Why Scripture Doesn't Describe God's Love as Unconditional

God's love is so much better than “unconditional.”

The description “unconditional love”:

Isn't found in Scripture

It's not equivalent to agape or any Greek or Hebrew description of God's love in Bible manuscripts. It's not found in any legitimate Bible translation.

It contradicts Scripture

God's love involves holy wrath based on His conditions of right and wrong (Romans 1:18-20). Christ's sacrifice fulfilled a necessary condition for our salvation (2 Corinthians 5:21). John 3:16 contains a life and death condition. God's blessings and rewards for believers have conditions (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). 

Is an oxymoron*

Unconditional love isn't love. Godly love has conditions: values, expectations, absolutes, blessings, etc.

Leads to heresy

For example, Universal Salvation, Antinomianism, He Gets Us, Wilderness Wanderers, etc.

Has an unhealthy hold on People

Even when Christians are confronted with the Scriptures refuting it, many refuse to give up this easily misunderstood human description. 

No wonder our world has created a Jesus who's soft on sin.

Dear Christians, let's start describing God's perfect, glorious, sacrificial, forgiving, undeserved love correctly. And let's avoid this human description that misrepresents the gospel. 

In my book Lies in Disguise, Half-Truths Many Christians Believe, I have a chapter addressing the error of unconditional love. I believe God has laid it on my heart to warn Christians of this and other lies that are damaging their faith. And I know that some will listen.  

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* For example, if a couple marry and agree to have multiple affairs, that's not love. If a parent says they love their children but never punish them so they can learn right from wrong, that's not love. If a person says they love God, but never intends to obey His commands, that's not love (John 14:15). Conditions are a good thing! Genuine human love is fair, faithful, honest, and moral. God's love fulfills the conditions of justice, holiness, perfection, etc. 

You can find thousands of articles on the internet using the term “unconditional love.” Most of them are unintentionally repeating this popular error and equating it to biblical truths. But it highlights a huge problem in the modern church when godly preachers are adopting words without fully checking them out. 

Here are some videos and articles that refute the belief that God's love is unconditional:

4 minute video: Is the Love of God Unconditional?: Ultimately with R.C. Sproul

14 minute video: Does God Love Us Unconditionally? John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul

Good News! God Does not Love You Unconditionally

Is God’s Love Unconditional or Unconditioned?

Leadership Ministries: Untwisting Unconditional Love

An interesting look at mixing secular psychology with Christianity: Is God's Love Unconditional?

Spiritual Myth- God Loves You Unconditionally

Specifically on unconditional forgiveness: God's Forgiveness, Like His Love, Is Better than Unconditional

Randy Alcorn: God's Contraconditional Love

God's Love: Better than Unconditional

When Something You've Believed for Years Is Challenged

Suppose someone explained to you that a popular description used by the majority of Christians was misleading. They gave you proof that such a description was not found in Scripture. They showed you that a Greek word used to support this description was not correctly translated.

Suppose they told you that there’s substantial evidence to believe that this description was introduced into culture by an atheist psychologist and wasn't used by Christians until the 1960s. Suppose they showed you how the description led to serious misunderstandings for both believers and unbelievers.

But suppose this description had always been part of your Christian vocabulary. Your parents used it. The person who led you to the Lord used it. Your pastor and Bible study leader use it. And you'd never heard anyone refute it. 

When you googled it, you found that some Bible teachers refuted it, but hundreds of Christian sites used the description.

Studies show that very few people will give up a long-held belief, no matter how much evidence proves it's wrong (National Library of Medicine).

Do you know what description I’m talking about? If you’re a long-time Bible Love Notes reader, you might remember previous devotions about it. 

But this is my question today: Are you a noble Berean-type Christian whose goal is correctly handling God’s Word, or are you someone who calls Berean Christians “picky and legalistic”?

 

I'll share the description tomorrow. But please take time to prayerfully and carefully read through the passages below.

 

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This highly popular and passionately defended description is one that I cover in my book Lies in Disguise. In my book, it is concisely presented so you can not only understand it yourself, but you can also explain it to others. And just as you find in my Bible Love Notes devotions, my book is filled with Scripture references—the true basis for any and all beliefs we hold as Christians. Find out more about Lies in Disguise HERE. And please take time to read through the Scriptures below before tomorrow's devotion.

Acts 17:11-12:  “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.”

2 Timothy 2:15: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

 

2 Timothy 4:3-4: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

1 Timothy 6:20-21: “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith. Grace be with you all.”

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Christians, Make Sure You Understand Muslim Beliefs Accurately

I encourage you to listen to the YouTube devotion because I share some additional facts. And please give the video a “thumbs up” so it will go out to more Christians! Thanks!

Why do feminists, gays, and liberals defend Hamas when Hamas rapes and sexually mutilates women (source) and tortures and kills gays (source)? 

