Does God love us unconditionally?  There is no doubt that God loves us, as John 3:16, says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (NKJV). The principle expressed in John 3:16 means that God does love everyone, in a sense. In another sense, however, there are conditions relative to God’s love.

 “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love”—John 15:10 NAB

“We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.”—-1 John 4:16 NAB

A popular belief today is that God loves us “unconditionally”— that is, no matter what a person does, God will always love him/her the same.

Does God love everyone? In a way, yes, certainly he does! How?

1 John 4:10 (NIV) – “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”

Matthew 5:44-45 – “Love your enemies… that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.” ( NIV). So, certainly, from this perspective God loves everyone. 

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – NIV. “The Lord . . . is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 NIV).  This proves that God does love everyone. He wants everyone to come repentantly to him so as to qualify for eternal life.

God, in his love, does good to everyone, he loves everyone, which is especially shown by his offering eternal life through Jesus to everyone. However, his love for everyone is only to a point. God’s love for everyone is not an intimate close love, however. Notice:

John 3:36 – “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains upon them.” – NIV

All who reject Jesus “remain” under God’s wrath. They will not “see life.”

Is God’s Love Unconditional?

John 14:15 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (NAB) – “If” is a big word. This puts a condition on who actually loves God and Jesus.

John 14:21a – “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” – NIV – Jesus again stresses, and qualifies, who actually loves him – which is those who obey his commandments.

John 14:21b – “The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him.” – NIV – Those who love Jesus and God (as defined by Jesus, this includes only the obedient) are loved by God and Jesus.

John 14:23a – “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” – NIV
Jesus extended the condition to include his teaching, that is, obedience to his teaching.

John 14:23b – “. . . and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (NAB).
God and Jesus love those who obey their commands and teaching.Thus, God’s intimate love of individuals is conditional on one’s obedience to God. Remember, “if” is a big word. See John 14:15.

What does obedience to Jesus’ teaching have to do with loving Jesus? To make us understand, he then states the opposite:

John 14:24a – “Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” – To be loved by God and Jesus, one must obey their commands and teaching.

John 15:9 – “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love.” – We have to stay in God’s love to continue to enjoy intimate, loving relationship with him. How?

John 15:10 – “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept the Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

John 16:27 – “The Father himself loves you.”
Why?
1. “Because you have loved me…”
Now he adds another condition…
2. “…and have believed that I came from God.”

What happens if we do not believe he came from the Father?

John 8:24 – NLT – “Unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

No, God’s love is not unconditional. It is conditional.This is emphasized bye the following:

“It is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift and shared in the holy Spirit and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to bring them to repentance again, since they are recrucifying the Son of God for themselves and holding him up to contempt”—Hebrews 6:4-6 NAB

“If we sin deliberately after we receive the knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect own judgment”—Hebrews 10:26,27 NAB

Some people do not ‘remain in God’s love’ (John 15:6).

Does God Hate People?

Psalm 11:5 – “The wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.” – NIV

Psalm 5:5 – “You hate all who do wrong.” – NIV

Based on the Scriptures themselves, God does not love us unconditionally.