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

This devotion concisely explains the reasons using "unconditional love" is dangerous and misleading.

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

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

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