God’s Love: Better than Unconditional

CCEF Minibooks

by David A. Powlison

"God's unconditional love." Sounds nice, but is it enough? Is there more to God's love?

Describing unconditional love as detached "blanket acceptance" and "benign affirmation," David Powlison challenges our common assumption about the nature of God's love. Although wonderfully accepting, divine love is also intrusive, intimate, personal, and active. Instead of simply loving us as we are, God loves us enough to change us.

Powlison acknowledges four underlying truths of unconditional love, offers biblical improvements on the idea, and urges us to see God's love for what it really is better than unconditional.

Genres: Christian, Counselling, Christian Living, Theology

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

David Powlison, MDiv, PhD, (1949–2019) was a teacher, counselor, and the executive director of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He wrote many books and minibooks, including Speaking Truth in Love, Seeing with New Eyes, Good and Angry, Making All Things New, God's Grace in Your Suffering, Safe and Sound, and Take Heart. David was also the editor of The Journal of Biblical Counseling.

Reviews

[Bob Wolniak]

Helpful, very brief tool for those wrestling with understanding God's love, especially those that cling to superficial, cliched or inadequate notions of what God's love means. This clarifies four aspects where we can use the phrase unconditional and four additional biblical improvements which help us see God is not complacent but even willing to be intrusive in our lives, a fuller understanding of grace which conveys the idea that God is redeeming and transforming our lives not merely tolerating or leaving it as is.

[Mischa]

this book widened my perspective of the fullness of God’s love. as the title states, it is far superior than unconditional. the author was clear in his argument for this glimpse at God’s character. this short book is so refreshing to the Christian walk and it leaves me more in awe of the nature of God.

[Mikayla Jackson]

It's short and sweet but will definitely be on hand everywhere I go. This is a great reminder for whenever you are in need of a reminder of God's unconditional love.

[Joyce]

So thin a booklet, yet so filling. God's love has a condition: Christ's death on the Cross. Better than unconditional it is.

[Pam]

A quick, concise read that challenges us to go beyond the term "unconditional" when attempting to describe God's love, and in turn, the sort of love we are to have for one another. Powlison looks at four truths that we are trying to capture in the term "unconditional" and four biblical improvements on the term. He concludes that God's love is "contraconditional" -- contrary to what I deserve, God loves me, and He loves me enough to want to see me change. I'm free to change -- not so that I can earn His love, but because I've already received it.

Powlison doesn't waste words. I underlined at least half of the book. There's plenty to ponder in this short read.

[Ricky Smith]

Are really good little booklet. Powlison rightly explains in fifteen pages; God's love is better then unconditional, because Christ was the cost.

Well worth the read. Even more so, buy ten and give them away.

[Mark A Powell]

Insightful but tiny book. A sound introduction to deep issues, sadly lacking time for digging.

[Eli]

God doesn't only love you as you are, but He loves you too much to leave you as you are.