Riff's Christian Journal

For most of you the answer to that question would be “everyone”. I mean, isn’t that what everyone says? Yeah, that is what just about everybody would say, but is that what the Bible says?

Now I know that everyone basis that thought on John 3:16, and we will take a look at that verse a little later; and we will do so in the context of what was being said and in connection on what the Bible has to say elsewhere.

So, before we can give this question a good answer we should first look to see if the Bible says anything about God hating anyone. Let’s look at a few verses:

Malachi 1

 ¹ The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.

    ² “ I have loved you,” says the LORD.

      “ Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
      Wasnot Esau Jacob’s brother?”
      Says the LORD.

      “ Yet Jacob I have loved;
       ³ But Esau I have hated,
      And laid waste his mountains and his heritage
      For the jackals of the wilderness.” 

Romans 9:12-14 (New King James Version)

Proverbs 6:15-19 (New King James Version)

¹⁵ Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly;
      Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.
       ¹⁶ These six things the LORD hates,
      Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
       ¹⁷ A proud look,
      A lying tongue,
      Hands that shed innocent blood,
       ¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans,
      Feet that are swift in running to evil,
       ¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies,
      And one who sows discord among brethren. 

Psalm 5:4-6 (New King James Version)

 ⁴ For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
         Nor shall evil dwell with You.
 ⁵ The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
         You hate all workers of iniquity.
 ⁶ You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
         The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

Very clearly we see, here, that God does hate individuals for various reasons or because He has decided to do so of His own choice. So, if God does hate individuals, for whatever reasons, then it cannot be said that God loves everyone. Now the Bible is very clear about whom God does love, and Jesus said the most about it.

However, before we look at these verses let’s take a look at John 3:16.

John 3:16 (New King James Version)

¹⁶ 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.

Now Jesus has been talking Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, about the need for being “Born Again”; and Nicodemus could not understand what He was talking about.

You see, the Jews believed that God’s love was only for them, that His favor was upon Isreal alone and no one else. Jesus tells Nicodemus that “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The keyword is “whoever”.

Jesus also said “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” Now we know that not everyone in the world is going to be saved so we can determine from these verses that Jesus is speaking in general and not in specific or particular terms.

He follows up these verses with this, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” So, again we see that He is talking about those who will believe are the ones who will be saved.

However, in the whole context of what Jesus is saying is that this salvation is not just for those who are Jews but for anyone of any nation, creed or color who lives anywhere in the world. He is speaking in terms of generalities and not in specifics about whom will be saved.

In other words, the salvation that He is talking about to Nicodemus, that of being “Born Again” can be had by anyone whether a Jew or a Gentile. So, John 3:16 does not speak of individuals but of peoples in general; this does not, in anyway, speak of God loving everyone.

So, if God doesn’t love everyone then – who does God love?

Let us now look at some verses that are specific in nature and that which will tell us who God does, or will, love.

John 13:1 (New King James Version)

 ¹ Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

John 14:21-23 (New King James Version)

²¹ He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
²³ Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

John 17:20-23 (New King James Version)

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

As you can see by these verses that Jesus is very specific about whom He, and the Father, will love – those who believe in Him, who love Him and who obey Him.

Now I know you are being very skeptical about all of this but these verses don’t lie. You’ve been told a lie for so long that naturally you want to believe that God loves everyone, but He doesn’t; the above verses say otherwise.

The only way anyone of us will know or experience the love of God is by being “Born Again” as Jesus was telling Nicodemus, and if Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus was saying, how can you? That, my friend, is the topic for another post, but for now all you need to know is this.

You must be “Born Again”. If you are willing to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord – by bowing the knee to Him as Lord of your life – and if you will but just believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the grave – you will be saved. Whoever will call upon Jesus as Lord will be saved.

As for the answer to the question “Who Does God Love?”, the answer is quite simple, they are those who are “Born Again”. Those who are not born again – well, they will only know and experience the judgement, the hatred and the wrath of God.

John 3:36 says, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Do you have that life or does the wrath of God abide upon you still? You can know and experience the love of God, but only if you will bow to Jesus as Lord of your life. If you won’t you will only face God’s wrath. There really is no choice.

So, does God love You? You now know what you need to do if you want to be loved by God. You must be “Born Again”.

Jesus will not be a Savior to anyone who will not first bow the knee to Him as Lord.