Is God’s Love Unaffected by Man’s Behavior?

Written: January 22, 2013 | Updated on September 23rd, 2022 | Jun P. Espina | 1 min read

Is God’s Love Unaffected by Man’s Behavior?

I attended a church where the preacher told us that God’s love is unaffected by man’s behavior. Thus, it is the rule in understanding the attributes of our loving Creator, he added. “His love for humankind is unconditional,” echoed his confident exhortation; otherwise, He ceases to be God! The Parable of the Prodigal Son was the text used, and his emphasis was all on God’s love (see Luke 15:11-32).

I want to point out that Christ talked about God’s love for His children in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Most Hyper-Calvinists have this habit of biblical distortion. They usually overcharge the doctrine of God’s sovereignty.

The Prodigal Son’s Repentance Touched the Heart of His Father

In his exposition, the preacher forgot the truth that the prodigal son repented and returned to his earthly father. He was not a rebellious slave who returned to his master, but a wicked son who reformed and asked his father to accept him as one of the slaves of their family. In the church setting, the prodigal son was a backslider who repented and recommitted his life by a confession and genuine faith in Christ Jesus. “If we confess our sins,” wrote John, “He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) The prodigal son repented and his father restored to him his sonship.

How Does Hyper-Calvinism Bend the Doctrine of God’s Love?

The preacher’s lecture that “God’s love is unaffected by man’s behavior” leads to the Hyper-Calvinists’ controversial doctrine on God’s Sovereignty and Irresistible Grace.

The staunch Hyper-Calvinist, Arthur W. Pink wrote in his book, The Attributes of God, that “God is not influenced by things outside of Himself as we are.” ¹ It is supported by Psalm 145:9 where the Bible said, “The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.” However, this passage (among others) is related to God’s common grace. Christ said God sends rain to the unrighteous and the righteous. (Matt. 5:45)

It is a different story when applied to the Gospel. Wrote the apostle John, “[T]hese have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31) Hence, God’s love is affected by our behavior toward Jesus Christ. If we believe in Him, we will live forever, if not, we will spend eternity in the flames of hell.

Another Instance of a Hyper-Calvinist Preacher Twisting Scriptures

“God does not need our worship,” said one of our local preachers during a prayer meeting. When I questioned his doctrine, the church took sides, just like the so-called pious Christians voting for an ill-bred presidential candidate. The crowd will always shout the name of Barabbas. Then, I quoted John 4:23 (where Christ said, “for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers” — God seeking to be worshipped), and the Hyper-Calvinist preacher replied: “The Bible has many errors.” It was sad that our church split up over such an unexpected incident.

Hyper-Calvinism is just as problematic as Arminianism.

God’s Love is Unconditional on Things Unrelated to Our Soul’s Salvation

True, God is always a God of love. It is His nature—His attribute. But His giving me forgiveness and eternal life throw out the concept of God’s unconditional love. In Psalm 146:8c the Bible said, “The Lord loves the righteous.” It is the point.

He loves His creations—of which we are a part—unconditionally. But He cannot welcome the sinful humanity in heaven without the seal of His forgiveness and perfect righteousness. Adam left Paradise because of sin. Our transgressions separate us from God. We need reconciliation with Him.

God is both love and just. His love makes me eligible to enter heaven, but not His justice system, which requires blood for the remission of my sin. Now comes the mystery of His love. He sent His beloved Son to satisfy the demand of the Almighty Father’s justice system, which is the shedding of the innocent and holy blood of His own Son, Jesus.

God’s Love is Glued to Man’s Forgiveness

Do you think your rejection of Christ cannot affect God’s love for you? A friend once said, “I won’t go to hell because God is merciful.” If that precept is true, then even Satan will use that creed, too, to escape hell. On this issue, the prophet Ezekiel said, “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.” (Ezek. 18:4)

Regarding salvation, God’s love is glued to man’s forgiveness by faith in Christ’s blood alone.

God’s Love for the Lost is Fastened to Christ’s Substitutionary Death

The apostle Paul taught the doctrine clearly in Romans 5:8. He said, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The love of God that gives me eternal life is fastened to Christ who died for me while I was still an unforgiven sinner. The Father’s affection for me, therefore, is affected by my acceptance or rejection of Christ in my heart. His love is conditional regarding man’s salvation and immortality.

