Land in a seminary student writes in to ask this, Pastor John, a struggle with envy towards

a brother and a dear friend and Christ who has received abundant gifts and opportunities

from the Lord in this life that I simply have not.

Many times it can become very difficult not to question whether God loves my friend more

than he loves me.

Does God delight in some of his children more than others?

I'm going to answer that with a yes or no in just a minute, but let me say at the beginning

I think there's a good deal of confusion about this because of an unbiblical overplay or

overextension of the doctrine of justification.

That is, drawing out inferences from justification that the Bible does not draw.

Like, since God sees me in Christ and his perfect righteousness as his child, therefore

he sees all his children the same with the same emotional response to each one because

each one is perfect in Christ.

Now that I say is an unbiblical over extension, overplay of the doctrine of justification.

It needs to be corrected by scripture instead of logic.

God does not have the same emotional response to all his children.

What the imputation of the righteousness of Christ means is that God does not see my

sin as any longer condemning me.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

My sins are all forgiven and the perfection that God's standards call for are met and I

will never come into condemnation.

That's what justification means.

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