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WHY DOES GOD LOVE YOU? "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." I well remember those words from a song we sang at summer Bible School when I was about ten or twelve year old. Yes, we know God loves us because the Bible tells us so. Probably the most oft quoted and recognizable verse in all the Bible is John 3:16 which reads:
But WHY does God love us and the world? Some think God loves for no reason at all, which makes no sense at all. God has reasons for all that He does, including loving humanity. Aside from the fact that the Bible tells us that God loves us, God may have numerous reasons why He loves us. But there are two very profound reasons for God's love that are not openly stated to be reasons for His love, yet they are. However, few have ever comprehended these two reasons for God's love. There is something about the world and about you individually that are cause for God's love. Yet neither one of these reasons has anything to do with any contribution from us. Both reasons are out of God. WHY SHOULD GOD LOVE US? Is there anything natural and inherent in humanity that is loving and desirable? Everyone loves new born babies because they are so innocent and helpless. But we are all familiar with what happens 24 months later -- "the terrible twos," where innocence, helplessness, and cuteness seems to give way to loud, rebellious, outbursts of selfishness. But we continue to love them hoping to love them OUT of their terrible-two stage of development. Likewise, God puts up with humanity even in his terrible twenties, and terrible thirties, because God knows that at whatever point He desires, He can bring all those terrible ones to repentance and change. But God does not love humanity in his carnal and "terrible" stages. The old shop worn platitude: "Just as I am" has no place in the Word of God. God will not accept you "just as you are" regardless of how many thousands of pastors and evangelists tell you differently. We have all fallen victim to the unscriptural statement that "God hates sin, but loves the sinner." Oh really? And does anyone have chapter and verse on that? I think not. Let us now take a look at man's condition of "just as he is," just as God sees him. THE NATURAL MIND OF MAN HATES GOD AND LOVES SIN When the Scriptures speak of the "carnal mind" of man or "the flesh" of man, it is speaking of his spiritual condition and attitude, until God converts such a person through a spiritual process of repentance. We have many statements which confirm the weak and sinful condition of the human heart. Here are but a few:
Notice that God will need to "have mercy upon all" because "all have sinned." God made the human race, and He made them spiritually weak, and as such are not able to obey the spiritual laws of God. Eve failed her first test. God told them what they could and could not eat. Eve immediately gave in to her "lust of flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life" when Satan presented her the opportunity. This weak spiritual mind and heart of Eve did not develop over a life-time of sinning, but was with her from her beginning. It therefore, behooves God to take away man's stony heart and convert his carnal mind after they have served God's purpose in the spiritual development of man. Paul gives us a detailed description of man's natural makeup:
Seriously, how could God love "adultery, witchcraft, drunkenness, and murder?" He couldn't, and neither does God love people while committing such crimes.
We are told:
So, does God really "love" such wicked & deceitful people? The Bible answers: A STARTLING REVELATION: GOD HATES SINNERS There is no Scripture which states that God hates everyone even though everyone sins:
However, when sinning becomes a way of life, and the sins are of a certain magnitude and grossness, God hates the sinner as well as his sins. Here are some examples:
So what is there about man that God loves? He hates man's sin and He hates the man who commits the sin. And that IS the way all human beings are. So what is left for God to love? There is one Scripture that some might think contradicts the many Scriptures above stating that God hates sinners, and that verse is found in Rom. 5:8.
Doesn't this verse prove that God does love us, even while we are continuing to sin? No, it doesn't. It may sound that way, but let's take a closer look. CHRIST DIED FOR SINNERS AND FOR THEIR SINS Christ died for sinners:
Christ died for our sins:
If Jesus "died for SINNERS," doesn't that prove that He loves sinners? No. He also "died for our SINS." If dying for sinners proves God's love for sinners, then likewise, dying for our sins would prove God's love for our sins, but God hates our sins. Most of us are familiar with this Scripture:
There is a solution to why Christ died for US SINNERS, and OUR SINS -- two things which God hates. Notice carefully, that Rom. 5:8 does not say that God loves sinners, or loves us while we are yet sinners. It says that God "commends His love toward us... while yet sinners." "Commend" means to "introduce or exhibit." Yes, God "introduces" His love toward sinners while they are yet sinners, but He does not actually love them while they are sinning. God cannot both hate sinners (which many Scriptures attest to including those quoted above), and love sinners at the same time. God's Word does not contradict. God's love for humanity before the cross resided in the fact that all will be brought to repentance due to His workmanship, and God sees things not only as they are, but as they WILL BE. It was what God saw that man would BE, in the future after repentance, that He loved. If Paul wanted to tell us that God loves sinners while they are yet sinning, he would have simply said so, such as this: "God loved us while we were yet sinners." Or even more directly like this: "God LOVES SINNERS." But God only "commended" or "introduced" or "exhibited" that love ahead of time. Paul makes this simple to understand 16 verses previously where he states, "...God calls those things which be NOT as though they WERE" (Rom. 4:17). And since we are told at dozens of places in Scripture that God is the Saviour of all men, His love and sacrifice on the cross covers all sins, for all people, for all time.