We, as the children of the disobedient Adam, are sinners naturally. (Rom. 1:20; 3:23) We don’t love God. (Rom. 1:32; 2 Tim. 3:2) It is our greatest sin, since loving our Creator is a command we have transgressed daily. (Mark 12:28-30) Hence, the Scriptures said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

God’s love calls for the remission of sins firstly, and faith in Christ solves our sin problem with the Father. “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.” (Heb. 10:19, NLT)

God’s Love is Unconditional, said the Hyper-Calvinist Preacher

The so-called unconditional love of God may fall under the “U” of TULIP, which means UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION. (T.U.L.I.P is the acronym of the Hyper-Calvinist’s teachings.)

In this false doctrine, the Hyper-Calvinists taught that “God has elected, based solely upon the counsel of his own will, some for glory and others for damnation (Romans 9:15,21). He has done this act before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4-8).” ²

The one-word description of this teaching is predestination. Some are predestined to hell, others to heaven. God’s love, therefore, is unconditional for the chosen ones.

It means Christ dies for the chosen ones only—hence, He does not love all!

Is it not a blasphemous doctrine?

The Hyper-Calvinists’ Supporting Scriptures on Unconditional Election

The familiar verses used to support unconditional election are Romans 9:15 and verse 21 (among others). Wrote Paul: “For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion’. . .. Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” (Acts 9:15; 21)

This Scripture is the Word of God. We cannot disprove that God is a sovereign God. But speaking about our salvation and residence in heaven, God requires our free will to love Him. He requires our human responsibility as taught by the same author, the apostle Paul, to believe in the following chapter in Romans 10. God in Romans chapter 9 cannot contradict Himself in Romans 10. It is not true, therefore, that God is not affected by our faith or rejection of Christ regarding the salvation of our souls. God is affected by man’s behavior concerning Jesus. Observe:

Our Responsibility to Believe

We are required to believe. God’s love is always limited to our accepting or rejecting His plan for our salvation. That is the meaning of John 3:16. If you believe, you will be saved; but if you disbelieve, you will be damned. From the lips of Christ Himself came out this Bible in one verse: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

In King James version, John 3:36 is even more emphatic. It says: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (KJV – Emphasis added.)

If you could go to heaven by “unconditional election,” then your believing in Jesus is tantamount to God’s shoving faith down your throat! On the contrary, the Scripture said that we need to believe by the operation of our human free will to trust the Savior Jesus.

The Sick Woman’s Free Will

In Mark 5, a “woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years” touched Christ’s cloak and got healed. Did not this woman exercise her free will to believe when she touched our Lord’s outer garment?

Why did Christ turn around? Why not just say, “Well, she is predestined to be healed today?” Without the exercise of the woman’s free will in that Gospel narrative, Christ’s search for the woman was just theatre.

Paul and Silas, for another illustration, taught the Philippian jailer to believe in Jesus to receive forgiveness and salvation. (See; Acts 16:31) Did they force him to believe? No. He did so voluntarily. He submitted to water baptism of his own accord.

God’s Love Always Exists in the Climate of Freedom

Without a human responsibility, the children of God would become like robots in heaven—without feelings of affection for God in light of Christ’s finished work at Calvary. God is love and love always exists in the climate of freedom. Without my freedom to choose to love Jesus, I could not love Him truly.

The Jihadists “convert or die” teaching is impossible in the province of true Christianity. My love for Christ flourishes because of my free will to love Him. The element of force, for example, is present in the case of rape against the victim’s free will, in which instance no love can live through. Since God is love, He won’t bring me to heaven against my will.

Thus, “unconditional election” is a false doctrine!

God’s Love is Unconditional Because of His Irresistible Grace, said the Hyper-Calvinists

True, the Holy Spirit is wooing man to receive salvation through faith in Christ. Our Lord said: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44) But it is not about IRRESISTIBLE GRACE.

In John 1:9, we learned that Christ also enlightens every man. But we may reject God’s invitation; thus, the TULIP’s “Irresistible Grace” doctrine (the partner of “Unconditional Election” in the Hyper-Calvinist’s Theology) is unscriptural.

God’s Grace can be Resisted, Therefore, Not Irresistible

Note Matthew 23:37, since Christ said:

The word “unwilling” means grace can be resisted. The teaching known as irresistible grace is man-made just like the so-called unconditional election.

God is affected by my behavior toward Christ, our Savior. The teaching that God would give me all the advantages to get salvation as a chosen person is untrue since everyone is invited to the Kingdom of God.

God’s Love Works Out on Those Who will Come to Repentance

Christ died for all since He loved all. God does not want anyone to perish in hell because He loves all. That is common grace. “The Lord,” wrote the apostle Peter, “is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9) God’s love, however, cannot save a soul without repentance and faith in Christ, our Savior.

