God Loves People
by David J. Stewart
Click
for music in a new window
There is no greater truth in all the world — God Loves People! We read from the Word of God in John 3:16 the following precious words:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
What a wonderful truth!!! The verse doesn't say that the great heart of God only loves Christians or religious people. The verse doesn't say that God only loves righteous people or churchgoers. The verse doesn't say that God only loves Bible-thumpers. The Word of God is clear that God loves “the world” (and that includes everyone). No matter who you are, God truly loves you.
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” —1st John 2:2
Jesus died on the cross for all humanity, because God loves the whole world. This means that God loves the murderer. This means that God loves the adulterer. This means that God loves the homosexual. This means that God loves the crooked politician and the corrupt banker. This means that God loves the vilest sinner and the worst criminal. This means God even loves you. This means that God loves the Pope. Yes, God loves people! God loves all people, of all faiths, and all backgrounds.
“God loves you. It doesn't make any difference who you are. You can't keep Him from loving you. Now you can get into a place where you won't experience the love of God. When you put up an umbrella of sin, the sunshine of God's love sure won't fall on you. But it's still there for you.”
SOURCE: Pastor J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988), from the Book of Nahum; TTB.ORG
I've learned over the years to view people as objects of God's love. If I start to think critical about someone, I'll catch myself and say to my self, “That's a man that God loves” or “That's a woman that Jesus died for.” Oh, listen my friend, we're all created by the same divine Creator, and God knows what He is doing, even though we oftentimes cannot understand why things are the way they are, and at times one's life may seem so messed up.
"God knows the things that would have happened, if the things that did happen, hadn't happened!" —Pastor Max D. Younce, from the book, Is God Unfair to the Heathen?
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ [i.e., made us alive in Christ], (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” —Ephesians 2:4-8
What a precious passage of Scripture. I cannot stress the truth enough that God loves people—all shapes and sizes, all different temperaments and personalities, all varying levels of intelligence and character, every race, every tongue, every nation, every family, et cetera. God loves people!
Rock singer Marilyn Manson asked the fair question, “If God loves everybody, then what's the value of love?”
God's Love, Holiness And Demand For JusticeChrist Paid Our Debt Of Sin (beware of any false prophet who requires reform to be saved).
God loves the vilest sinner! Howbeit, God does not approve of anyone's sins nor a wicked lifestyle. We find over one hundred references in the Bible to God's love; however, we find a startling seven-hundred references in the Bible to God's holiness. God's holiness demands justice. The Bible has much more to say about Hell than Heaven. God is the divine Lawgiver (James 4:12). Mankind has broken God's Laws. The Word of God indicts mankind (Romans 3:19; Galatians 3:24-25). We are all guilty sinners! Sin must be paid for. God the Father is the Prosecutor (Hebrews 4:13; James 4:12). Jesus is our defense Attorney (1st John 2:1). The scales of justice MUST be balanced. God offers 100% justification through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Literally, if you'll receive Christ's death, burial and resurrection (the Gospel) as PAYMENT for YOUR SINS, then you'll be saved immediately and eternally.
Our righteousness is solely based upon what Christ has done for us to pay for our sins. Jesus shed His precious blood upon the cross and took that blood to Heaven, applying His blood to the mercy seat in Heaven as Hebrews 9:12, 22-24 teaches. Beware of any preacher who makes light of the blood applied in Heaven. The Bible teaches that everyone's sins are already paid for. Thus, eternal life is a free gift to anyone who wants it. Don't pay for your ride twice like I did.
Please understand that salvation is NOT a plea-agreement. A “plea-agreement” is still a conviction. Most people who end up in criminal court accept a plea-agreements to avoid the risk of being found guilty by a jury trial. It's like the “Price Is Right” Game Show with Bob Barker. Game contestants who make it to the end of the show are shown what's behind door #1. They can either accept what they see, or risk losing it all for a shot at what's behind door #2. That's how America's corrupt legal system works. Some innocent people accept plea-agreements (and a lesser prison sentence) for fear of being convicted by circumstantial evidence, bias, et cetera and spending a much longer time in prison. The Lord Himself was wrongfully accused and tried as a political rebel.
Thankfully, salvation doesn't rest in man's corrupt legal system. Salvation is NOT a plea-agreement. When you rest in Christ's righteousness instead of your own self-righteousness, then you are declared “JUSTIFIED” . . . JUST-IF-I'D never sinned. Acts 13:38-39, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” The Lord is every believer's Attorney and He's never lost a case yet.
If a man will receive the Gospel as full-payment for his sins, then God will abundantly pardon that sinner. Christ DIED, He was BURIED and He was RESURRECTED from the dead three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Eternal life is a gift, freely offered and freely received from God. A gift is already paid for and cannot be earned or merited.
People in the Old Testament were saved the SAME WAY that we are today in the New Testament...
Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Now, those who reject Jesus as the Christ and die in their sins will be cast into the Lake of Fire forever. Although we may not understand the seeming cruelty of God sentencing a person to burn in Hell for all eternity as punishment for sins, we must realize that God is far more holy and fair than we could ever imagine. I personally don't understand how God could send even the worst sinner to hellfire FOREVER. I mean, even after ten trillion years in Hell, there will be no end in sight. That seems too much! It just seems unfair to me.
Albeit, I am not as righteous as God, so I cannot understand God's justice. I do not lean unto my own understanding as Proverbs 3:5-6 says not to. Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” The Bible instructs us to TRUST UPON THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEART! I am trusting the Lord. I don't understand a lot of things, but I trust God's Word completely!!! God doesn't command us to understand everything; but rather, He simply commands us to trust Him at all times. Amen!
We've all seen the hypocritical injustice of mankind. While the crooks at Enron and Arthur Anderson stole hundreds-of-millions of dollars from their victims and went virtually unpunished; a mother in Kansas was sentenced to life in prison for getting busted with $40 worth of cocaine. There is so much injustice in this world. While murders get slapped on the hand, others are being locked away for decades for downloading dirty-pictures, stealing golf clubs or video-taping cops. Injustice is everywhere! The insider criminals behind the 911 attacks have not been brought to justice. While the IRS goes after a carwash owner in California for owing 4 cents, the Federal Reserve Banksters have stolen trillions-of-dollars from taxpayers and absolutely nothing has been done about it. Since 1913 when the Federal Reserve fraud began, they've not been audited even once. Hebrews 4:13, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
I cannot speak for God, I simply do not know (nor even claim to comprehend) how He will sort out all the injustices throughout history. But I do know that we shall all give account to God for our own personal words and actions throughout our earthly life. God is a fair God.
Romans 14:12, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
Every person must give account to God on Judgment Day (Ecclesiastes 12:14), even for the Words we spoke...
Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
So please understand that even though God loves people, His holiness demands justice, which requires accountability for our words and actions in this life. Even Christians will stand trial before God for their sins in this life, but it will be likened to Civil Court for the believer verses Criminal Court for the unsaved. Our only hope for Heaven is in obtaining God's righteousness in Christ Jesus. There's no way possible for mankind to redeem himself. God rejected Adam's fig-leaf religion. The Lord killed an innocent animal, shedding its blood, to provide skins of clothing for Adam and Eve, That pictures the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world, Whose blood washes our sins away!!!
I have no doubt but that God's eyes will be filled with tears, as divine Judge, when He sentences people to the fires of Hell forever. God in His great love will not allow anyone to enter into Heaven apart from faith alone in Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 10:35 that “the Scripture cannot be broken.” God is bound by His Word to do as He has said. We have such a hard time understanding this because we are not holy like God is holy. There is no way that finite men, made from the dirt of the earth, can comprehend the workings and divine wisdom of an omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (all present) God.
God Looked Beyond Our Faults and Saw Our Need for RedemptionGod loves people! The very God Who created you from the dust of the earth, loves you so much, that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for your sins. Jesus shed His precious blood for you and me. We are not worthy of such unconditional love. Even though God knew in His foreknowledge all the horrible sins that mankind would commit, He looked beyond our faults and saw our need because He loved us . . .
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
God knew who you would become, and exactly what sins you would commit, before He created you in your mother's womb. God knew that David would commit adultery and murder before He ever chose David as king over Israel. Thankfully, Jesus looked beyond our sinfulness and saw our need for redemption, because He loved us so much. What a wonderful God and Savior, our Lord Jesus. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt that we could not pay.
God does not love us because of who we are, but because of Who He is. Likewise, we ought not love people because of who they are, but because of who we are. This is unconditional love.
If Jesus Loves Everyone, Then What's the Value of Love?
Do you know who asked that question? Heavy rocker Marilyn Manson (real name: Brian Warner). Mr. Warner doesn't love God and has rejected God's love for Him in Christ; hence, Marilyn Manson only understands one type of love and that is the world's affectionate type of love.
We learn from the Bible that there are two different types of love mentioned in the New Testament. There is God's love (Greek: agape, meaning, “to love in a social or moral sense”), which is unconditional love; and then there is, (Greek: phileo, meaning, “to be a friend to, have affection”) which is a fondness type of love. We see both types of love at work in John 21:16 in a conversation between the Apostle Peter and the Lord Jesus Christ...
John 21:16, “He [Jesus] saith to him [Peter] again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest [agapao] thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love [phileo] thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”
God loves [agapao] all mankind, which is why He sent His only begotten Son to pay everyone's sin debt. However, God has a special love [phileo] for His own, affectionate toward those who love and obey Him. It's the same way that we love as Christians. I love [agapao] all people, whoever you may be; but I have an affectionate love [phileo] for those dear to me, such as my web visitors.
So we now understand the answer to Marilyn Manson's question. Mr. Warner only comprehends one type of love in the world, an affectionate type of love; but he is oblivious to God's unconditional love which can love a complete stranger, even someone who is being unkind to us, mistreating us, or who has hurt us. The unsaved world mocks, scoffs and despises true love, because they have rejected the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus the Lord. Thus, they cannot express love for a stranger when they are strangers themselves to the kingdom of God. Please read, God's Unconditional Love and God's Love In You.
