Mutual unconditional love is the highest level an interpersonal relationship can attain.
God loves us unconditionally, even when we disappoint him. He wants us to love him unconditionally, even when he disappoints us.
God embodies perfect love. He loves us unconditionally by nature. But we are innately selfish. Therefore, we must choose to love God unconditionally.
Our Volition
Mutual unconditional love is not a mushy sentiment. Instead, it emanates from the entwining of two wills.
In a marital relationship, this confluence occurs when two people meld their personal wills into a common will both individuals share.
But in our relationship with God, this congruity requires us to subordinate our will to his, which remains unaltered.
This is because God’s will is perfect. Ours is not. He is the Creator. We are the created.
Our Faith
Amid affliction, we entwine our will around God’s will by exercising faith.
- We acknowledge his excellence, despite the imperfections in our circumstances.
- We express gratitude for the goodness around us, whether faint or trivial.
- We affirm that his ideas and methods are superior to ours, even though they baffle us.
- We subordinate our needs and desires to his preferences without knowing his intentions.
- We trust in the sufficiency and righteousness of his plan without understanding its logic.
Our Suffering
The suffering we endure in this fallen world presents opportunities for us to learn to love God unconditionally.
God never orchestrates our afflictions to bring about this outcome. He cannot initiate evil, and true love cannot be coerced.
But the goodness he produces from our distress deepens our understanding of his excellence, which invariably increases our love for him.
Here is how that works.
Our Understanding
God draws near to us as we walk in harmony with him amid affliction.
In due time we see facets of his character, compassion, and capabilities that we did not recognize previously.
We begin to understand that his love for us is indeed unfailing, and his ways are always superior to ours.
As a result, we become willing to entwine our will around his will and trust him in every circumstance.
We begin to love him unconditionally.
Read More About God’s Love For Us
The Bible describes God’s love for us in terms of theology, relationships, nature, and infinity. Learn why he loves us unconditionally.
The sidebar on the page entitled Surviving Affliction describes the similarities between a mother’s love for her newborn child and God’s love for us.