God’s Salvation Involves Human Response to Christ’s Invitation

We find that faith and the thirst for the truth of God serve as essential elements in defining the substance of God’s invitation for man to live forever in heaven. In the first chapter of the Book of John, the whole idea from verses 9 to 13 stems from the grace of God to the response of man. Again, the salvation from hell as offered by God considers the human behavior toward Jesus, our Lord. The apostle John says:

God’s Love Requires Man to Come and Receive Christ

In the above Scripture, we notice the need to RECEIVE Jesus to have the RIGHT to become CHILDREN OF GOD. The Hyper-Calvinist would argue that you will receive Jesus because of God’s irresistible grace and unconditional election since you are a chosen person—predestined to enter heaven before the foundation of the world. This man-made theology eliminates human free will and the responsibility to choose. But it is not a sound Bible teaching, since the Fall of Adam came after a choice to disobey his Creator. We have the proclivity to choose since God created us in His image, which includes the gift to decide.

Hence, Christ said: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40) Our Lord lamented on the people’s unwillingness “to come to Me.”

In Revelation 22:17, God’s invitation to live forever points to people who hear God’s Word—those who are athirst for the truth and those who wish to receive eternal life. Note this Scripture: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”

Faith Affects God’s Love

Your decision to COME is needed to live forever since it is impossible for God to invite us to come when in reality He is forcing us to come (even against our will!) by His irresistible grace and unconditional election.

Therefore, our decision to come and believe in Christ’s atoning blood matters to God—faith affects Him, contrary to the teaching that the person’s behavior does not concern God.

READ MORE: Hyper-Calvinism Rejected by Most Christians

What Did John Piper Say About God’s Unconditional Love?

John Piper³ seems greater than most of us, having written over 50 books already. I found on his website (accessed 1-22-2013) a topic concerning God’s unconditional love. I am always amazed by Piper’s ability to provoke and challenge his readers intellectually. The following is his defense of the doctrine of God’s unconditional love, the beloved teaching of most Hyper-Calvinists:

“How then does God love unconditionally…:

1. “He loves us with electing love unconditionally. ‘He chose us in him before the foundation of the world . . . for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ’ (Ephesians 1:4-5).” 

2. “He does not base this election on foreseeing our faith. On the contrary, our faith is the result of being chosen and appointed to believe, as Acts 13:48 says, ‘As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.'”

3. “He loves us with regenerating love before we meet any condition. The new birth is not God’s response to our meeting the condition of faith. On the contrary, the new birth enables us to believe.” 

4. “’Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been [already!] born of God,’ (1 John 5:1). ‘[We] were born, not . . . of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God’ (John 1:13).” (Numeric list format supplied.)

The Loopholes of Piper’s Contentions

Piper’s Argument Marked as Paragraph #1:

“He loves us with electing love unconditionally. ‘He chose us in him before the foundation of the world . . . for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ’ (Ephesians 1:4-5).”

I think Piper’s arguments have loopholes. For in paragraph #1 above, the verse speaks about “adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,” which tells already of a condition, that is, “through Jesus Christ.” God’s election before the foundation of the world through faith in Christ Jesus is a condition. Such an election is based on God’s omniscience and foreknowledge that the condition to trust Christ is met.

Paul said that “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.” (Rom. 8:29) The unconditional election is false teaching since there is a condition to believe in Jesus. As mentioned before, let’s hear John 3:36 (KJV) again: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Faith in Christ is a Condition of Either God’s Love or Wrath

Faith in Christ is a condition for either God’s love or wrath. It does not matter if you are chosen before the foundation of the world since God knows all. Before the beginning of time, God knew you would trust in Jesus for salvation. God’s foreknowledge of our faith in Jesus before the world was created does not produce a condition. It is not synonymous with unconditional election.

Faith in Christ is the condition for our salvation, and our Lord lamented that some are unwilling to receive Him as their Forgiver. Thus, the unconditional election preached by the Hyper-Calvinists is a man-made doctrine, since election has a condition, which is to believe and trust in Christ for salvation.

The first teaching we questioned above was the argument that God’s love is not affected by our behavior, with the father [God] of the Prodigal Son used as proof. Now that we have rebutted Piper’s argument #1 favoring God’s unconditional-love doctrine, let’s move on to Piper’s argument marked as paragraph #2:

Piper’s Argument Marked as Paragraph #2:

“He does not base this election on foreseeing our faith. On the contrary, our faith is the result of being chosen and appointed to believe, as Acts 13:48 says, ‘As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.'”

I had been reasonably challenged by Acts 13:48. A pastor friend of mine told me he never supported Hyper-Calvinism until he met this verse: “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” In short, God’s love is unconditional for the chosen ones. They accepted Christ since they were appointed or given the sovereign grace to believe!

