Question: Does God love every human being?
Answer: Yes and no. I’ll try to explain the “yes” first of all then the “no.” “You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”’ (Matthew 5: 43-45). Theologians call this “common grace.” “The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made” (Psalm 145:9). “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations He allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet He did not leave Himself without witness, for He did good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14: -17). Common grace describes God’s indiscriminate kindness to all people, believers and non-believers through daily blessings of earthly life. It seems that common grace is rooted primarily in the result of the fact that we were made in the image of God.
The other correct answer to the question is “no.” God does not love every human being, at least, not in the same way. He has a special love for His elect. Theologians call the special love, “special grace.” Unlike common grace which is given universally to all people, special grace is only given to those whom God elects to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Romans 12:1). “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). The above verses indicate that God loves His elect in a special way. But the most amazing show of Jesus’ special grace is His prayer in John 17 for His disciples. “For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them, I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours” (John 17:8-9). Jesus gives common grace to all but special grace to His chosen children. That is, his death paid for the sins of the elect but for those who die apart from believing in Christ, they will spend eternity paying for their own sins. And that is precisely why sharing the gospel to our family and friend’s ought to be a priority.