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 falls short of our expectations.
God embodies perfect love. He loves us unconditionally by nature. But we are inherently selfish; therefore, we must choose to love God unconditionally.
Our Volition
Mutual unconditional love is not a mushy sentiment. Instead, it emanates from the intertwining of two wills.
In a marital relationship, this confluence occurs when two spouses merge their personal wills into a shared will that they both adopt.
However, in our relationship with God, this congruity requires us to conform our will to his, which remains unchanged.
This is because God’s will is perfect, whereas ours is not. He is the Creator, and we are his creations.
Our Faith
Amid affliction, we conform our will to God’s when we exercise faith.
- We acknowledge his excellence despite the imperfections of 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 when they baffle us.
- We subordinate our needs and desires to his preferences, even when we do not know his intentions.
- We trust in the sufficiency and righteousness of his plan, even when we do not understand its logic.
Our Suffering
The suffering we endure in this fallen world offers us opportunities to learn to love God unconditionally.
Here is how that works.
God draws near to us as we walk in harmony with him amid affliction.
In due time, we will recognize facets of his character, compassion, and capabilities that we never noticed before.
We come to understand that his love for us is indeed unfailing and that his ways are always superior to ours.
As a result, we become willing to conform our will to his and to trust him in every circumstance.
We begin loving him unconditionally.
God never orchestrates our afflictions to bring about this outcome because he cannot initiate evil, which is the ultimate source of all suffering.
However, he uses the distress we naturally encounter in this fallen world to deepen our love for him as we walk in harmony with him.
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 titled Surviving Affliction highlights the similarities between a mother’s love for her newborn and God’s love for us.
