Question: Is God’s love transactional? Is our relationship with God transactional?
Profile:Female, North America, 26—35
Answered by: Michael Blunk, who has been serving on our Q&A Answer Team since March 2005
Answer: Good question!
Transactional implies an agreement or an understanding that goes something like, “I will do this for you if you will do this for me.” God’s love is not transactional. Let me refer you to this passage penned by the Apostle John: “We love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19 NKJV).” There is nothing here that says, “God will love you if you will agree to love Him in return.” This is not what the passage says. God loves us first. He makes the first move.
Our Heavenly Father is the One who always takes the initiative. Despite what people often say, no one goes searching for God; on the contrary, it is He who comes searching for us (Luke 19:10). Without the conviction of the Holy Spirit, no one, and I mean no one, would give God a second thought (John 6:44; Romans 8:14; Ephesians 2:1-5).
John 3:16 tells us that God “so loved the world,” but does the world love Him in return? No. Not by a long shot. The human heart is so utterly corrupt (Jeremiah 17:9), without God’s intervention, no one would be saved. Again, no one steeped in sin says on their own, “I am in a bad way. I had better go out and search for God.” God is always the One who initiates contact. Always. He must first convict our hearts through His Holy Spirit (John 16:13).
In truth, God is far better than we give Him credit, and we are far worse than any of us care to admit. Transactional? No. He stoops down to rescue us. Without the Holy Spirit pricking our sinful hearts, we would never realize we are in dire need of a Savior. It takes the Spirit of God for us to see ourselves with the kind of crystal clarity that is revealed only to those who have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Please take a moment to consider the verses I have included in my response.
Again, you have asked an excellent question. I have been addressing reader inquiries for nearly twenty years, and you are the first I have encountered to pose this question. I’m impressed.
God’s blessings!