The only explanation is 2 Corinthians 4:4. 

There are peaceful Muslims, and the Quran has some decent commands. But the Quran clearly promotes and affirms violence, especially against Christians and Jews (source). 

Muslim terrorists aren't violating Islamic principles. They're fully embracing them. Islamic countries also have inhumane laws and practices (e.g., Sharia law in Saudi Arabia). 

✔ Violence is promoted in the Quran. 

The Quran “is replete with explicit and implicit sanction and promotion of armed conflict, violence, and bloodshed by Muslims” against non-Muslims (source). It also allows husbands to beat their wives - Q 4:34 Hilali-Khan (source).

✔ Violence is promoted in other Islamic writings called hadith literature (source).

✔ Violence is a dominant aspect of Muslim history, past to present. (+See the facts below.) 

 

✔ Terrorist violence was part of the lifestyle and teachings of Islam's revered prophet, Muhammad, who claimed to receive divine messages. See List of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad.

The murder and destruction of 9/11 were not unusual events for Muslims. See Remembering the Spirit Behind 9/11.

Ministries helping the persecuted church around the globe report that the worst persecution comes from Muslims. (*See the facts below.) 

Peaceful Muslims don't obey the Quran's violent commands, but their silence and their claims that Islam is peaceful hide the truth. Let’s pray for both violent and peaceful Muslims “that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25-26).

And let's pray that our world will quit defending Islam and turn to Christ. 

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No genuine Christian can read the info below and defend Islam. 

+ Muslim Jihad is not an ancient concept. Note these modern stats: “Between 1979 and April 2024, we recorded 66,872 Islamist attacks worldwide. These attacks caused the deaths of at least 249,941 people.” (See Foundation for Political Innovation.)

Regarding Muslim claims that the God of the Bible promoted genocide, see Were Old Testament Wars the Same as Muslim Jihad? 

Regarding the Muslim claim that Jesus was only a prophet, see Why Muslims Can't Believe Jesus Was a Prophet. 

Regarding Muslim false claims about the Crusades, see Half-Truths About the Crusades. 

* Open Doors works with the persecuted Christian church around the world, and they have a list showing the countries with the worst persecution. I've listed the first ten below. Please note in each country who is responsible for the killing, torturing, raping, decapitating, burning to death, and illegal confiscation of property of your Christian brothers and sisters around the world.

Top ten countries that have the worst persecution of Christians, noting who is responsible in each country:

The link on each country name leads to explanations of the type of persecution and how you can pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ. If someone claims Islam is good or peaceful, I hope you will speak up for your suffering brothers and sisters in Christ. 

1 - North Korea - Communist and post-communist oppression    
2 - Somalia - Islamic oppression    
3 - Yemen - Islamic oppression    
4 - Libya - Islamic oppression           
5 - Sudan - Islamic oppression    
6 - Eritrea - Dictatorial paranoia (a Muslim country)   
7 - Nigeria - Islamic oppression - a helpful video: Christian Persecution in Nigeria.

8 - Pakistan - Islamic oppression    
9 - Iran - Islamic oppression    

10 - Afghanistan - Islamic oppression 

   

Muslims are responsible for 80% of the persecution in the top ten worst-persecuted countries. This is absolute proof that Islam is inspired by Satan to be an enemy of Christ and His people.  

I believe Zohran Mamdani revealed the character of Islam when he talked about 9/11 and shed tears because, after the Muslim extremists' murderous attack on the Twin Towers, he said his aunt got negative looks on the subway when she wore her hijab (source).

He didn't mention the 2,976 people murdered and the thousands injured by the cruel, merciless, satanic attack of Muslims who were following the commands of Mamdani's holy book and Mamdani's revered prophet, Muhammad. 

A dirty look given to a Muslim was worth mentioning, but not the brutal and horrifying Muslim murder of men, women, and children in the Twin Towers and in the jets forced to crash into them. Pray for New York City. 

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Don't Go on Fear-Finding Missions

Moses did as the Lord commanded and sent out twelve leaders to explore the Promised Land (Numbers 13). 

He asked the leaders to report on the strength and number of the people, the quality of the land, soil, crops, and trees. And he asked them to find out how well the towns were protected.

This was a fact-finding mission—not a fault-finding or fear-finding mission.

They called it the "Promised Land" because God had promised to give it to His people. It was a foreshadowing of our heavenly home.

But the faithless, fearful majority ruled. They exaggerated their fears, claiming, "We are like grasshoppers!"(1)

Crying and complaining ensued, and they never entered the land.

It's easy to go along with the faithless majority, and many Christians are doing that today, accepting watered-down truths because of cultural pressure. But it will cost them huge blessings.

Is there an area of your life where you've let fear and fault-finding keep you from God's promises? Ask God to teach you the beauty of trusting Him above all others.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

    do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

    and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6

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(1) See Grasshopper Faith and We Need It: Trust.