THE SALVATION OF ALL IS 100% CERTAIN Why should submitting His Son to a brutal beating and crucifixion "please Him?"
The Hebrew word translated "bruise" means: "to crumble; beat to pieces, break (in pieces), bruise, contrite, crush, destroy, humble, oppress, smite" (Strong's Hebrew Lexicon). Read that again... Think about that for a few minutes... How could such human devastation, depravation, and cruel degradation, to One's only Son possibly "PLEASE" His Father? God had to know that what He was doing would not produce the slightest failure. Such an unfathomable sacrifice could only be justified if it produced 100% total success and perfection. God was not taking a chance by sacrificing His Son "while" we were yet sinners, "before" we ever repented, because God knows that salvation is totally in His hands and not in the hands of humanity. If repentance, conversion, and salvation was up to us, God could not be sure that one single person would ever repent and be saved. Here are but a few of the reasons that the salvation of the whole human race is totally dependant upon God and God only:
And this is how God knew that Christ's sacrifice would not be in vain. The Scriptures couldn't be any plainer: Salvation is from God, and out of God, and therefore failure is impossible. And even our Christian walk AFTER God performs all of the above, is of God, not of ourselves:
Yes, Jesus loved Paul as He saw he would BE after He struck him down on the road to Damascus. THAT'S the "Paul" that Jesus loved, not the "SAUL" that was slaughtering and persecuting His followers. It is the goodness of God that brings sinners to repentance:
And you probably thought that you "free-willed" yourself into repentance. If we think that, then we "despise the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering [patience]." And I don't think any of us wants to be guilty of "despising the riches of His goodness." And a major part of God's goodness is His Judgments which bring righteousness to all humanity:
This word "judgments" means the same thing as "righteousness" in this context. Notice Gen.18:25:
That's right, "do right" is translated from the Hebrew word "judge." Amazing! When God causes the inhabitants of the world to do what is right, they will learn righteousness, and will therefore be righteous, and God will save them all. God's judgments work miracles, and when needed they work miracles extremely fast. Example: Paul was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, but Jesus blinded him in the light of His GLORY and Paul fell on his face, "trembling and astonished said, 'Lord what will YOU have me to do?" God knocked the persecution out of Paul in a matter of seconds. Was Paul's conversion any less real because it was initiated by God rather than by Paul, himself? I assure you that Paul had no intention of going to Damascus to worship the Lord. The point of this example is to show that God can convert any human being He desires, and He can do it very quickly. So for God to convert the entire world -- all humanity, is not an impossible task for our God. And no, God does not need to force man against his will to repent. It is not God's force and punishments that bring men to repentance, but God's goodness:
PAUL SETS THE STAGE TO SHOW WHY GOD LOVES THE WORLD God used the capital of the Greek world, Athens, for the site of a major revelation concerning His relationship with humanity, their judgment, and final salvation. When Paul was chased out of several cities for his preaching of Christ, he came to Athens and preached daily in the market place, where certain Epicureans and Stoics encountering Paul asked: "What will this idle babbler say?" (Acts 17:18). Others accused him of teaching "strange gods" because he preached Jesus and the resurrection. They then brought Paul to the Areopagus (the high judicial council of Athens) where they wanted to hear more of Paul's strange teachings.
