James Street Church of Christ

As Many As I Love

By Scott Klaft

During our offerings of song in worship, not just a few grins find their way to Christian faces when little ones put their energetic enthusiasm behind the words to the song, “Jesus Loves Me.” In fact, we all love those songs, and lessons, and biblical passages that remind us of God’s love. “Jesus loves me. This I know; for the Bible tells me so.” God’s word, the Bible, is the only reliable source of learning how God expresses His love, and whom He loves.

It is no accident that the most quoted and recognized passage in the Bible is an expression of God’s love. “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” (John 3:16).

Jesus taught that God loves the entire world to the extent that He would send His Only Begotten to save it from perishing, and offer it everlasting life. It is God’s desire that every last person be saved (cf. 1Timothy 2:3, 4); and yet, the same Bible that expresses God’s matchless love also tells us that not all will be saved (cf. Matt. 7:21; 25:46; 2Pet 2; Jude, et. al.)

It is not a popular idea, but God has placed conditions upon that grace offered through His Only Begotten even though it has “appeared unto all men” (Titus 1:10). It is His desire that all be saved, but they must first come to repentance (cf. 2Peter 3:9). Biblical repentance involves a deeply felt sorrow for sin - Grk: metamalomai - as well as an intentional, deeply motivated change of thinking that would lead to change in lifestyle and behavior - Grk: metanioa - as both words are used and translated “repent” and “repentance” in 2nd Corinthians 7:10. These words not only indicate the motivation (the preaching and belief of the Gospel - Romans 1:16), but also that there must be a point of beginning for this change, this “newness of life”, which is baptism (Romans 6:4).

Does God love the whole world? Yes. Is it the case that God will save the world? No. Does God hold those who have fulfilled His conditions in a different love than the rest of the world? There is no doubt, when we consider that “...the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (1Peter 3:12).

How is it that so many want to tell all about how Jesus loves them, but when the authority of Christ is against them, and it is brought to their attention, the man doing the work of a prophet is somehow “unloving”, “unkind”, and “un-Christ-like”? Maybe people do not really want Jesus’ love when it comes in the form of rebuke and chastisement. Maybe they have their own ideas about what love is, what love does, or how love is expressed. Maybe they have a different idea of who Jesus is, but the Bible, that shows Jesus loves me, also tells that He said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” (Revelation 3:19).