“Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.'”
-Acts 4:11, NIV
God loves thieves. True.
God loves rapists. True.
God loves adulterers and adulteresses. True.
But does God love their victims?
Does God love the robbed?
Does God love the raped?
Does God love adultery victims?
I know God does. He identifies as one such individual throughout the book of Hosea as well as in Jeremiah 3. God is not afraid to acknowledge the existence of adultery victims. He is not ashamed of His righteous anger towards those who defile the marriage bed by committing adultery (e.g. Hebrews 13:4).
God loves adultery victims.
I wish that message was shared more from the pulpit and in print:
It is a message that helps dispel the darkness necessary to keep those victims locked in undeserved shame. It is a message that brings hope and validation to those individuals acknowledging that they–adultery victims—do, indeed, exist. It is a message that says that God’s love does not stop at loving perpetrators of soul rape but extends to those the perpetrators violated as well.
God loves adultery victims. This is Good News for those who are experiencing extreme shame in this especially heinous form of rejection and violation.
I think I understand what you mean…someone who is a thief, one who stole property, or robbed someone, but later felt guilt and remorse and wanted to confess…if a man raped a woman and later was wracked with shame and horror over what he had done to her…if a spouse had an affair and then felt the disgrace and stain of sin, and had compassion for their betrayed spouse…
If people commit big sins yet still retain their conscience, and their active conscience ultimately convicts them of their wrong-doing, leading to repentance and attempts at restitution for those they have victimized….then yes I would agree that God loves those people. Such were some of us.
However, I don’t believe that God loves everyone, although I realize that a lot of churches teach that. I don’t believe that God loves those who are “wicked”. That is, people who have utterly rejected the Lord, those who have seared consciences and are fervently committed to fulfilling their own sordid desires at any cost… those desires may include stealing, raping, adultery and more…all done defiantly with absolutely no pangs of conscience or mercy. God does not love those people, rather He is wrathful toward them (Romans 1:18).
When I continued to believe that God loved my abuser, who was extremely cruel and devious, it actually caused me no end of confusion and kept me wrapped up in false hope. When I finally came to the conclusion that he was incorrigible (i.e. wicked), then I was able to finally go “no contact” and separate from the madness of his life.
I just love this verse, it has given me a bit of comfort:
Psalm 37:37-38 (NIV)
Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.
But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.