Thus begins Paul's sermon:
And so God uses the pagan worship and pagan religion of the pagan Greeks to reveal Himself as the maker of the world and all things, the Lord of heaven, the giver of life, and that He is not worshipped with hands or found in temples made by man. Paul then shows where these pagan Greek Athenians, and by extension all people on earth, figure into God's plan and purpose for humanity. We will now show God's connection with humanity and why He loves them. Reason One: WHY GOD LOVES THE WORLD Paul told the Athenians that the God that was UNKNOWN to them, was in fact, the very God that Paul himself worshipped. And being the great teacher and psychologist that Paul was, he used their own superstition to show them Who the True God really is. So Paul shows them their origin, their connection with God, and their final destiny.
There is the answer as to why God loves the world. The word "offspring" in this verse is from the Greek word, genos (from which we get our word genealogy), which Strong's Greek Lexicon defines as "kin." And kin is "One's relatives, family, kinfolk." Yes, we are of the same race, kin, relatives, and family as God Almighty! A few other Versions of Acts 17:28 are:
Have you ever meditated on this profound truth? WE ARE GOD'S KIN! I can trace my genealogy back to Joris Jansen De Rapalje, the first of four named families to settle Manhattan Island, New York in 1623. But that's barely 400 years. All of us one day will be able to trace our genealogy clear back to Adam and Eve and then to The Lord GOD ALMIGHTY the Creator of the universe and the Creator of the Human Race. This is not figurative language. This is not a metaphor. This is not spiritual symbolism. We really are of the kin, race, and genealogy of God Almighty! Luke's gospel traces Jesus' genealogy through His mother Mary's father. Does that genealogy end with Adam and Eve? No it doesn't. Let's read it:
Likewise, ALL of our genealogies will take us back through our parents, grand parents, great grandparents, etc., etc., until we come to our Truly GREAT Father, not Adam, but GOD! WE ARE ALL OF THE RACE OF GOD! When a mother gives birth, she is reproducing herself; she is giving birth to someone like herself; she is producing a person in her own image and likeness; and hence this child is now of the mother's race, kin, genealogy, relatives, children, and family. In similar fashion God brought into existence humanity.
While it is true that we do not presently live together with God as a family, it is nevertheless, a fact that we are presently a member of God's family, kin, and race. And it's just a matter of time until we are all united as one Family of God:
Can you not feel an emotion, a longing in God's words when He speaks of the future He plans with His people? Well listen again: "And I heard a GREAT VOICE out of heaven..." Why a "GREAT" voice? Why not just a voice? Because this is a GREAT announcement by God Almighty. The Greek word translated "great" means "exceedingly, loud, mighty, high, strong." "BEHOLD, the tabernacle of GOD IS WITH MEN,..." "Behold, LO, listen, SEE." Why? Because God Almighty is going to make a grand and glorious announcement. He will make His HOME WITH MANKIND! God is coming to live with us. "...and He will dwell with them, and they shall be HIS PEOPLE..." "His" has a definition of "of him." These are "people of Him." They are of God's race and kindred and therefore they are "people of Him" -- of HIS RACE, not His "possessions" like so much chattel. "...and God Himself shall be with them, and BE THEIR GOD" (Rev. 21:2-3). God did not create some kind of creature with higher intelligence than the plants and animals so that He could communicate with them. Humans are not just some kind of play things for God. God did not create some kind of aliens when He made us. We are the extension of His family, His kinfolk. We are God's CHILDREN -- we are the expansion of God's RACE! Although these verses show the actual family relationship taking place at a yet future date, that doesn't mean that it is not already a reality, seeing that God "...calls those things which be not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17). And we also have this reassuring statement of John where he states: "...NOW are we the sons of God" (I John 3:2). These pagan Greeks lived and died for centuries not knowing who "THE UNKNOWN GOD" was. So of what value is this new information from Paul to all those millions that have passed on in ignorance? Are they doomed and lost forever? No, Paul covers the plan of God for all people for all time in this short section of Scripture. He tells them that all nations are of "ONE blood," and therefore are all of one race -- the race of God, God's offspring or kin. He appeals to their sense of national pride by showing that even their own poets recognized that humanity is the offspring of God. And what is it that Paul is instructing them to do with this knowledge concerning the identity of their "UNKNOWN GOD?" Paul instructs them that they are now to "repent" (Ver. 30). That's fine for them, but what about their relatives and loved ones who have passed away? Doesn't John 3:16 say that God loves "the WORLD?" Well, Paul instructs them that:
