Introduction: A “covenant” is an agreement. We might call it
a “contract” today. For most people, love is “covenantal,”
meaning that we love those who love us. And we don’t love
those who do not love us. But is that true for God? In
Matthew 5:44-46 Jesus teaches that loving only those who
love us is not the goal. We read in John 3:16 that God loved
the world, therefore He gave “His only Son” to save us.
Jesus came to save a lot of people who had never heard of
Him. Obviously, they had not agreed to love Him. Let’s dive
into our study of the Bible and learn more about the
relationship between God’s love and our love for Him!
I. Picking Lovers?
A. Read Deuteronomy 7:6-8. God explains why He did and
did not choose Israel to be His special people.
What are the rejected reasons? (God did not choose
them because they were numerous.)
1. Then why did God choose them? (God loves them.
Plus, God made a promise to their ancestors.)
B. Read Deuteronomy 7:9-11. Does God love everyone?
(Not according to these verses. God loves those
“who love Him and keep His commandments.” He will
destroy those who hate Him.)
C. Before the verses in Deuteronomy 7 that talk about
God’s love for the Jewish people, we find verses
about people who are to be destroyed. Read
Deuteronomy 7:1-2. How are these specific people
groups to be treated? (The goal for them is
“complete destruction.”)
1. I ask again, “Does God love everyone?” (These
verses suggest that He does not.)
D. Let’s explore this a bit more by reading
Deuteronomy 7:3-5. What reasons do we find for God
destroying these people? (They serve other gods.
They have rejected the true God.)
1. Can we formulate a rule for God’s love? One
that is “covenantal” – if you choose God He
loves you? If not, you need to run.
E. Read 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:3-4. What does
this add to the picture of God’s love? (God loves
everyone in the sense that He wants all to come to
Him. But if you do not come to Him you will be
destroyed.)
1. Does this fit neatly with Matthew 5:44-45?
II. Limited Love?
A. Read Jude 20-21. What does it mean to “keep
yourselves” in the love of God? Does it mean that
whether God loves us depends on whether we continue
to choose a position within His love?
B. Read Hosea 9:15 and Jeremiah 16:5. What do these
texts teach us about God’s continuing love? (They
teach us that God reaches a point where He does not
love people who have wicked deeds.)
C. Read Romans 11:22. I ask again, are humans in
control of God’s love? Put another way, must we
“continue in God’s kindness” to be able to enjoy
God’s kindness?
D. One commentator argued that the “love no more” text
in Hosea could not mean God can stop loving a
person because in Hosea 14:4 we find God saying He
“loves freely.” Do you think the “love freely”
text means the same as “love always?” (A person
could honestly say that they loved everyone
“freely” without saying that they would continue to
love a person who engaged in wicked deeds.”)
1. But wait a minute. Are the people who are
“loved freely” in Hosea 14:4 good people? (No.
They are in an “apostasy” that God says He
will heal. This suggests that God stands ready
to receive them again.)
III. Common Grace
A. Since the text that seems out of tune with the idea
of a turning point for God’s love (and ours) is
Matthew 5, let’s look at it in more detail. Read
Matthew 5:43-45. What kind of love is described
here? (I would call it “equal opportunity love.”
The theological term is “common grace.” God says He
does the basics for both good and bad people – He
sends sun and rain on all.)
1. Is “common grace” the way you love your family
members? (No! You give them special, favorable
treatment.)
B. Read 1 John 4:7-10. What is the most important
“common grace” love that Jesus has given to all?
(Jesus died for the sins of all.)
C. Look more closely at 1 John 4:9. Notice that it
says that we “might” live through Jesus. Does this
mean God’s love is limited if we do not live
through Jesus? (If we do not accept Jesus as our
Savior His death on our behalf does us no good.)
D. Read 1 John 4:15-17. What do you think it means to
have God’s love “perfected” in us? (Equal
opportunity love, common grace, is given to all.
That love will not keep us from being destroyed in
the judgment. What gives us confidence in facing a
final judgment is that we have accepted God into
our life and by that God’s love reaches a new level
of perfect love.)
E. Do you recall from last week (Lesson 1 in this
series) the Matthew 22 parable of the wedding
feast? Read Matthew 22:8-10. What is the common
grace part of this parable? (In the end everyone
was invited to the wedding feast. Even the “bad”
were invited.)
F. Read Matthew 22:11-13. What is the point at which
God’s love is “perfected” in us, according to this
parable? (When we put on the robe of righteousness
provided by God. We must be careful not to confuse
God’s switch from common grace to a perfected love
with our obedience. We must choose God, but the
likely defect in the guest without a wedding
garment was that he thought his clothes were
perfectly acceptable. Our good deeds do not earn
salvation.)
IV. Loving Others
A. Read 1 John 4:19-21. How does common grace fit with
hating others? Do you think John used the word
“hate” deliberately? (Common grace love treats
others fairly, including those we do not like. We
do not pick them out for separate and unequal
treatment. That is a low standard for love, and not
the standard we apply to friends and family.)
B. Read John 15:12-14. Is Jesus moving the standard
upward? He died for all and so we should give up
all for our enemies? (Notice the limit found in
verse 14. We are God’s friends if we obey Him. I
don’t think, upon close inspection, the standard
has moved.)
C. Read 1 John 3:16-17. Does this move up the low
standard of common grace love? Is a “brother”
something other then everyone else in the world?
(Read 1 John 3:13. John makes a distinction between
those who have accepted Jesus and those who are the
“world.”)
D. Read Matthew 18:23-28. What is the common grace
rule? (Equal treatment. All should pay their
debts.)
1. How would you apply the common grace rule to a
fellow who was forgiven an enormous amount of
money? (This moves the standard. God’s common
grace to us meant that He died to give us the
opportunity for eternal life. We must show
forgiveness to others.)
E. Read Matthew 18:29-34. Is God’s forgiveness
“covenantal?” Meaning the rules still apply?
1. Assume a criminal killed a member of your
family. Are you required to forgive the
criminal? Are you required to ask the state
not to execute the criminal? (I suggest that
we are required to forgive – that reflects
Jesus’ forgiveness to us. But we are not
required to go beyond the common grace with
regard to the state. We are not required to
ask the state to forgo the general rules of
punishment.)
F. Let’s look at what Jesus said about those who had
unfairly accused Him, tortured Him, and were now
killing Him. Read Luke 23:34. Is Jesus going beyond
common grace? Is He in effect, asking the state not
to execute the criminal?
1. Do you think God answered Jesus’ prayer with a
positive response? (Jesus says the people did
not know what they were doing. Certainly, some
knew what they were doing. I believe God gives
us sufficient information before He executes
judgment when we reject Him. Recall that
thereafter Jerusalem was destroyed and the
Jewish leaders slaughtered.)
G. Friend, has your understanding of God’s love and
your obligations to others increased through this
discussion? Will you show common grace to all while
remembering what Jesus did for you?
V. Next week: To Be Pleasing to God.
Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
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but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
