Does God love you "just the way you are"?
#asknostr
Discussion
He loves us but hates how we are (broken/corrupt/sinners) — He asks us to change (which we can only do through Him)
It's not the sin He throws into hell.
According to my pastor today, "No, God does not love you the way you are; that's why He loves you because of what you could be in Him. That's why He sent His son to die for you, because the way you are is destined for a Christ-less eternity."
A lot more can be said but generally agree with this.
I have no answer, do not have the ability to speak for God, myself.
But presumably the priestly class is closer to God than lay practitioners, right? Would you say the congregation are mostly practicing Christians? If so, was your pastor saying this in reference to the congregation? And again, if so, do you think your pastor would say any living human is loved by God? Like, the priestly class, of whatever flavor specific to your church?
A seed "just the way it is" includes the potential to become a tree
God loves his people and it has absolutely nothing to do with the way they are, because his love for them is THROUGH CHRIST. It has everything to do with who Christ is, and through our union with him, who God considers us to be.
That is the doctrine of justification by faith, that God considers us perfectly righteous, not because of anything we have done, but because he has counted Christ's righteousness as ours.
By the work of his Spirit, he then conforms us to the image of his Son, in this life but in part, through the process of sanctification, and fully in glory. He is restoring the image of God in man that was marred at the fall.
Idk. If Digit is alive then god is being nice to me at least