The resurrection gave them hope, and so some of them believed when they heard about the resurrection because that gave them hope of a future salvation. Those who "believed" Paul and repented will be in the resurrection that judges the rest of the world in that appointed day, and those who "mocked" will be among those who will receive that judgment. Judgment is what bring repentance and righteousness to all humanity:
This verse surely shows God's love for the entire human race "the inhabitants of THE WORLD." Up until now, most of the inhabitants of the world are not learning righteousness, even though God blesses them with the same favors that He pours out on the righteous (Ver. 10). But that will all change in the resurrection to Judgment when:
God sees things not only as they are, but as they will be. Do we really think that our heavenly Father will be an unequivocal failure as He is presented by the Church, when it comes to rearing His Own Children? Seriously, does anyone really believe such a thing? If the majority of humanity is hell-bound, what does that say regarding their Mentor and Father? God was pleased with Abraham because He knew he would train up his children to obey God (Gen. 18:19). Paul instructed the fathers to not provoke their children to wrath (Eph. 6:4), and God admonishes everyone to "Train up a child in the way that he should go: and when he is old, he will NOT depart from it" (Prov. 22:6). How is it then that the Church teaches God will loose MOST of His race, His kin, His family, His Sons and Daughters, His children, and punish them in some ungodly terrorist hellhole of fire for all eternity? Yes, it is necessary to accept and believe in the Name of Jesus Christ, but the point is, God will see to it that this will universally happen when He sets His hand to save the world in righteousness through His Judgments. Then and only then:
God has declared with His Own mouth that:
Now then, is it therefore within the realm of possibility that He will NOT have all men saved? How could God's pleasure, His purpose, His counsel, His plan, His will, and His desires, all FAIL when it comes to saving all of His Children? Does God's Word agree with the teachings of the Church that His greatest pleasure in bringing all His Children into His family and kingdom will fail? Answer:
It is blasphemy to believe that God's desires are merely unattainable weak wishes! If God has thought it, written it, commanded it, desires it, IT WILL BE DONE! If the statements above inspired by God through the pen of Isaiah are true, then the statements of hundreds of thousands of Christian theologians are FALSE. For orthodox theology teaches that most of humanity will indeed NOT be saved. That God will NOT do all His pleasure, and yea, even though God has spoken it, He will NOT bring it to pass, and although God has purposed it, He will NOT also do it!! Wow! How could anyone so pervert the Word of God to such a degree? Don't you be guilty of such a gross sin. God does not make idle promises or statements that He cannot keep:
God loves the human race, and God will save the human race -- ALL OF IT! Reason Two: WHY GOD LOVES YOU INDIVIDUALLY We will now answer the question, "Why Does God Love YOU" as an individual. That is, why does God love you individually, particularly, and in some ways, exclusively? Yes, you are a member of God's family, and a member of the human race, and for this God loves you. But there is more. Should God fail to save you so that you would be lost for ever, God would then suffer a loss which no other person on earth could fill. There is something about you, personally, and individually that God desires. And that something is the very reason you exist and will continue to exist eternally in the family of God. What could that be? Let's notice what God has to say about Himself, for it has a direct bearing on you:
Time and again God informs us that He is Almighty, All-knowing, All wise, All loving, the only Creator, our Redeemer, our Hope, our only Saviour, our heavenly Father, and "beside Him there is no God, and there is none like Him." And this description of God by God is an indicator of how and why God created you. (Even though we are all born through the natural process of a nine-month gestation period in a mother's uterus, many Scriptures show that God takes credit for our existence by stating that we are His "creation." Psalm 102:18). So each of us individually are "the creation of God." That being true, there must be a reason He created you as you. There is not one person on earth that is here by accident or unknown of by God. If God knows the number of hairs on your head (Matt. 10:30, which changes every time you brush your hair), then God knows a lot about you -- He knows EVERYTHING about you. Though similar, we are far from being "like" God, even though