Back on Friday, we talked about whether non-Christians can honor God or not.

That was a very helpful episode, and I commend it to you as episode number 1145.

Today's question naturally flows from it, and it comes to us in the inbox in the form

of a follow-up email from a listener named Daniel who points back to an even older

episode.

Daniel asks this, Hello Pastor John, and thank you for the podcast.

In your August 30th episode, you helpfully address the correlation between God's love

and his election, and the fact that the two are basically interchangeable if I understood

you correctly.

However, it leaves me with the question about how I am to understand God's love toward

the non-elect.

Does God love the non-elect?

If so, is that love a different quality or characteristic than his love for the elect?

And thank you, Pastor John, for helping me make sense of this difficult issue.

Well I'll try.

Let's remind ourselves that with all such questions, we are utterly, totally dependent on what

God has chosen to reveal in his word.

There is no way we can come up with answers to these kinds of questions without relying

decisively on God's word.

So you should test everything I say by the word of God.

My opinion counts for very little God's word counts for everything.

So let me share with you some texts that show, I think, very clearly that God loves the

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