God’s Sovereign Love

“And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee,

and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee;

and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.”

(Exodus 33:19)

There is no human love that could ever compare to the love of the LORD God for His people. As much as we may say we love our spouses and children, yet we must confess that it is many times conditional in how we show it. "I will love you if you will just do this or that for me.” The expression of our love is very erratic, unpredictable and selfish. Many times it depends on our mood at the moment.

Thankfully, the love of God for poor sinners in Christ is not like this. God’s ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than ours and His love is unchanging from everlasting to everlasting toward His elect people. “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” (Psalm 103:11) Sadly, many portray the love of God in the same way as their love. “These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself…” (Psalm 50:21) How does God’s love differ from what men naturally think?

1). Many say that God loves everyone equally and without exception. However, the Bible sets God’s love forth as a distinctive, distinguishing love. “Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated.” (Romans 9:13) His love is particular, as it says in Psalm 103:11: “...toward them that fear him...”

2). Many make God’s love conditional upon man believing first. However, the Scripture says, “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) If there is any faith, goodness or obedience in any sinner, it is because God first set His love on them. Left to own decision, none would ever love God, for “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Romans 3:11)

3). Many would exalt God’s love over His justice. They presumptuously think that God is too loving to send sinners to hell. They assume that if they just give their best effort His love will overlook their ‘shortcomings’. How false this is! For God the Father to show His love toward sinners He needed to deliver up His Son to redeem and justify them from the curse of the law. The LORD Jesus and His effectual death for the elect as their Substitute is the effect of His everlasting love for them and was not for everyone: “…when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.” (John 13:1)