we are created in His image and likeness. In all categories of intelligence, God is far far superior to mankind, whether it be strength, knowledge, wisdom, virtue, etc. So what is there about you individually that can be found in no other person? Why does God need you when He has so many billions of others? Surely there can be nothing in us individually that is lacking in all other persons on earth, is there? So why can we possibly be of such great value that God would die for us? each of us? What do you have that none other can fulfill? And the answer is: Your "UNIQUENESS." "Unique" is defined as: "Being the only one of its kind. Without an equal or equivalent, unparalleled." Whether you recognize yourself as being unique does not change the fact that you are, beginning with your very fingerprints. No two eyes are identical, nor teeth, or DNA. Every singer's voice is different. Every writer has his own unique phrasing. Every composer has unique features in his music. Every painter is unique. Each person walks with his own unique gait. Have you ever seen two identical sunsets? Are there really "identical twins?" Ask their husbands? I'm sure we could go on for hours. Everyone is unique in God's eyes and therefore is important to God. God needs you as an individual just as much as He needs the whole human race collectively. What mother could be happy knowing that she would have to give up just one of her children for all eternity? Neither would God be happy knowing that He lost one of His children whom He created to be unique in all the universe. And so, just as the Scriptures tell us that there is "none LIKE Him," there is none like YOU. You are the only person exactly like you on earth! There was a popular song back in the forties with this line: "There will never be another you." Most of us are familiar with the poem: NO MAN IS AN ISLAND:
If a stranger can say that "any man's death diminishes me," how much more diminished would be the Creator and Father of a lost son or daughter be? There is no such thing as just "any man" in God's universe. We are ALL God's kin, His race, His Children, His SONS & DAUGHTERS! Be clear, however, that although you are unique among humanity, there is nothing about you that makes you BETTER than anyone else. But your uniqueness makes you precious to God. All my life I have heard that "all Chinese look alike." Not true. If you don't believe me, ask any Chinese mother. Uniqueness is found everywhere in God's creation: Let's start with the heavens. Astronomers tell us that there are billions of stars, yet we are told that:
It would be a major feat if man could someday know the exact number of stars, but God not only knows how many there are, He goes further by naming them all. What we learn from this is that all of the stars must be different, (unique), or there would be no sense in each having its own name. I Cor. 15:41 gives us a glimpse into one way the stars are unique:
And down here on earth, there are likewise billions of unique things. Look at the variety in nature. Not only do we have thousands of species, but we have hundreds and sometimes thousands of varieties within those species. I have a wonderful little Shi Tzu puppy. Maybe most people could not tell my Shih Tzu from thousands of others, but I can. My Shih Tzu is unique in ways that maybe only I can see, And not only could I pick him out of a crowd of thousands, my little Caesar could pick ME out of a crowd of thousands. He is unique. Suppose we liken the human race to flowers, tulips, white tulips. Every single person on earth would look like a white tulip. How boring would that be? Suppose God said, "Okay, you don't all have to be white tulips, some of you can be red tulips, or yellow tulips, or blue tulips. That's better than all white, but we would still all be tulips. I hope you see my point. God made millions of flowers, millions of shades, millions of sizes, millions of shapes, and millions of fragrances. Shape, size, color, and fragrance make flowers unique, and add interest and beauty to our world. And likewise, God made millions of people, and each has features that make each person unique. Once all of the selfish carnality is removed from man's heart, the human race will be the crowning pinnacle of God's creation. And each one of us will contribute something unique to the splendor of this achievement. God's heart and mind is set on uniqueness, variety, and differences. Out of the three primary colors, God can make billions of different shades. Out of just seven notes, there is the possibility of billions of different and unique melodies. Think of the prospect if God were to increase the number of primary colors to ten, or a hundred, or a thousand? Think if God increased the number of notes from seven to hundreds or thousands? It's mind-boggling what God may have in store for His children. Here are a few glimpses:
God knew how many and what kinds of children He wanted to surround Himself with for the rest of eternity, and you (personally) figured into that plan.