Piper’s teaching is just so far-off as it strays into the so-called “born again to believe” heresy. Note again Piper’s contention: “He [God] does not base this election on foreseeing our faith. On the contrary, our faith is the result of being chosen and appointed to believe.”

As Many as were Appointed to Eternal Life Believed

This Scripture in Acts 13:48 does not prove that the Gentiles were “appointed to eternal life”, and the Jews, to eternal damnation. It cannot be applied to the Hyper-Calvinists’ teaching known as predestination.

Let us draw from the contextual Scripture that has prompted Luke to conclude that “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

In the preceding verses, the author describes the rejection of the Jewish crowd of the Gospel and Paul’s intention to preach to the Gentiles instead. Observe Acts 13:46-48:

Predestination Defames God as Unforgiving for Those “Predestined” to Hell Before the Foundation of the World

The Hyper-Calvinists teach that Acts 13:48 proves that those “appointed to eternal life believed.” It means salvation is received according to God’s decree or predestination. This interpretation of the verse leads to the error that God is cruel since He “appointed” the Jews (the light for the Gentiles, verse 47) to eternal damnation.

Second, if Acts 13:48 ascertains predestination, then the Gentiles who rejected Christ during this preaching of Paul were certain to go to hell. The apostle Peter, however, said: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9) The “Lord . . . is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish,” giving you all the opportunity to be saved.

Predestination is making God ruthless to those He “predestined” to hell, and no truth-seeker will accept a cruel God. Jesus loves all, and He wants all to come to repentance. It is the reason He delayed His return, according to the apostle Peter.

With predestination, God becomes the Author, Source, and Inventor of the sins that those who are PREDESTINED to hell before the world began would commit in eternity future. Should God not invent sin, goes this awful teaching, those predestined to hell could not go to hell. Predestination is just a blasphemous teaching. It is like a hell-occupying system with God as Architect and Executioner.

Piper’s Argument #3: New Birth First Before Believing!

“He loves us with regenerating love before we meet any condition. The new birth is not God’s response to our meeting the condition of faith. On the contrary, the new birth enables us to believe.”

Piper is telling us that we believe in Christ because of our second birth and that our second birth came to us since we were predestined or chosen or elected to eternal life. He further said that the second birth is not “God’s response to our meeting the condition of faith.” According to Piper, faith is not a condition for salvation (also termed as the second birth).

One believes because one is predestined to believe. This teaching removes the human responsibility to believe. Christ said in John 3:16 that “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” God requires us to BELIEVE, but the Hyper-Calvinists teach that we believe because of God’s irresistible grace and unconditional election and predestination to believe. What a heretical doctrine!

Although his contention is intellectual, Hyper-Calvinism (or so Piper’s doctrine belongs) is not Christ-glorifying. John R. Rice ⁴ once said that this teaching is the other way of saying that Christ Jesus does not love all. He predestines some to hell, others to heaven. ⁵

Piper’s Argument #4: Born of God First, Then Believe in Christ, Second

“‘Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been [already!] born of God,’ (1 John 5:1). ‘[We] were born, not . . . of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God’ (John 1:13).”

This contention is just related to the above (argument #3), which we had just discussed and answered already. We believe that there’s a condition to God’s love, but Piper and the other Hyper-Calvinists said that God’s love or dealings with humanity has no conditions. As the head of this paper states: “God’s love is unaffected by man’s behavior.” It is Hyper-Calvinism, the false teaching we are featuring here.

Let me reiterate what Piper taught. He said if you believe in Christ, it is so because you were born again already. As mentioned above, it is how the Hyper-Calvinists explain their “BORN AGAIN TO BELIEVE” teaching. The reason you believe now is that you were born again earlier (before you believe in the Gospel this time!). The Scripture used to defend this heresy is John 1:13 which states that “. . .who [the Children of God] were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Hyper-Calvinism Redefines God’s Love and Accuses Christ of Not Loving All

The Bible however gave no space for ambiguity when Christ taught that “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) For the Hyper-Calvinist, you need not labor to get the second-birth experience because it is not your will to be born again but the will of God. If you are predestined to inherit God’s Kingdom, His irresistible grace and an unconditional election will do the trick for you. No matter how many decades you spent studying your Bible, if you are predestined to hell, to hell you must go. That makes Hyper-Calvinism so heretical since it accuses Christ of not loving all—not dying for all!

