything I read in Scripture points me to sacrificial love. I’m not really capable of unconditional love – but I am capable of sacrificial love. We’re going to look at that in the next article.