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God's love not unconditional
#10631
08/12/04 01:07 AM
08/12/04 01:07 AM
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OP
Full Member
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 265
Japan
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The doctrine of God's unconditional love is probably the worst error to enter the churches, Babylon and Laodicea, in the last 100 years. Why is this error passed over so lightly? How did it ever get accepted in the first place? Does anyone have any thots/info on this? quote:
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
![[Heart]](graemlins/heart.gif)
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Re: God's love not unconditional
#10632
08/12/04 02:44 AM
08/12/04 02:44 AM
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I think God's love is unconditional. His salvation isn't, however. Unconditional love doesn't mean unconditional salvation. Even God's "strange act" (Isaiah 28:21) of destroying sinners in the lake of fire will be an act of love, since sinners wouldn't be happy in the earth made new.
God is love (1 John 4:8), and He changes not (Malachi 3:6).
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Re: God's love not unconditional
#10633
08/12/04 05:08 AM
08/12/04 05:08 AM
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Southwest USA
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I agree with John.
PP 522.2
Satan deceives many with the plausible theory that God's love for His people is so great that He will excuse sin in them; he represents that while the threatenings of God's word are to serve a certain purpose in His moral government, they are never to be literally fulfilled. But in all His dealings with his creatures God has maintained the principles of righteousness by revealing sin in its true character--by demonstrating that its sure result is misery and death. The unconditional pardon of sin never has been, and never will be. Such pardon would show the abandonment of the principles of righteousness, which are the very foundation of the government of God. It would fill the unfallen universe with consternation. God has faithfully pointed out the results of sin, and if these warnings were not true, how could we be sure that His promises would be fulfilled? That so-called benevolence which would set aside justice is not benevolence but weakness.
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Re: God's love not unconditional
#10634
08/12/04 06:55 AM
08/12/04 06:55 AM
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OP
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ouch. quote:
The conditions of obtaining mercy of God, are simple and just and reasonable.
...
Those who have not humbled their souls before God in acknowledging their guilt, have not yet fulfilled the first condition of acceptance. If we have not experienced that repentance which is not to be repented of, and have not with true humiliation of soul and brokenness of spirit confessed our sins, abhorring our iniquity, we have never truly sought for the forgiveness of sin; and if we have never sought, we have never found the peace of God. The only reason why we do not have remission of sins that are past is that we are not willing to humble our hearts and comply with the conditions of the word of truth.
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It is the privilege of all who comply with the conditions, to know for themselves that pardon is freely extended for every sin. to know for themselves that pardon is freely extended for every sin.
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The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been,--just what it was in Paradise before the fall of our first parents,--perfect obedience to the law of God, perfect righteousness
Above found in Steps to Christ
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Re: God's love not unconditional
#10635
08/13/04 03:36 AM
08/13/04 03:36 AM
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Active Member 2012
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Posts: 14,795
Lawrence, Kansas
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It is true that men sometimes become ashamed of their sinful ways, and give up some of their evil habits, before they are conscious that they are being drawn to Christ. But whenever they make an effort to reform, from a sincere desire to do right, it is the power of Christ that is drawing them. An influence of which they are unconscious works upon the soul, and the conscience is quickened, and the outward life is amended. And as Christ draws them to look upon His cross, to behold Him whom their sins have pierced, the commandment comes home to the conscience. The wickedness of their life, the deep-seated sin of the soul, is revealed to them. They begin to comprehend something of the righteousness of Christ, and exclaim, "What is sin, that it should require such a sacrifice for the redemption of its victim? Was all this love, all this suffering, all this humiliation, demanded, that we might not perish, but have everlasting life?"
The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he does not resist he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins, which have caused the sufferings of God's dear Son. SC 27
God's love towards the sinner is unconditional. There is nothing in us that causes Him to love us. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us more. He doesn't love us because we are good, but His loves makes us good.
God so loved that He gave. God has taken the initiative in our salvation. It is our job to cooperate with Him.
The only way any person can be lost is to resist the unconditional love of God shining from the cross which is leading him to repentence. The goodness of God leads us to repentence. Jesus, being lifted up, draws all unto Him.
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Re: God's love not unconditional
#10636
08/12/04 04:16 PM
08/12/04 04:16 PM
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Active Member 2012
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14,795
Lawrence, Kansas
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That's a nice quote, Mark. I'd like to add one along the same theme: quote:
Then the end will come. God will vindicate His law and deliver His people. Satan and all who have joined him in rebellion will be cut off. Sin and sinners will perish, root and branch, (Mal. 4:1),--Satan the root, and his followers the branches. The word will be fulfilled to the prince of evil, "Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; . . . I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. . . . Thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." Then "the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be;" "they shall be as though they had not been." Ezek. 28:6-19; Ps. 37:10; Obadiah 16.
This is not an act of arbitrary power on the part of God. The rejecters of His mercy reap that which they have sown. God is the fountain of life; and when one chooses the service of sin, he separates from God, and thus cuts himself off from life. He is "alienated from the life of God." Christ says, "All they that hate Me love death." Eph. 4:18; Prov. 8:36. God gives them existence for a time that they may develop their character and reveal their principles. This accomplished, they receive the results of their own choice. By a life of rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them. DA 763, 764
An important point to note is that it is sin which causes our destruction, not an arbitrary act of God. Because God is love, God hates sin, which destroys His creatures whom He loves, which is why He cannot unconditionally pardon sin. If fact, the thought of such a thing is incomprehensible.
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Re: God's love not unconditional
#10637
08/13/04 05:37 AM
08/13/04 05:37 AM
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OP
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Is there any inspired writing that supports this statement? quote:
God's love towards the sinner is unconditional.
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Re: God's love not unconditional
#10638
08/13/04 12:01 PM
08/13/04 12:01 PM
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I think John has already given a very good answer to that question.
I would ask, is there any Scripture or anything that EGW wrote which says that God's love is conditional?
Tom
[ September 03, 2004, 03:10 PM: Message edited by: Tom Wetmore ]
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Re: God's love not unconditional
#10639
08/13/04 02:48 PM
08/13/04 02:48 PM
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Active Member 2012
14500+ Member
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14,795
Lawrence, Kansas
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quote:
Originally posted by danielw:
Is there any inspired writing that supports this statement?
quote:
God's love towards the sinner is unconditional.
I'm not sure one can find the inspired words "unconditional love", however the concept is certainly there. This is a good question, and if I have time I'd like to research it further, but off the top of my head Romans 5 comes to mind. Consider vss 6-10:
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
Paul contrasts the high ideal of man's love with God's agape in that while a person might choose to die for another if value is perceived in the one being benefited by the sacrifice, God's love sacrifices while we are enemies, while we are sinners before we have done anything to affect God.
God loves us because He is love, not because of what we can do for Him.
Another example of God's unconditional love that springs to mind is in the garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned. God could have chosen to allow Adam and Eve to suffer the consequences of the choice and die. But because He loved them, He went after them, and provided them a covering (representing, of course, the covering of the righteousness of Christ), once again before Adam and Eve had done anything, illustrating the principle of unconditional love.
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Re: God's love not unconditional
#10640
08/14/04 03:42 AM
08/14/04 03:42 AM
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I just performed a search on "conditional love" on the E.G. White Estate website and it came back - The search returned 0 items relevant to "conditional love": http://www.egwtext.whiteestate.org/published-writings.html Dan, what's the motivation behind your question? quote:
The doctrine of God's unconditional love is probably the worst error to enter the churches, Babylon and Laodicea, in the last 100 years.
Why is this error passed over so lightly? How did it ever get accepted in the first place? Does anyone have any thots/info on this?
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