All these instructions were invented and the theology of it formed (the Hyper-Calvinist Theology!) because of the push to remove the human will to trust Christ in the doctrine. First off, I want to prove that faith in the Gospel is necessary for salvation. I experienced it—that’s how I got saved. Wrote the apostle Paul that he is “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

He added, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain”. (1 Cor. 15:1-2) Note the phrase, “unless you believed in vain” (not saving faith!). Salvation follows believing.

God’s Love Abhors Compulsion. It Requires Our Freedom to Believe

If we study John chapter one and verses eleven and twelve (a part of Piper’s power verse, namely, John 1:13) we would meet the concept of faith and the act of RECEIVING Christ as a precondition to get salvation. We have the human responsibility to receive the Gospel and trust Christ and in His word—before we could become children of God. The word “receive” is even stressed since it played in the parallelism presented in these two verses (vv.11-12). Observe:

John chapter one and verse thirteen is a part of verses 11 and 12. Its role is to show how the second birth happened AFTER BELIEVING. Note in this Scripture that God gave “the right to become children of God” only after receiving Christ into the heart by faith.

The Hyper-Calvinists’ Heresy Goes Like This: “Now that You are Saved, You will Start Believing”

You are NOT a child of God BEFORE you express faith inwardly in Jesus and His claims. After believing, the Spirit of Jesus will live in your soul. (Rom. 8:9) How did it happen? For the born again experience (after believing) Christ told Nicodemus: “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:7-8)

When the Holy Spirit indwells you, it’s just like being touched by the sea breeze in the inner man. There is wonder and mystery in it—a miracle, if you will. When the harlot, Mary Magdalene, became a saint, it is not a spiritual miracle? When the church persecutor Saul got converted and became the apostle Paul, is it a transformation of divine origin?

The second birth is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our soul, but it follows faith. To the Philippian jailer, Paul (and Silas) said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” It did not say, “Now that you are saved, you will start believing.” Well, it is not what the Bible teaches. It is Hyper-Calvinism; we need to resist such man-made teaching.

Let’s Reexamine the Prodigal Son—the Preacher’s Text

I want to revisit my opening story in this article. After church, I told my children not to believe in what we have just heard, that God is not affected by our behavior since it is false teaching and therefore harmful to our Christian faith and practice.
Before we close, let’s examine the word of our Lord Jesus Christ in this parable in Luke 15:20-24 (the sermon text), for us to understand that the preaching mentioned above was not in accord with the Scriptures:

God’s Love and the Prodigal Son’s Forgiveness

We all know that the “father” here is referred to as God, and the idea is all about our Father God’s nature to forgive us our sins. Yes, it is about His great love for His children, the believers, and followers of Christ Jesus. The Prodigal Son was forgiven, for it was said that “while he [the son] was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” Then, a celebration was ordered by the father for the black sheep of the family has returned home!

Remember that the Parable is silent about the possibility of the Prodigal Son not repenting.

Had he not repented, the father wouldn’t have had the opportunity of kissing him and calling for a party. The father and son break-up could not have been ironed out, just like Adam’s separation from his Creator after his Fall.

Here is another point. The word used in this passage of Scripture is “son,” not a hired servant. As such, John wrote that if you are God’s child, you will not turn your back on your heavenly Father forever. (1 John 2:19)

Part of God’s Love is the Assurance of His Children’s Sonship

The backsliding Christian will return to the faith, in contrast to the apostate (unsaved) ones. “They went out from us,” John said, “but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.” (1 John 2:19) The Prodigal Son is equivalent to a backsliding but born-again Christian.

In Hebrews, we also find the impossibility of the son losing his sonship. (Heb. 10:26-27, 28, 39)

Now, what do you think was the very condition which made the father [God] forgive his sinful, prodigal son? It says in Luke 15 that “his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

God’s Love Stirs Up on Genuine Repentance

Now, this happened because the prodigal son repented. That was the condition; therefore, the teaching that God is not affected by man’s behavior is unscriptural! Let’s observe verses 17 to 20 in Luke chapter 15:

From the above verses, we find contrary teaching: The father [God] was affected by the repentance of the Prodigal Son. We commented here that the Prodigal Son represents the children of God, the born-again Christians.

God’s Love Restores the Backsliding Christians

The saved Christian will always return to our Father God after backsliding, since Christ promised that “no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:28b) But what about those unsaved souls around us, will God be affected by their behavior? Yes, when they repent and trust Jesus and His Word for their forgiveness and salvation. This Scripture may help us:

Conclusion

True, God loves all; hence, He gave Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, to die for the propitiation of our sins. Christ’s shed blood is for all, but only those who believe [the condition] will be cleansed of guilt through it. For the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin, provided we believe [on the condition to trust in Christ’s blood for forgiveness].