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How to Avoid Self-Pity When Struggling

There have been times in my life when I’ve really needed to share my struggles, and God has blessed me with Christian friends who’ve listened, asked questions, and prayed. See Faith Revealed in Listening.

 

There have also been times when I’ve shared my struggles with a Christian friend, and they’ve not really listened, or they've started talking about their own struggles and ignoring mine.

 
Recently, I was convicted of doing this myself. I’m going through some real struggles in my life at this time, dealing with the recovery from my hip replacement, unexpected house repairs, sad choices of several loved ones, and serious concerns for the attitudes of many Christians who are letting themselves be shaped by culture, not Scripture.

Twice in the last few weeks, friends have shared their struggles with me, and I’ve had to apologize afterwards because I've not been a good listener and I've blabbed too much about my own challenges. I am reminding myself of these two things:

 
1. Part of Christian fellowship is rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn (Romans 12:15). We shouldn't focus on our challenges when others need our encouragement. See Romans 12:15 – Rejoice and Mourn.

2. One way to pull ourselves out of self-pity is to quit focusing on ourselves and look for ways we can help and encourage others (1 Thessalonians 5:11). See 3 Ways to Comfort Friends Who Are Hurting.

If you're struggling, make sure you don't let your suffering blind you to opportunities to encourage others.

 

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Christmas Gift Idea: 

💙 Please check out the Bible Love Notes devotional, Wisdom for Life. It features one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and is on sale at reduced prices on Lifeway, Amazon, and CBD.  

And you can sign up for a free email subscription to Bible Love Notes online devotions HERE. 

 

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2 Principles to Follow when Discussing Scripture

Scripture tells us “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

Sometimes sharing Christ or discussing Scripture goes smoothly. God's Spirit gives us the right things to say, we do our best, and the person acknowledges the truth.

Sometimes it goes badly. God's Spirit gives us the right things to say, we do our best, and the person gets angry, rejecting us and our message.

If we are faithful to the two principles below, we can be confident that we've done our best even if our message is rejected:

1. We refuse to act rudely.

We refrain from anger (James 1:19-20) and avoid contentious, foolish, and repetitive debates (2 Timothy 2:14, 2 Timothy 2:23, Titus 3:10).

2. We share God's Word accurately.

We stand firm, refusing to sugarcoat the hard truths but balancing them accurately. For example, when we share God's condemnation of specific sins, we also share the wonderful good news that repentance leads to Christ's forgiveness and redemption.  

To stand firm on God's truth, 2 Timothy 2:14-15 explains we must know what it teaches and correctly “handle” it.

Each time we share Christ or discuss Scripture is unique. We should ask for the Lord's guidance, approach others graciously, and speak truth without compromise.

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For more on this subject, see Kindness, Not Sarcasm and An Authority We Can Trust.

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We Must Maintain the Fire

by Marika Marton

It is so easy to stop doing something we once started as a discipline. It takes no effort at all to drift away—slowly, almost unconsciously—from the things we know we should be doing. 

That is why we must continually “feed the fire” and keep it burning deliberately and consistently. 

For example, someone begins a diet and stays away from certain foods. He keeps it for months, but then life circumstances change—and with them, his discipline weakens. Little by little, he slips back into his old eating habits. 

 

It was far easier for him to slide back than to stay strong.

The same is true in our spiritual lives. If we don’t “maintain the fire” of our love for God through steady habits—reading the Bible (Matthew 4:4), praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and fellowshipping regularly with other believers (Hebrews 10:25)—our hearts can grow cold, and we can easily drift away. 

Sometimes we don’t even notice it because it happens gradually. Or we may not want to admit it. But honesty is the first step toward restoration.

So let’s examine our priorities today. Let’s look at our daily lives and make sure that our “fire is still burning”! And if we’ve failed, let’s repent and return to our first love (Revelation 2:4–5), give careful attention to what God’s Word says (Hebrews 2:1), make a firm decision to be disciplined again—and pray.

Take action today! Begin to “feed your fire” once more by obeying God’s Word! 

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Devotions you might enjoy:

Being Careful Not to Drift Away—Hebrews 2:1

4 Things Productive Christians Do

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Does God's Word Actually Speak about Sexual Lifestyles?

Today's devotion will take you two to three minutes to read, instead of the usual one minute, but it's essential that Christians understand what God teaches on this subject. I encourage you to go through this devotion with a friend or small group and use it as reference when discussing the subject with others. And don't miss the info at the bottom of the page about my soon-to-be released book: Lies in Disguise. 

 

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The most loving thing we can do is learn what Scripture teaches and share its saving truth with others. God's Word warns us that all sex outside of marriage is sinful and damaging to our souls, and the farther we depart from God's design of heterosexual marriage, the worse the damage.

