
Originally Posted by
beloved57
God's Love is redemptive and in Christ Jesus Rom 8:39
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In the original its the Love of God with the definite article, so its an exclusive Love of God, now that said, Yes God has a considerate providence towards all men, elect and non elect alike Matt 5:45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
This is not His Redemptive and exclusive Love in Christ Jesus.
An example may help here to explain what is meant, Say a Jailor who has care over 100 prisoners, vile men, and one of them is his own son, just as vile as the others, difference being thats his son, and all prisoners being under his charge and care until their final judgment falls upon them, he has an responsibility to give them the common necessities of life to preserve them to that day. He feeds them, gives them water, takes them out for air and exercise, but for one of those vile men, He actually has a special Love for, though by the standards of prision life he treats the son no better than the others with the common necessities of life, or treats them no less, only difference is he has an special love for his son ! The Jailor exercises the same common care over all the prisoners, but he loves only one of them.
Now, The children of God , we treat all men, as much as in us is, with all due consideration. Lets imagine, if one i know is an staunch blasphemer and hates the God I Love and serve, lets say that one day I see that person on the highway, they have just been shot and i pull over and see its my enemy in the Gospel and they need medical attention quick, lest they die, it would move me out of common cilvity and appreciation out of their physical well being, to do what i can to faciliatate their life being preserved, my differences in faith is not a consideration, though when it comes to that, I hate them, and wish them accursed Gal 1:8-9, but when it comes to being able to help preserve their life, I am moved with common and natural affection of compassion for my fellow creature ! Hence thats what Jesus means:
Lk 10:30-37
That word compassion means:
I.to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)
This is not brotherly love, certainly not redemptive Love but more of a civil affection for our fellow creature, we are not without natural affection as stated here 2 Tim 33:3
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
That word natural affection actually means unloving, naturally !