God Loves you just the way you are?

[praise_yeshua]

I've heard that many times before. Just read it again.

Simple question. If God loves you just the way you are.... then why does He seek to change us?

 

[Ransom]

Don't go changing to try and please him. You've never let him down before. Don't imagine you're too familiar and he doesn't see you any more.

 

[Izdaari]

Yes, God loves me the way I am. But at the same time, He also encourages me to be better. Just as good human parents do with their children.

 

[praise_yeshua]

Yes, God loves me the way I am. But at the same time, He also encourages me to be better. Just as good human parents do with their children.

I love my children regardless of what they are.....

I think that's entirely different than saying I love them just the way they are.

 

[Walt]

I've heard that many times before. Just read it again.

Simple question. If God loves you just the way you are.... then why does He seek to change us?

I, too, have heard this many times.

The point is (supposed to be) that we don't have to change in order for God to love us... but we are not what God wants us to be, so He changes us.

 

[praise_yeshua]

I've heard that many times before. Just read it again.

Simple question. If God loves you just the way you are.... then why does He seek to change us?

I, too, have heard this many times.

The point is (supposed to be) that we don't have to change in order for God to love us... but we are not what God wants us to be, so He changes us.

I thought God was angry with the wicked?

 

[NorrinRadd]

God loves the whole world, and desires all to be saved.

Those who receive Jesus actually *become* saved.

The rest ultimately burn.


Learn to embrace paradoxes and "tensions."  Or go crazy and blow your head off.

 

[praise_yeshua]

God loves the whole world, and desires all to be saved.

Those who receive Jesus actually *become* saved.

The rest ultimately burn.


Learn to embrace paradoxes and "tensions."  Or go crazy and blow your head off.

It's not a paradox. Show me where the Scriptures say God loves us just the way we are.

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

It could be a matter of semantics.  From a predestination point of view, you also have to qualify the "you". 

"God loves you just the way you are."
"God loves the way you are."
"God loves you in spite of the way you are."
"God loves you, justified you, and sees you as righteous despite the bad ways you are, and is making you better."

...and so on...

 

[Fresh Air]

Because His love has nothing to do with what we are/are not like. Conflating the two is an enormous mistake.

 

[Fresh Air]

I thought God was angry with the wicked?

God still loves those with whom He is angry. God still loves the wicked.

 

[Fresh Air]

It's not a paradox. Show me where the Scriptures say God loves us just the way we are.

John 3.16 comes to mind along with about a million examples.

For instance, consider OT Israel. Did God love them. Yes, Scripture says so repeatedly in the OT. Were they constantly idolatrous and wicked? Also, yes. And God, via the story of Hosea/Gomer, explicitly illustrated that He loved Israel regardless of her conditions. "I will love them freely." (Hosea 14.4)

 

[T-Bone]

Romans 5:8 might fit to the question... " God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

Psalm 115:5  The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

Proverbs 6 :16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Romans 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.


I suppose you could go with the old argument that "hate" actually means "loves less" to make it work with "God loves everyone". 

 

[FSSL]

Romans 5:8 might fit to the question... " God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Yeah... The saying is not all that problematic. It is a cliche and with all cliches, they require a greater context and particular audience for understanding.

A repentant sinner coming to Christ. The cliche is fine. It means you don't have to clean up your life before you come to Christ.

A homosexual desiring to continue living as a homosexual. The cliche means something totally different. It means you can continue to live a godless life expecting God to accept you still.

 

[praise_yeshua]

Romans 5:8 might fit to the question... " God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Does God endless die for humanity?

He demonstrated His love for us while all of humanity was fallen.

This does not equal God loving us just the way we are. He died to bring about change in us. He demands change in us. He does not accept us as we are.

Coming to God is an abandonment of our prideful condition of self worth.

Such statements only feed the narrative that it's okay to be what we are. It's not. It never has been and never will be.

 

[praise_yeshua]

I thought God was angry with the wicked?

God still loves those with whom He is angry. God still loves the wicked.

I've heard that to....

So God loves those that reject His offering of His Son?

God is patient. His anger is upon all those who reject the Gospel. In fact, they are condemned all ready.

Hopelessly throwing someone in Hell for all Eternity isn't an act of love. I'd love tonsay that it was... It's not a paradox. As much as God loves.... God hates.

Who can quence His anger? There is no offering for those that reject Christ.

 

[ItinerantPreacher]

I thought God was angry with the wicked?

God still loves those with whom He is angry. God still loves the wicked.

I've heard that to....

So God loves those that reject His offering of His Son?

God is patient. His anger is upon all those who reject the Gospel. In fact, they are condemned all ready.

Hopelessly throwing someone in Hell for all Eternity isn't an act of love. I'd love tonsay that it was... It's not a paradox. As much as God loves.... God hates.

Who can quence His anger? There is no offering for those that reject Christ.

Those are competing or contradictory thoughts.

God is patient. True

His anger is upon those who reject the gospel. Partially true, or an incomplete truth

In fact they are condemned already. True

The fact that they are condemned does not necessitate that His anger is upon them, His patience is actually withholding that giving them opportunity to be saved. Considering the frailty of human life, they are a hairsbreadth from receiving God's anger, but that anger is limited until they pass from this life without accepting Christ. Then that anger will be poured out against them. Their condemnation is determined, their punishment is not. Because God is complete, balanced, lacking nothing, His anger, His love and His patience or longsuffering are also all perfectly balanced.

I can be angry with someone while reserving the expression of that anger till a later time. God is angry with the wicked, but allows them to operate inside free will until they die, then he executes judgment upon them, unless they accept Christ, then His anger is appeased through Christ.

 

[Izdaari]

I agree with Pastor Tom.

 

[Fresh Air]

This thread is one of the great reasons I reject reformed theology. I cannot abide the idea that God hates people. Such a god is the god of Islam, not the God of the Bible. The Scripture is the revelation of God. If it reveals ANYTHING about God it reveals His holiness and His love.  Those are neither contradictory nor negotiable. They are pure and precious fact. The Scripture is soaked in it from one end to the other.