Love is Kind: God’s Grace and Mercy, Unconditional Love, Unconditional Forgiveness
Unconditional love means giving without expecting anything in return. It is being generous and giving without any thought of getting something back. Unconditional love isn’t motivated by fear, guilt, or obligation. It doesn’t expect anything in return or react with bitterness if the love isn’t reciprocated. Unconditional love is patient and kind, not jealous or boastful; it isn’t arrogant or rude. Love that is unconditional is forgiving and trusting, not selfish or resentful; it isn’t angry or greedy but rejoices with those who rejoice and mourns with those who mourn. In this blog post, we will explore God’s grace and mercy, unconditional love, and unconditional forgiveness as a manifestation of God’s unconditioned love for us.
Love is immense and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when a blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing in the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.
1 Corinthians 13:4–7
God’s Grace & Mercy Is Unconditional
Grace is God’s unmerited favor—His unearned and un-requested gift of salvation that is offered to all people. This means that when we come to God, He doesn’t expect us to be perfect or meet any conditions before He will forgive us and welcome us into His family. He extends this undeserved gift to everyone, no matter who we are or what we’ve done. God’s grace can be found in every part of the Bible and is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Mercy is one of God’s attributes. It is a reflection of His willingness to forgive people. You wouldn’t be able to approach God if it weren’t for His mercy!
God our Father and Jesus Christ, his Son, will release to us overflowing grace, mercy, and peace, filled with true love.
2 John 3
Unconditional Love
Unconditional love is accepting and appreciating others exactly as they are now and recognizing their innate value as human beings. Unconditional love isn’t based on an expectation of what a person should do or be. It isn’t dependent on the other person meeting our needs or fulfilling our desires. Unconditional love sees the potential in people and responds to others with kindness, compassion, and understanding. Unconditional love is patient with others’ flaws and limitations. It isn’t harsh when someone makes a mistake or fails. Unconditional love isn’t critical or judgmental of others’ limitations. Unconditional love isn’t manipulative or controlling. It isn’t used to manipulate people into doing what we want them to do. Unconditional love doesn’t demand perfection from others. It recognizes that we are all imperfect and makes allowances for our humanity.
“So this is my command: Love each other deeply, as much as I have loved you. For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all. And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends.
John 15:12–13
Unconditional Forgiveness
Unconditional forgiveness is letting go of resentment and anger, even when the person who hurt you doesn’t ask for forgiveness or takes responsibility for what they did. It is letting go of the desire to get even. Unconditional forgiveness is letting go of any desire for revenge or payment for what was done to us. It means releasing any hope of getting even or getting back at the person who hurt us. Unconditional forgiveness is doing the right thing even when it doesn’t feel good to do it. It’s showing love to others regardless of their actions and showing mercy toward ourselves when we make mistakes. Unconditional forgiveness means releasing the past and not letting it burden us and keep us from moving forward in life.
Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way Jesus Christ has graciously forgiven you. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them.
Colossians 3:13
Our Response to God’s Unconditional Love
When we are aware of God’s unconditional love and His grace toward us, we have an opportunity to respond in love to God and our fellow human beings. We can accept God’s love, praise Him for it, and show love toward Him and others by forgiving, helping, and serving others. We can trust that God’s love is constant, even when life seems to get complicated and we don’t always understand what God is doing. We can find strength and comfort in God’s love and know that He will never leave us or abandon us. We can see God’s love all around us in the form of His creation and in the lives of His people. We can be thankful for God’s love and seek to live our lives in a manner that is worthy of such a love.
We have come into an intimate experience with God’s love, and we trust in the love he has for us. God is love! Those living in love live in God, and God lives through them.
1 John 4:16
Knowing that we are Loved and Forgiven
Knowledge of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness is liberating, comforting, and motivating. It gives us hope and strength in the midst of even the most difficult circumstances. It helps us to understand that when we make mistakes, we can turn to God and know that He will forgive us and welcome us back into His family. It gives us confidence that even if we have made some serious mistakes and have done things that we regret, God forgives us and will welcome us back with open arms. Knowing that we are loved and forgiven by God gives us the strength to be forgiving toward others. It helps us to see the potential in people who have wronged us and to extend compassion and mercy toward them. It motivates us to make positive changes in our lives and to treat others with kindness and respect.
For it was only through this extraordinary grace that we believed in him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.
Ephesians 2:8–9
Our Takeaway
Unconditional love is a fantastic concept, and it is something that we should all aspire to give to others and receive from others. It is a love that is entirely selfless and generous. It is a love that doesn’t expect anything in return or react with bitterness if the love isn’t reciprocated. It is a love that is patient, kind, and unconditional. Unconditional love is found in the person of Christ. In His life, death, and resurrection, He showed us what true love looks like. He showed us that love is sacrificial and that one will give up anything for the sake of others. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
And that is but one example of what God is doing in this age of fulfillment, for God’s grace empowers his chosen remnant. And since it is by God’s grace, it can’t be a matter of their good works; otherwise, it wouldn’t be a gift of grace but earned by human effort.
Romans 11:5–6