 

In the past, Satan promoted homosexuality by convincing people that the Bible isn't God's Word. But his most effective lie in disguise in modern times is the claim that the Bible never condemns homosexuality.

 

This argument starts by comparing homosexuality to Old Testament dietary laws and claiming those rules no longer apply. (See Does God Hate Shrimp?) But we can easily refute that lie by looking at the New Testament. 

1. Romans 1 talks about the downhill decline of mankind, and homosexuality plays a key role.

Romans 1:26-27
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Words like unnatural are not used for every sin. See Natural and Unnatural Interpretations.

2. Warning people about homosexuality is loving and life-saving.

 
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 

 

Why would we approve of something that condemns people to Hell? 

Please check out Responding to Revisionist Theology: Don't Overlook Verse 11.

3. Whenever homosexuality is mentioned in Scripture, it's presented as a serious sin.

 

If you've been taught that all sins are the same in God's eyes, please read All Sins Are Not the Same. Sinning with our bodies is more damaging than all other sins. And, as explained above, unnatural sins are further damaging.

 

1 Corinthians 6:18-19
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. 

 

There are many excuses and half-truths presented to justify homosexual lifestyles. Christians should learn how to respond biblically, graciously, and courageously to these lies in disguise. See Responding to Gay Revisionist Theology.

4. Some gay revisionists claim Sodom and Gomorrah's condemnation had nothing to do with homosexuality.

Jude 7
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

See False Teachings about Sodom and Gomorrah. These are some of the popular arguments to approve of LGBT lifestyles. 

Please pray for those who commit sexual sins and those who approve of sexual sins. Pray that they will understand that God's commands are loving and wise, keeping us from soul damage that will send us to Hell. Please read 1 John 3:1-10.

 

If you'd like a more thorough look at gay revisionist teachings and other half-truth teachings plaguing the church, look for the release of my book later this year.

 

Read more about it here: Lies in Disguise.

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3 Ways to Detect Counterfeit Philosophies

The U.S. Secret Service says the best way to detect counterfeit money is to become familiar with real money. If someone thoroughly studies the details of real money, they'll be able to recognize the slightest errors in a counterfeit.

The Secret Service recommends:

1. Look at the portrait on the money. It should appear "lifelike" and stand out from the background.
2. Look at the treasury seal, borders, and numbers, which should appear distinct, not blurry.
3. Look at the paper, which will have fibers "embedded," not simply printed on the surface.

This type of study also helps Christians who want to detect counterfeit teachings:

1. We should look for the "portrait" of God in the teaching: is it life-giving (John 10:10)? Does it stand apart from the background of worldly philosophies (1 Corinthians 1:20)? 

2. Because Christians are "sealed with the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13), we can make sure there is no blurring of the lines between truth and error (1 Timothy 6:20-21).

3. It's important to make sure that God's Word is embedded in the content because many false teachings put on a "covering" of Scripture with false teachings embedded (Colossians 2:8).

We live in a time in history when it's absolutely essential that we study God's Word carefully so that we can correctly understand the truth. Let's be as careful about counterfeit philosophies as we are about counterfeit money (2 Timothy 2:15)!

For more insights, see 5 Steps for Accurate Bible Study and 6 Ways to Determine if a Scripture Is Used Correctly.

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5 Things to Remember When You're Suffering

When we’re suffering—whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually—it’s helpful to remember:

 
1. There are people undergoing worse suffering than we are.

It’s easy to feel like our situation is beyond our ability to endure. That’s when it’s good to look at the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1), those Christians who’ve suffered past and present and maintained a strong faith. They can be our models and help us put our suffering in perspective. See For Example about two of my role models.
 

2. Christ’s example.

Christ’s suffering was worse than any human suffering. It was far more than the pain of crucifixion. He bore our sins and paid fully for them. We will never fully understand how terrible that was. But we should always consider His example when we are facing difficulties (Hebrews 12:2-10). See Is Christ Supposed to Be Our Example?
 

3. Romans 8:28.

As explained in Hebrews 12, some suffering is the discipline of our loving Father. It may be correction or simply training, but God can use it for good. This short video explains my heartbreak that brought about the ministry of Bible Love Notes: HERE.

 

4. Some suffering is an honor.

Philippians 2:27-30 explains that we are sometimes chosen to suffer for Christ, which is an honor that will be rewarded (Matthew 5:10-12).
 

5. For Christians, all suffering is temporary.

The world's desires will pass away, but we will live in perfect peace and joy for eternity with our Lord (1 John 2:17).

 

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Soon to be released:

 

I hope you are preparing for the release of my book, Lies in Disguise, Half-Truths Many Christians Believe. It explains how many teachings are blurring the line between Scripture and culture. 

 

I'm excited about it, and I'm praying it helps Christians discern false teachings and arm themselves with accurate biblical truth. Read more about it HERE. 

 

 

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