In the book "The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God" (by Don Carson) we discovered that there are 5 kinds of the love of God found in the Bible. They are:
1) The special love the Father has for the Son, and the Son has for the Father
2) God has a 'common' love
3) God loves everyone and desires that they all be saved
4) God has a special love for His chosen people
5) There is a love from God that comes only through obedience
We have finished looking at the first and second kind of the love of God. We can now move on to study the other kinds of the love of God. But before we move on, I need to let you know that there is a lot of disagreement among Christians regarding the third and fourth kinds of the love of God. Let me explain why.
Both the third and fourth kind of the love of God are focused on salvation. The third kind of the love of God states that God loves everyone and desires that they all be saved. However, the fourth kind of the love of God states that God has a special "electing" (or choosing) love, and that only those chosen by God will be saved. Some have said that it's impossible to have both the third and fourth kind of the love of God. Some will say that there is a third kind but the fourth kind is not biblical. While others will say that there is a fourth kind but the third kind is not biblical. I want to show that Don Carson is right, and if you do not accept both the third and fourth kind of the love of God as being biblical, then it is certain that there will be confusion, unbalanced doctrine, and wrong views on the love of God.
Since we are studying the third kind of the love of God this time, my goal is to show that God does love everyone and desires that all be saved.
Let's start by looking at John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
We see in John 3:16 that God loves the world. But who is the world? According to Don Carson, in the writings of John (i.e. Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John), "world" is simply referring to all unbelievers. So when John 3:16 says that God loves the "world", He really does love ALL the "world".
God showed His love for all the world by sending His Son to die for all the world. We know that Christ came to die for all the world by the following verses:
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the WORLD!" (John 1:29 ESV)
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD." (1 John 2:2 ESV)
When we realize that John uses "world" to mean all unbelievers, then it's not difficult to see that God loves all people, that He sent Christ to die for all people, and that He desire the salvation of all people.
As I said earlier, there are some people that do not accept this third kind of the love of God. They see the "world" as meaning God's chosen people, and therefore they believe God only loves them. They do not believe that God sent His Son to die for all, and they do not believe God desires the salvation of all. However, I hope to prove that these people do not hold to the historic Christian position regarding God's love at the cross.
Let me begin by giving you a sample of different men throughout church history who hold to this third kind of the love of God. By the way, all of these men also hold to the fourth kind of the love of God, showing that it's possible to believe both at the same time.
AUGUSTINE (354-430)
The Redeemer came, and gave a price; He poured forth His Blood, and bought the whole world. Ye ask what He bought? Ye see what He hath given; find out then what He bought. The Blood of Christ was the price. What is equal to this? What, but the whole world? What, but all nations?.. He gave what He gave for the whole world. He knew what He bought, because He knew at what price He bought it.“ Augustine, “Exposition of the Psalms,” Ps 96:5, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, vol 8, 309.
PETER LOMBARD (1100-1160)
“He offered himself for all as far as the sufficiency of the price is concerned, but, as far as efficacy is concerned, for the elect only,” Libri Sententiarum Quatuor, in J. Migne (Ed.), Cursus Completus Patrologiae, Paris 1845.
THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
But by suffering out of love and obedience, Christ gave more to God than was required to compensate for the offense of the whole human race...And therefore Christ’s Passion was not only a sufficient but a superabundant atonement for the sins of the human race; according to 1 John 2:2: “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” Summa Theologica, Part 3, Q 48.2.(Thomas Aquinas 125-1274)
MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546)
Yes, He assumes not only my sins but also those of the whole world, from Adam down to the very last mortal. Luther, “Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 1-4,” in Luther’s Works, 22:161-170.]
HULDRYCH ZWINGLI (1484-1531)
"If then Christ by his death has reconciled all people who are on earth when he poured out his blood on the cross and if we are on earth, then our sins, too, and those of everyone who has ever lived, have been recompensed by the one death and offering."
(Zwingli, Exposition and Basis of the Conclusions or Articles Published by Huldrych Zwingli, 29 January 1523, Pickwick Publications, vol 1, p, 97.)
WILLIAM TYNDALE (1494-1536)
For (saith he) there is one God, and one God, and one Mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus, which gave himself a redemption and full satisfaction for all men. [Tyndale, "Exposition of First Epistle of St. John", Works, 2:406]
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564)
So far as men are concerned, I admit the force of this argument; for it is the will of God that we should seek the salvation of all men without exception, as Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world."
[Calvin on Gal. 5:12]
HEIDELBERG CATECHISM (1563)
37 Q. What do you understand by the word "suffered"? A. That during his whole life on earth, but especially at the end, Christ sustained in body and soul the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race...
SYNOD OF DORT & WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY OF DIVINES (1618-1649)
Calamy, who spoke repeatedly in the debate on the Extent of Redemption,avowed that he held, IN THE SAME SENSE AS THE ENGLISH DIVINES AT THE SYNOD OF DORT, 'that CHRIST BY HIS DEATH DID PAY A PRICE FOR ALL , with absolute intention for the elect, with conditional intention for the reprobate incase they do believe; that all men should be salvabiles non obstante lapsu Adami...;that Jesus Christ did not only die sufficiently for all, but God did intend, in giving of Christ, and CHRIST IN GIVING HIMSELF DID INTEND TO PUT ALL MEN IN A STATE OF SALVATION IN CASE THEY DO BELIEVE.'
(MINUTES OF THE SESSIONS of the WESTMINISTER ASSEMBLY OF DIVINES (November 1644 to March 1649) from the 1874 edition - Taken from the Introduction - by Dr. Mitchell)
JONATHAN EDWARDS (1703-1758)
He was enabled to do and to suffer the whole will of God; and he obtained the whole of the end of his sufferings — a full atonement for the sins of the whole world
[Jonathan Edwards, Christ’s “Agony,” in Works, Banner of Truth, vol, 2, p., 874.]
W.G.T SHEDD (1820-1894)
When Christ died on Calvary, the whole mass, so to speak, human sin was expiated merely by that death ; but the whole mass was not pardoned merely by that death. The claims of law and justice for the sins of the whole world were satisfied by the “offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10); but the sins of every individual man were not forgiven and “blotted out” by this transaction.[Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, 3:418.]
R. L. DABNEY (1820-1898)
It would seem then, that the Apostle’s scope is to console and encourage sinning believers with the thought that since Christ made expiation for every man, there is no danger that He will not be found a propitiation for them who, having already believed, now sincerely turn to him from recent sins. Dabney, Lectures, 525
I know this has been very long, but it is my goal to show that the third kind of the love of God is biblical. But more than that, I hope I have shown, by the many examples that were given, that it is possible for someone to believe the third kind and fourth kind of the love of God without contradiction.
Does God love the whole world and desire for all to be saved? I believe the biblical answer is "yes"!
Next time we'll look at the fourth kind of the love of God. The fourth kind of the love of God states that God has a special saving love for His chosen people. Sound confusing? I hope I can explain it in a way that is clear.
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