Yes, you were "for-known" before you were ever born. God's family, God's plan, God's universe would not be complete without YOU! No one can take your place. There is one of you and there will always only be one of you. You need to think about this and meditate on it. Too many people feel that their life is of little if any value. That's not true, you are so incredibly important to God that Jesus Christ voluntarily laid down His life on the cross, not because your sins had some power over God's life; not to pay some divine debt that you owed God, not to appease the wrath of God, not because He had to die for you, but because GOD LOVES YOU, and He would do anything to prove His eternal love and devotion for HIS FAMILY AND CHILDREN, of whom you are totally unique. Listen, God made this creation for His Own pleasure (after all there was no one else around when He created this place):
WE ARE GOD'S WORKMANSHIP We are not responsible for either of the two reasons why God loves us. Eph. 2:10 says that we are "His workmanship" ("achievement" might be a better word, in that it means "something accomplished successfully). And God's ultimate plan of universal salvation certainly points to a successful accomplishment. We are God's achievement because it is He that made us of His kin, His race, and it is He that made us unique. We have a part to play in God's plan, but rest assured that the final result will be God's achievement. We can be appreciative, and we can love God back for making us unique and putting us into His family. It should be comforting to everyone that [1] We will all be in God's family. God will not loose one single son or daughter and we will not loose one single brother or sister. [2] There is something so unique about each and every one of us that only we can fulfill.We Christians often tend to be so self-righteous that we just cannot believe that the worst of humanity could ever be a child of God in His family and in His kingdom for all eternity. Can you not comprehend, for instance, that God would be somewhat diminished for all eternity if the Apostle Paul would fail to be in His Kingdom and Family for all eternity? Of course He would, yet at one time, the now Apostle Paul to the Gentiles was the worst sinner that ever lived. At least Paul thought he was the worst of all:
"This is a faithful saying ['a trustworthy statement' -- Williams; 'a sure word' -- Moffatt] and worthy of all acceptation ['deserving of universal acceptance' -- Weymouth;' entitled to the fullest acceptance' -- Goodspeed], that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief ['of whom I am foremost' -- Weymouth; 'I am the worst of them' -- Beck]; 'And there is no greater sinner than I!' -- [Twentieth Century N.T.]" (I Tim. 1:15)I presented a variety of versions of this verse to show just how dogmatically Paul felt about his sins toward the Church. He was not humbly exaggerating his atrocious crimes:
"For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (I Cor. 15:9) "As for Saul [Paul], he made havoc of the church ['laid waste the church' -- American standard Version; 'began ravaging the church' -- New American Standard Bible; 'began to devastate the Church' -- TCNT], entering into every house, and haling [Gk: 'dragging off'] men and women committed them to prison" (Acts 8:3) "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter [Gk: 'MURDER'] against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem" (Acts 9:1-2)It's one thing to kill out of jealous rage, or self-defense, but to murder honest and good people of high moral character simply because we do not like the way they worship is hard to fathom. And yet, that is what Saul (who changed to "Paul"), did. And so for this and other reasons Paul thought of himself as the worst sinner who had ever lived. What would the Christian world think of Saul/Paul had he never been converted? He would be preserved in the pages of New Testament Scripture as one of the most evil and despicable persons that had ever lived. Do you ever meditate on such things? Where would we be without the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles? When people ask me why I believe the Scriptures, one of the first answers I give them is this: "I believe the Scriptures because the Apostle Paul believed them." I have such a high regard and admiration for the honesty, character, and sheer genius of this man, that I can't help but believe what He believed. When he says he saw the resurrected Jesus, I believe him, because I believe that Paul would never lie after his conversion. Paul said:
"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 9:1)Paul is undoubtedly the greatest spiritual giant in the New Testament. Yet he once was the greatest enemy of God and the Church. Would God ever conceive of losing this man as one of His sons in His Kingdom? Why can't we learn from this example? Why do we refuse to believe the Scriptures? Paul who was admittedly the greatest enemy of God and the Church is now awaiting a wreath of righteousness:
"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing" (II Tim. 4:8)How hard was it for Jesus to convert Paul from the greatest enemy of the Church and the greatest persecutor of Jesus, into the greatest Apostle of all time? It took a flash of light and maybe two to three seconds! Jesus Christ converted His greatest persecutor and the greatest enemy of the church in two to three seconds, but the Church teaches that God cannot and/or will not convert many mediocre sinners in a trillion centuries. It is not only blasphemous to degrade our God like that, it is insanity! There was no way God would fail to have Paul in His Family and in His Kingdom, and there is no way God will fail to have ALL HUMANITY in His Family and in His Kingdom, and that includes YOU -- the only one like you in the entirety of the universe!
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