Does God love some more than others?
Does God love some more than others?
Some people think so because of the resulting disparities that life has for us. Some have immense material riches; others have tremendous health and longevity. A few enjoy successful careers and popularity. In contrast, some live in abject poverty, long term and debilitating sickness, and travel this world lonely and unloved. Some societies benefit from relative stability and economic wellbeing while others suffer a quagmire in national, financial and cultural chaos.
When those with a more positive observation are being compared, too often the comments, attitudes and outlook is that some are more automatically blessed than others, as if God has favorites or loves some more and some less.
Roman 5:6-8 NIV says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This proves that we were and are estranged, or disconnected from God and His favor, but He was compelled by His love to reconcile us to Him. Many people were upset at Christ for going around and loving on those considered lesser, like the lepers, the sinful and the politically incorrect.
While we can disagree over how our faith plays out in political decisions, I want to inform everyone that God loves the Democrats, the Republicans, Independents, liberals, Communists, capitalists, minorities, whites, males and females equally.
God loves the womanizer, the faithful, the abuser, the victims, the patriot, the rebellious, those that want change and those that want the status quo.
God loves the rich and powerful and the poor and vulnerable. But we have to divide the line between God’s unconditional love and His unconditional approval. Of course God doesn’t approve of some things that people do, or the acts they commit. He wants those who are against Him to come to their senses and turn away from things that are incompatible with His standards for right living.
It takes lots of books to weed through all the different reasons, scenarios and influences that people, society and cultures arrive at as to their standing at any snapshot in time.
Suffice to say that this article does not attempt to explain why you are where you are at in life. Only: that no matter what, even if God is upset with you, He still loves you.
Years ago I was reading a magazine that emphasized Christian missionary and outreach efforts. On the cover was a picture of an old man with bad teeth and a face that was wrinkled and disagreeable to look at. I thought about various covers and inserted photos that had similar facial dispositions.
My thought was not as friendly as it should have been because of the mental comparison I was making against models on other magazine covers to this man. But God’s Holy Spirit gently spoke to me that He loved them as much as He loved me or anyone else. I was embarrassed and somewhat humiliated even if it was my private contemplation.
Salvation, Kingdom status and equality are found throughout scripture.
Gal 3:26 NIV says, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,” and The Apostle Peter’s confession in Acts 10:34B-35 NIV, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism. 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” says Romans 10:13 any version.
Because of difficulties, resentments, frustrations, disappointments and mainly, comparisons of our lives against others, we can sometimes come to believe that God has a hierarchy or list of favorites. God’s Holiness and scripture denies that possibility and reaffirms that we are all on the same level when it comes to God’s attitude and love towards us.
Embrace that truth, it’s for you.
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