In this episode of Grace In Focus, Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates tackle a complex theological issue: the variation of God’s love among different individuals. From scriptural analysis to personal reflections, they consider whether God bestows greater love on those who abide by His commandments and the implications of such distinctions. With references to both the Old and New Testaments, the discussion prompts a deeper understanding of divine love’s dynamics.
00:00:00 Introduction and Overview of Grace Evangelical Society
The following is a listener-supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society. As Bible students, we agree that one of God’s attributes is love, that He loves everyone. But is it true, maybe, that He loves some people more than others? How should we think about this? We’re delighted that you’re with us today on Grace In Focus. This is the radio broadcast and podcast ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. Our office is in North Texas and we have a website, faithalone.org. There you can find out a lot about our organization, the Grace Evangelical Society. And one is that we have an online seminary where you can earn an MDiv degree. Get more information at our website, faithalone.org. Get registered and start studying with us. That’s faithalone.org. Now, with today’s question and answer discussion, here are Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates.
SPEAKER 02 :
I’m here with the Honorable Right Reverend Kenneth W. Yates, Esquire. How are you doing, Ken?
SPEAKER 03 :
Wow, I like that. I don’t know what to call you after that. Because you’re the boss, so how do you top that?
SPEAKER 02 :
I don’t know. Okay, now I got a good question here from Tim. This is pretty controversial here, Ken, but I know you’re no stranger to controversy. So the question goes, God obviously loves the whole world. John 3.16 says, For God so loved the world, the cosmos. But are there degrees to the love he gives to different people? Does he love the righteous more than the wicked? What say you, Ken? You know, I don’t know if I’ve ever been asked this.
SPEAKER 03 :
Have you ever been asked that question before? Something like it, yeah. Oh, okay. Well, then shoot, you ought to, since you’ve already answered this before. But it would seem to me that, I mean, just off the top of my head, that there is a difference in his love towards believers versus unbelievers. Right. I mean, that’s what I would say. I mean, because… He’s closer with—he has a different kind of relationship with believers than he does with unbelievers. Even among believers, there are those who are closer to him than others, right? I mean, those who are abiding with him versus those who are not. I mean, I guess we could get into some kind of trouble talking about, does he love them more versus he’s closer with them? I mean, so— I mean, when we use the terminology that we’re using, I would answer that question, yes. He’s certainly closer.
SPEAKER 02 :
Okay, so, yeah, I’ve got a few verses for you, Ken. How about Jude 21? Jude 21 says, keep yourselves in the love of God. Keep yourselves—and he’s writing to believers— So not only is there probably a sense in which he loves believers more or in a different sense than unbelievers, but there’s also a sense in which he loves righteous believers more than believers who are in the far country.
SPEAKER 03 :
Sure. And I’m thinking of, you know, a verse where it says, do good unto all men, but especially those of the household of faith.
SPEAKER 02 :
Galatians 6.10. Yeah. How about also in John 15? 9 and 10, Jesus tells the disciples to remain in my love. Right. Well, we remain in his love by abiding in him. And he also said, you are my friends. If. If you do what?
SPEAKER 03 :
If you keep my commandments.
SPEAKER 02 :
If you keep my commandments. Yeah, John 15, 14. Or how about the word metakoi or partners in the book of Hebrews? What’s that all about, Ken?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, the word metakoi is sometimes translated companions in the book of Hebrews or partakers, partakers. And the word means a close associate. We might, you know, when we think, for example, if like, for example, there’s a deacon in my church and When he was a young man, he started a business of working on roofs, and he started it with another guy. And they had a very specialized business in repairing roofs. Well, this guy was his partner for, well, I don’t know, 45 years or something like that. So they had a very, very close relationship. That’s what the word means, a partner or partner. Yeah, someone that you’re very, very close with. And it’s used in the Gospels, for example, of the fishermen who work together on the Sea of Galilee.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, with John and his brother James and their dad Zebedee. Right. Yeah, so the partner’s idea shows that some believers are closer to the Lord than others. Sure.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and so now would we say that he loves them more? I don’t have a problem using that language. Now, some people, they might, you know, because of John 3, 16. Well, God loves the world. He loves everybody.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, but John 3.16 is talking ultimately about the Incarnation and the cross, right? The verses before are talking about the cross, John 3, verses 14 and 15, but the verse after that is talking about the Incarnation. So some commentators will say the love of God in John 3.16 looks both at the Incarnation and the cross, but in any case, God doesn’t give spiritual gifts to unbelievers. He doesn’t give eternal life to unbelievers. Unbelievers have no opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven until they come to faith, that is.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. And then in Romans, for example, when it talks about now that we believers have been justified, they have access. Right. Well, the unbeliever doesn’t have that access in the sense that Romans is talking about.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. Although it’s funny because that’s where, and we don’t want to get off into the weeds here, but Cornelius has some level of access in Acts chapter 10. Yes. And by the way, how about Romans 8, 17, and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may be glorified together with him.
SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 02 :
How about Romans 8, 17? And joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may be glorified together with him. To be a joint heir with Christ is more than simply being an heir of God in Romans 8, 17a.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. And if I could use on that particular point, if I could use a military example, guys who fought together in a war, for example. Now, if I don’t know what word you want to use, but if you want to use the word, they have a love for one another that those who didn’t don’t, you know, like, you know, people who fought in Vietnam, for example, they’ll get together. You know, I love you guys. Well, they have some kind of relationship that only those who were with them share. And so when Paul talks about Romans 8, 7, if we suffer with him. You know, yeah, there’s a relationship intimacy that goes on with those believers who are faithful with the Lord that those who are not faithful with the Lord don’t share with him. That’s what we’re talking about.
SPEAKER 02 :
Right.
SPEAKER 03 :
And again, do people want to use the word love closer? I personally, I don’t have a problem saying that he loves them more or loves them in a different way.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, you know, Ken, before I brought this question and I just read it to you so you didn’t have a chance to do any study, but I looked online. And a number of people are very content with saying, yes, God loves the faithful believer more than the unfaithful believer, or the righteous more than the wicked. Even John Piper. I saw John Piper. Wow, that surprises me. Yeah, and he said God delights in those who are walking by faith, those who are walking in fellowship. How about Ephesians 4.30? That we’re not to grieve… the Holy Spirit. Well, if we grieve the Holy Spirit, doesn’t that suggest that our relationship with the Holy Spirit has somehow been damaged? It’s not that we don’t have eternal life, but the experience of the love coming from the Holy Spirit and God the Father and God the Son seems to me is diminished if we’re grieving God.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I’m kind of curious, did Piper mention with his theology, did he mention that those who are not walking in obedience, are they believers? Did he make that distinction? How did he address that?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, I don’t remember. I didn’t read it that carefully, but I don’t know if you’ve been following Piper lately, but he now sounds more like Schreiner and Canaday in their book, The Race Set Before Us, where these are Calvinists who say at the moment of faith, or in their case, the moment of regeneration, you get initial salvation. And that initial salvation gets you started in the Christian race. But you’ve got to persevere to the end in order to win final salvation. And Piper uses that language.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’ve read it where he uses that. Yeah, he’s definitely a proponent of that, that final salvation. And he admits that it’s difficult to understand. What about the verse, Jacob I have loved and Esau I have hated?
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for sharing that right here at the end. You’re bringing up a hard one. Okay. That’s what Romans nine. Is that it?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. And obviously that’s not, you know, he’s not, that’s just talking about him choosing Jacob over election to be the one through whom the Christ would come.
SPEAKER 02 :
Right, not choosing for eternal life, because as far as I can tell, Esau was born again as well.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I feel pretty confident saying Esau will be in the kingdom. But here is a statement that God hated Esau and loved Jacob.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, people call that a Semitism, though, where in a Semitic figure of speech, to hate someone doesn’t necessarily mean you hate them. It means you’re not selecting them. Sure. Like, remember, didn’t Jesus say we’re to hate our families in comparison to our love for God? Right. But we’re not literally to hate our spouse or our parents or our children. Right. It’s just in comparison, our first priority is to please God.
SPEAKER 03 :
Sure. And could we word it another way and say you should love God more? I mean, because this is the question. Does he love some more than others? So, again, I think we can use that terminology. Yes, God does love some people more than others.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, Tim, this is a great question. I encourage you to meditate on this question. Study the scriptures and see what the scriptures have to say on this important subject, because it is very important. I particularly like to think that when I’m walking in fellowship with God, God is pleased. And that brings me joy to think that somehow little old me is somehow pleasing the creator of the universe. That he, you know, what does it say in the Psalms? What is man that you are mindful of him? Psalm 8, right? Yeah. But God is mindful of us. So let’s rejoice in that. And let’s rejoice in his love. And let’s seek to maximize our experience of his love. That was a good question. It was. Let’s keep grace in focus. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Be sure to check out our daily blogs at faithalone.org. They are short and full of great teaching, just like what you’ve heard today. Find them at faithalone.org resources blog. We would love to hear from you. Maybe you’ve got a question, comment, or some feedback. If you do, please don’t hesitate to send us a message. Here’s our email address. It’s radio at faithalone.org. That’s radio at faithalone.org. And when you do, very important, please let us know your radio station call letters and the city of your location. On our next episode, why does it seem there are so many unhappy believers? Please join us and until then, let’s keep grace in focus. The preceding has been a listener-supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.
