Many people, even Christians, wonder whether God cares about our lives. This article addresses what many have questioned about Him. Do our lives really matter to God?
God, by His Will, created humanity in His “image” and “likeness” (Gen. 1:26). He also created them for His “glory” (Is. 43:7). Furthermore, God gave human beings dominion over all plants and animals on earth (Gen. 1:26-30). God’s creation was not necessary to Him, and it did not change Him in any way. He created humans and the rest of creation for His pleasure alone (Rev. 4:11).
And what does God ask in return? The Old Testament tells Christians, “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Mic. 6:8). God also wants us to obey him (Is. 1:19; Acts 5:29; 1 Pet. 1:14; 1 John 5:3).
The Bible tells us to “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (Jas. 4:8a). Christians are also taught that God knows even the hairs on their head (Luke 12:7). Moreover, readers are also told in Holy Scripture that God is good and loves people forever (Ps. 100:5). It is clear from Scripture that God cares about every aspect of people’s lives. After all, He created humans, “in his own image…male and female” (Gen. 1:27).
Holy Scripture makes it clear that God cares about everything that happens, including humanity’s lives both here on earth and beyond. Let’s look at some reasons why God cares about what happens to people.
GOD’S LOVE
The Bible teaches that ALL people have God’s law written on their hearts (Rom. 2:12-16). Therefore, their thoughts and actions, whether believers or not, should convict them when they do not follow God’s commandments. So, the Bible teaches that God’s law is given to all people by their creator (Rom. 2:12-16).
God’s love is called “agape” in Greek and refers to an affection, preference, and benevolence for others from the moral perspective of the one who is giving the love; in this case, God. However, it does not make sense for all people to receive the same kind of love that God’s chosen ones receive when they believe in Jesus Christ. It turns out that though God’s love is an “agape” kind of love, His love for Christians is higher than the love He gives to non-Christians. The love He provides to all people is unconditional, but the love He gives to Christians alone is conditioned on their belief in Jesus Christ.
The readers of Scripture know God’s love is not sexual or friendly, but a beneficial kind of love that flows from His Will. He has this kind of love for His creation and for humanity. In other words, He provides the sun, oxygen, foodstuffs, etc., for everything on earth, including ALL humans. It is not earned or deserved, but God gives this kind of love because He wants to. Furthermore, as the Bible tells us, God doesn’t just HAVE love; “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
But as I have said before, God’s love is different for Christians (Matt. 5:20). Some translations even describe it as a “great” love (NIV, for example). It is a higher form of God’s love. Unlike God’s unconditional love for His creation, His love for Christians is conditional. It is conditioned on Christians’ belief in Christ alone. It is “the great love” that God gives to Christians alone (Eph. 2:4-10). God gives Christians this love when they believe, and when He gives us the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5).
GOD’S ADOPTION OF CHRISTIANS
When Christians, through God’s gift of saving faith (John 10:28; Eph. 2:8-10), believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, two external, legal things happen. First, God deems them righteous (Gal. 2:16). The initial example of God deeming a person righteous and justifying him is found in the Old Testament when we see Abram justified (Gen. 15:6). Those who were justified, of course, are not righteous and will not be righteous for the rest of their lives. However, God considers them righteous. It is a process in the Plan of Salvation, called justification. Once it is genuinely a fact, it can never be lost (Heb. 6:9-12).
The second thing that God gives to justified Christians is adoption. As a result of the Christians’ justification, God adopts these chosen ones as His children (Gal. 4:4-7).
This adoption God has made makes absolutely no difference between natural-born and adopted children. In fact, federal inheritance law generally holds this view. However, some states still make a difference, especially under their inheritance laws, between natural-born and adopted children. But God makes no such distinction.
Thus, Christians, like Jesus of Nazareth, are God’s children, and by His love He makes thousands of promises in Holy Scripture that benefit all.
GOD’S PROMISES
Scripture teaches that God’s promises come from a perfect God, and they do not depend on anything else. Therefore, every promise that God makes will be true exactly the way He says it will.
God’s promises, and the Bible contains many, will not fail (Josh. 23:14; Ps. 89:34)! For instance, He will always give Christians love (Rom. 5:8; Eph 2:4, 5), faithfulness (Ps. 89:33), a new heart (Ez. 36:26), an inheritance (Eph. 1:11), forgiveness (1 John 1:9), the Holy Spirit (Ez. 36:27; Luke 11:13; John 16:13; Gal. 5:22), faith (Eph. 2:8), redemption (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7), eternal life (John 3:16; 1 John 2:25), salvation (Gen. 3:15; Is. 49:25; Matt. 1:21; Rom. 10:9, 10; Eph. 2:8), the impossible (Luke 18:27), healing (Ex. 15:26; Ps. 103:2, 3; Matt. 4:23; Jas. 5:14, 15), their needs (Ps. 84:11; Rom. 8:32; Phil. 4:19), and many more.
CONCLUSION
God created ALL His creation for Himself (Col. 1:16). He asks only that those whom He chose to be Christians lead a life of purity, justice, and kindness, and walk humbly before Him. Because of His agape love for all creation, He provides the sun, oxygen, food, etc., for everything on earth, including ALL humans. God’s agape love is unconditional for His entire creation.
Christians, however, receive a great love from God that is conditioned upon their belief in Jesus Christ. Because of His great love for them, Christians receive many blessings from God which include:
- He sent Jesus as Christians’ surety (Heb. 7:17, 21, 22, quoting Ps. 110:4 KJV); other translations use “guarantor,” which is meant to be synonymous with the English word surety. In His role in the Plan of Salvation, Jesus lived a perfect life, making Him the only proper sacrifice, and, as surety, paid the price for Christians’ sins, redeeming them forever.
- He sent the Holy Spirit to help Christians (Joel 2:28; Luke 11:13; John 14:16, 17; Acts 5:32; 2 Cor. 5:5; Gal. 3:5; Eph. 1:17)
- He gave Christians the Plan of Salvation – Every human sins (Rom. 3:23). The Bible teaches that we will experience death because of original sin, and sins people commit prevent eternal life (Rom. 5:12). Only God can save us from death, which is inevitable (Acts 4:12). Knowing this, God knew from the beginning that human beings would need a Plan of Salvation from Him. The Bible teaches it throughout, from God’s first promise (Gen. 3:15) through Revelation (Rev. 21:1-4).
- God gave Christians His promises (2 Cor. 1:20-22)
God’s love for His creation is the reason for everything. Sin is the reason why He developed the Plan of Salvation. Everything God has done in His creation is for Himself and the ultimate eternal life of His elect (Rom. 8:28). What happens in your life matters to God, and everything He does is for the eternal good of his elect (Rom. 8:28). God cares about your life!