You don't go to Heaven because God loves you, nor because you love Him. You don't go to Heaven because you amend your sinful ways or clean up your act. Turning over a new leaf is rehabilitation, which is not salvation. Education is not the answer. Reformation is not the answer. Legislation is not the answer. My friend, the answer is REGENERATION. Ye must be born again! We are saved by receiving Christ's payment for our sins. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again 3-days later for our justification. Jesus applied His literal blood to the mercy seat in Heaven in the presence of the Father (Hebrews 9:12,24). Thank you Lord!
God's love [agapao] sent Christ to the cross to pay the sin debt of ALL MANKIND; but God is only a friend [phileo] to those who are His friends in Christ...
James 4:4, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
Beware of the Self-righteous Crowd
God loves people, sinners included, and a good thing, for if God didn't love sinners then none of us could be loved, because we are all dirty, rotten sinners in God's eyes. God loves us and has made a way of escape through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God wants to abundantly pardon our iniquities and set us free from the curse of the Law . . .
Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
Notice that the Bible says “way,” not sin. The Bible doesn't tell us to give up our sins to be saved. It is one's way of unbelief that must be forsaken. There's a group of self-righteous people in our churches today, going around lying, telling lost sinners that they cannot be saved unless they give up their sinful lifestyle and stop sinning. Nothing could be further from the truth of God's Word. Who can stop sinning? Who can cease from committing sin? All that God requires is that a man acknowledge his guilt of sin and deserved penalty in hellfire, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be forgiven. The change that genuine repentance brings is God's department. Our part is simply to BELIEVE.
Love is Often Mistaken for Hate
It's easy for people to mistake love for hatred when a preacher preaches against sin. I don't enjoy exposing the wicked Catholic religion, but I am trying to warn people out of genuine love and concern for their souls. The Apostle Paul was hated for telling the truth . . .
Galatians 4:16, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”
If you believe that something bad is going to happen to another person, like going to Hell, and you don't even try to warn them, then you obviously don't care about them. I care.
On a website such as this, where so many things are exposed and refuted, it would be very easy for someone to erroneously conclude that I am a hateful person. Not at all. I don't hate anyone. I don't hate people who perform or receive abortions. I do hate the murdering of little babies.
I don't hate people who make, sell or drink beer. I do hate booze. The problem is that too many people have been careless AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE CARELESS. Millions will die in the years to come because of liquor-related deaths.
I don't hate Catholic priests or church members. I do hate the idolatrous sin of bowing down to a statue of Mary. No such teaching is found in the Bible. No one ever bowed down to Mary in the Bible. I believe that trying to keep the Sacraments to enter Heaven is a damnable heresy and a sure road to Hell. The Word of God is very clear...
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” —Titus 3:5
The only Door into Heaven is Jesus Christ (John 10:9); NOT the Catholic church or any other church. Do not be deceived, only through Christ ALONE can you be saved. I say this in love, not hate or unkindness. So many people today are confused about which way to get to Heaven. The Bible says Jesus is the way, and you can rest assure that the Bible is correct, which history has evidenced again and again.
Please understand friend that I do not hate anyone. On the contrary, I love people VERY MUCH; hence, this website. We may agree to disagree, but we are both loved of God more than we can possibly imagine.
God Loves People
It is easy to look at the condition this horrible world is in and wonder if God really loves anyone. He does! God told us that the world is a wicked place. 1st John 5:19, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." Herod killed thousands of children in an attempt to destroy the baby Jesus. Why did God allow John the Baptist (the greatest man born amongst women) to get his head cut off? So even in the Bible, horrible things happened and people suffered. It is not our place to put God on trial; but rather, to trust in His Word as He has told us.
I preach against those who only teach about God's love and fail to mention sin, judgment and hellfire. To preach only the love of God is a false gospel. There can be no salvation without God's Law and the knowledge of sin, which makes the world guilty before God and shows mankind his need for a Savior. However, I also preach against those who only preach the judgment of God and claim that God hates sinners. The truth is that God loves every human being ever conceived.
Whether a man trusts Jesus as his Savior or not has no bearing on God's unconditional love. Yes, God is angry with the wicked every day and God's wrath rests upon those who reject Christ; but that does not change the fact that God still loves them and desires for people to come to repentance and get saved. You are loved, whoever you may be. Jesus has paid your sin debt, but you must appropriate that gift by receiving Jesus as your personal Savior, trusting upon His work of redemption to wash away your sins.
“So shines a good deed in a weary world.” —Willy Wonka to Charlie Bucket
Please read, Divine Justice.
“I believe any man in this world, can love any other man in this world, if he thinks right! The reason you hate is because you think hate. The reason you love is because you think love.” —Dr. Jack Hyles, a quote from the excellent MP3 sermon, “What The Law Could Not Do” (July 5, 1987 - First Baptist Church of Hammond, PM service).
