DOES GOD LOVE EVERYONE?

[Scott R. Newman]

Is there a doctrinal foundation that someone can show me that God loves everyone on this earth that ever walked this earth? Or is that just another myth that continues to go around and around for years like the "sinners prayer" that never withstands the fervent hermenuetical and exasberated monotanous hodge podge findings when you glean the pages by walking in the power of God's Word?

Just please spare the feelings and emotions when responding, only and just the facts, Biblical facts that God indeed loves everyone that have ever existed on the Earth, past, present and future.

Lets see if we can show ourselves approved!

[Rev. Eric Culberson Jr.]

John 3:16-For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Yeah He loves everyone, but everyone does not love Him back.

[James Pierce]

Hey brother Scott,

This is a great question, and it indeed needs to be answered. In my studies, I have found that God does not love everyone that has ever lived. God loves them that has a heart for him, and he hates them that practice sin(breaking his law). The Lord Jesus has come for the house of Israel, and he did not come for the whole world(all who ever lived). This house of Israel includes both Jews & Gentiles. It is them that were appointed for salvation according to the foreknowledge of God.

Psalm 5:5,"The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers."

Psalm 11:5,"The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence."

Hosea 9:15,"All their wickedness is in Gilgal. For there I hated them; because of the wickedness of their practices, I will cast them out of My house, I will not love them anymore; all their princes are disobedient."

From these scriptures, we see that God does indeed hate, and them that he hates are them that does not keep his law. Jesus said in John 14:21,"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

Those that love the Father, it is THEM that the Father loves. Yes, he gives the wicked a chance to repent, for them who are of God , were wicked at one point. He always gives the wicked a chance to repent, and them that return to God, and his law through Christ, it is THEM that he will love.

I would like to address John 3:16. The "world" used here, and the word "all" are connected, for they are not referring to all people in the world, but to them that are appointed for salvation.

[Scott R. Newman]

Wow, brother James you good... :) Yes He loves the Elect of Christ, those who were His before the foundation of the Earth, those who He choose as His sheep. And here are some more verses as well.

Psalm 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity (see also Matthew 7:21-23).
Proverbs 6:16-19 These six doth the Lord hate . . . a false witness that speaks lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Romans 9:11-13 For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; it was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (see also Malachi 1:1-3)

Psalm 11:5 . . . but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

So where do we as a body get this "God loves everybody" nonsense?

[James Pierce]

Ha ha ha ha I tell you brother, It has to do with 1 Tim 4:1-2,"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared."

[Rev. Eric Culberson Jr.]

So if God has already choosen whom can obtain salvation, how did He decided who can have eternal life and who cant. According to your thinking why should the believer witness? He already knows who will be saved and that they are already appointed for salvation so why do we need to tell a dying world about a living saviour?

And on another note how are the words "world" and "all" connected?

[James Pierce]

The bible shows us in Romans 8 that God chose/appointed based on his foreknowledge. In other words, he knew them that would come to him, therefore he appointed them for salvation.

Why should we continue to witness to people? Well, we do not know know who God has chosen for salvation, and God redeems his people through his children.

World and all are connected because the world is only referring to them that are appointed for salvation, and not all humans. Remember, the Lord came for Israel, and in the end, it is Israel(Jew & Gentile) that will be saved.

[Rev. Eric Culberson Jr.]

But that is not the definition of "world" in the text- it is kosmos meaning probably from the base of Greek 2865 (komizo); orderly arrangement, i.e. decoration; by implication the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitant, literal or figurative [moral]) :- adorning, world.

komizo-from a primary komeo (to tend, i.e. take care of); properly to provide for, i.e. (by implication) to carry off (as if from harm; genitive obtain) :- bring, receive.

He created this whole thing, why would He then turn around and pick and choose what part of it to love?

The LOVE OF GOD has been OFFERED to the ENTIRE WORLD. Those who choose to accept, recieve, embrace His love is up to them. God does not hate or dislike a person until they make His salvation their choice. If that is the case what your saying then is when this whole thing comes to a close and we all see Him in that day, when he seperates the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tare, He's going to look at a person who rejected Him and say "I never choose you, I did not have love for you, you could not be saved!" and not "My love was extended towards you and YOU CHOOSE to reject it and not recieve it".

[James Pierce]

Yes. I thank you for posting the Greek. Being a Greek student myself, I am familiar with the word at hand. Let me show you another way on why world and all are connected. The Greek word for all is pas. Pas means all, each, all of a certain group, or sort, etc.

The scriptures states that Jesus only came for the house of Israel. This house of Israel includes both Jews & Gentiles. These is who he came for. The bible states in Romans 8 that God chooses based on his foreknowledge. God knew who was gonna choose him, and he knew who would not choose him.

World has many meanings, according to to context. A notable one is rev 3:10, where it says God will protect Philadelphia from the coming persecution that will come upon the world. In the historical context here, world would be translated as the roman empire. John would not be implying every country in the world here. Rome did not rule every country in the world.

It is the same with John 3:16. world here would not be implying every human being in the world, but in connection with "all", every person in the world appointed for salvation.

[Rev. Eric Culberson Jr.]

Thanks for your interpretation but I just dont see that in the text.

[James Pierce]

Its ok. just study more, and things'll come through for you

[Scott R. Newman]

James a quick question, have you studied or looked at Calvinism vs. Armenism?

There are two ways of how most Christians see this issue concerning the Elect of Christ. One is God has already chosen who are His before the foundations of the Earth and the other is everyone will have an apportunity to accept or reject based on the best way the Gospel was presented to them.

Scott

[James Pierce]

Hey brother Scott,

Yes, I have dived into the Calvinism vs. Armenism debate. It is from my studies that I have found out that one must abide/remain in Christ to be saved. I do not see in the scriptures, anything that follows the once saved always saved doctrine. The bible, from the Old & New Testament teaches conditional Salvation.

The problem with many Calvinists is that they will only use the New Testament to uphold their doctrine that a true believer cannot give up his salvation, because they know that the Old Testament clearly refutes that, but all scripture is god-breathed and inspired.

I do believe that God has chosen for himself a people to be saved before the foundation of the world, yet these very people have their own free will to choose what they want to do. God may have chosen them, but he chose them based on his foreknowledge of their decisions.

God chose Israel to be his holy people before the foundation of the world, and yet they had their own free will to disobey him, and his Torah, and abandon him. Let God's word be true, and every man a liar!

be blessed,
James