Does God Love Everyone the Same? | Does God Love Unbelievers?

To listen or watch sermons by Dr. Richard Caldwell that will give you a deeper understanding of God’s love, you can click on the following links:

The Faithfulness of God's Word & God's Love:    • The Faithfulness of God's Word & God's Love  

Description:

Does God love everyone indiscriminately? Does God love believers the same as He loves unbelievers? If Gods’ love is the same for everyone, why do some people end up in hell and others in heaven? Does God have a special love for those He calls His children?
 
In this episode of the Straight Truth Podcast Dr. Richard Caldwell and host, Dr. Josh Philpot discuss the love of God. The most recognized and probably the most quoted verse of the Bible is John 3:16 where it says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.” Pastor Richard says when this verse speaks of the “world”, he believes it refers to all of humanity, viewing all humanity as a whole. So the Bible does speak of God loving the world and it’s a common kind of love for all humanity.
 
But to answer the question of whether God loves lost humanity in the same way that He loves His people, Pastor Richard says the answer is no. He tells us that God has a love for His elect that is unique. He quotes the example from Romans 9 of Jacob and Essau showing that the love of God in election, for salvation, is different, it’s special and it’s demonstrated to God’s people alone. 

God doesn’t love indiscriminately
 
So, says Dr. Caldwell, God doesn’t love indiscriminately. The love that God has for the whole world is not the same love that He has for His elect. Dr. Caldwell offers an example of Gods common kind of love from the Scriptures. Showing that when Christians are taught by God’s Word to love their enemies, God is set forth as the example (Matthew 5:43-48, Luke 6:27-36). God causes His sun to rise on both the evil and the good, He sends rain upon the earth for the just and the unjust, and He is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Dr. Caldwell comments that this very day God is revealing a common kind of grace, by showing kindness and goodness to people who curse His name. As Christians when we love our enemies we reflect this love of God.
 
Dr. Philpot asks Dr. Caldwell as a preacher of the gospel would he then say to a gathered congregation, that, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life”. Dr. Caldwell says no, that he would not say it that way at all. To put it a different way he says that even in one on one evangelism, where you are sharing the gospel with someone, he would not take the Four Spiritual Laws route. The Christian is to declare to the lost person, who God is, who God has revealed us to be (sinners) and what God’s solution for our problem is, which is His Son, Christ Jesus.

Be Reconciled to God by Trusting in Christ

We are to invite them, plead with them and exhort them to be reconciled to God by trusting in Christ. Then, to the person who receives Christ and is converted, we can say God loves you and set His love on you from the foundation of the world. He set His love on you and this is why you came to love Him. 
 
Dr. Caldwell says this is the story of love. Not that we loved God, but that God loved us. He sent His Son into this world to save a people for His name. For those who have come to know Christ, they can now recognize that it’s eternal love that explains their salvation. But, for the person who does not receive Christ and goes to the grave rejecting the gospel, we can still say that person was loved by God, but not as one of His elect.