The Undeserving, Unlimited, Unconditional Love of God

I’ve always heard and believed that God’s love is unconditional. Yet, to have perfect peace with God, we must meet certain conditions.

So, how can unconditional love require conditions to be accepted?

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Is God’s Love Conditional?

1 John 4:8 says, God is LOVE. If God is the essence of love, then there are no limits to the degree of love God has to give. He is love, and He is limitless. God gives love because it’s His nature to do so. He gives it without condition because He chooses to do so.

So, if God has unconditional love, why does He punish sinners?

God’s love is unconditional. He desires everyone to spend eternity with Him. So, why can’t God look past our sins and allow all of us to have eternal life no matter how we act or what we believe?

Our Freewill

Free will is our God-given right. But we don’t get the chance to practice it unless we have choices, so God gave Adam and Eve choices when He placed the Tree of Knowledge in the middle of the Garden and forbade them from eating it.

But of course, as we all would have done, they chose their own way as they snuggled up to sin as close as possible and then slipped into disobedience.

After Adam and Eve’s betrayal of God, we all took on their condemnation. Each of us has received the death sentence of being lost to the Father. 

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Romans 5:12

God’s Free Gift

As humans, we cannot enter Heaven in the state we are in now. When man sinned, the part of us designed to worship God died. 

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:6

Jesus’ work on the cross and His resurrection redeemed us from the eternal separation that all humankind is born into. And if we are willing to accept the free gift of the Father, we are saved.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Free to Choose

We are all sinners from birth; our spirit is dead. Jesus said to receive salvation, we “must be born again” (John 3:3). This second birth is the birth of our spirit.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” John 3:7

Everyone gets to choose their destiny. Do you want to serve God, be under His watch care, receive His gentle guidance, and benefit from His many promises? The Bible says that if you want this, you only have to ask for it.

However, not everyone wants God to watch over them; they don’t need Him. They refuse His gentle guiding hand. And they don’t care about His promises.

So, why would a loving God force someone into a relationship if they do not want it?

He will not.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:17-18

The conditional love of God is often misunderstood. Some people think that God only loves those who are perfect, but the truth is that He loves everyone. His love is conditional in that He requires us to be born again in order to have a relationship with Him.

God loves you unconditionally. That means that His love for you is not based on anything you do or don’t do. He simply loves you because you are His creation.

When you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are born again into the family of God. This new life is made possible by the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. His sacrifice paid the price for your sin and made you a child of the King.

When you receive this new life, you have access to all the privileges of being a member of God’s royal family. You can now experience His love in its fullness!

Related: Love The Lord With All Your Heart

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What Is Unconditional Love

Unconditional love is not based on certain conditions. It is pure and selfless. Unconditional love is given freely, without expecting anything in return. It is unrestricted, unlimited, and undeserving. It’s a love that doesn’t depend on the actions or reactions of another. 

Unconditional Love In The Bible

The term unconditional love is not found in the Bible, but there are several examples where love was offered unconditionally.

• One of the most familiar verses of the Bible tells us of the unconditional love God has for all humankind. He offered His Son as the full payment for all who believe in Him.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

• His unconditional love is shown before we even know Him. God set no preconditions on humanity before promising to redeem us back to Himself. God created us, we messed up, and He provided a bridge back to Himself.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10

• Jesus exemplified unconditional love when He died on the cross. Jesus gave His life for us who had no hope. He died so we could live eternally, fulfilling the heavenly Father’s will.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. John 15:9

• Joseph showed unconditional love to his brothers after they sold him into slavery.

Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him. Genesis 45:13-15

• David was threatened, attacked, and abused under the hand of King Saul, but he refused to disrespect God’s chosen. Instead, he showed unconditional love towards God’s anointed king after finding him defenseless in a cave.

He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” 1 Samuel 24:6

• Jonathon willingly gave up his right to the throne because of his unconditional love for David, the true chosen king.

Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.'” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. 1 Samuel 20:42

• Paul loved Israel so much that he was willing, if possible, to give up his place in eternity to save them.

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Romans 9:3

The Unconditional Love of God

God’s love is unconditional, unlimited, and undeserving. When God created the world and everything in it, He did not create it only for those He would love. 

Matthew 5:45 tells us that God gives sunshine and rain to good people and evil people alike. He does not hold back or blind the eyes of the unsaved so they cannot see a beautiful sunset. 

He does not withhold rain from the undeserving farmer.

God gives His good gifts to the saved and the unsaved.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

God’s Love is Unlimited

God is incomparable to anyone else, and so is His love. 

We love people and things, but not like God.

For example, I love pizza. I love being at the beach. I love my family, home, church, and friends. I love God, too.

But all those feelings of love could have limits. If I get a pizza that doesn’t taste good, or if I am on the beach during a hurricane, my love will decrease. 

Families split up because they claim to have lost love for one another. It’s the same way with our home, church, and friends. And some people begin to hate God after claiming they love Him.

God’s love has no limit. He loves everyone, no matter the circumstances. You can’t do anything that would make God stop loving you. 

No sin is too great, no heart is too hard, and no circumstance is too big for His love.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Romans 8:35

God’s Love is Undeserving

The unconditional love of God is freely given to all people. No one has done anything to deserve it (Titus 3:5).

We cannot be pretty enough, good enough, or busy enough to earn God’s love.

His love is a gift to all humankind because God is a good God. 

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:5

God’s love does not depend on you. Even if you don’t have a relationship with the Father, He still loves you. He wants you to begin a relationship with Him, but it’s not a requirement for God’s unconditional love.

Related: God Loves Unconditionally, No Matter Who You Are

Care to Share

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on unconditional love. The Bible is full of examples of God’s unending, undeserving love for us. It’s a difficult concept to understand, but it’s something we can strive to emulate in our own lives. If you have any thoughts or questions about unconditional love, please share them in the comments below. And be sure to share this post with your friends and family – let them know that God loves them unconditionally!

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