God Loves Everyone

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It’s not uncommon to encounter someone who wants to justify what can be rightfully identified as a bad attitude or sinful behavior by saying that “God loves everyone.”

That’s true.

God does love everyone (Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 4:8).

But the question isn’t whether or not God loves you, the question is, “Do you love God?”

You can’t say you love Him if you don’t obey Him…

Cheap Grace

The term “cheap grace” can be traced back to a book written by German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called The Cost of Discipleship, published in 1937. In that book, Bonhoeffer defined “cheap grace” as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” Notice what is emphasized in Bonhoeffer’s definition of cheap grace and what is de-emphasized. The emphasis is on the benefits of Christianity without the costs involved; hence, the adjective cheap to describe it. (gotquestions.org)

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. (Jn 14:21)

Obviously, no one is perfect. But we’re not talking about a perfect performance as much as we’re talking about an honest confession. There is no forgiveness if you’re unwilling to admit that you’re wrong…

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn 1:9)

You see this problem addressed in 1 John 3:6:

No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. (1 Jn 3:6)

John isn’t talking about “committing” a sin as much as he’s referring to the “practice” of sin. It’s often manifested as a lifestyle of perpetual and intentional rebellion that one attempts to conceal by advocating the idea that God’s Love equates to a Divine endorsement of sin.

That’s not the way it works.

Saying that you believe that Jesus died for you doesn’t amount to much, in that the demons believe and they “shudder” (Jas 2:14-26).

What qualifies you as a believer is the way in which the Holy Spirit is now a part of who you are (Rom 8:9; 2 Cor 1:21-22). That doesn’t happen apart from establishing Christ as your everyday Authority, and not just your spiritual mechanic. (Rom 10:8-9).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer described that as “cheap grace,” which translates to a meaningless doctrine because there’s no real transformation (2 Cor 5:17).  Instead, it’s just a pointless declaration that’s intended to reduce Christ to a noble sounding sentiment as opposed to the Lord of your life.

Again, the question isn’t whether or not God loves you, as much as it’s whether or not you love God. And you can’t say you love Him if you’re determined to ignore Him. God does love you, but it’s your willingness to surrender to His Authority that qualifies you as a believer, and not your ability to sound appreciative of a love you’re unwilling to reciprocate.