Is God Relational or Transactional?



God is relational, not transactional. What do I mean by that? Well, the Bible says that God is love. He loves the whole world and not just a few. God, who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit has always been relational within their union and communion in the Trinity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have always been mutually indwelling and mutually loving each other within their one being. God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, has always loved the whole world—all of humanity and all of creation. God is not a contract-God.

Conditional Love

The teaching that God will love us only if we repent and believe is just that—a conditional kind of love. It’s not really love at all. It’s a legal, transactional or contractual kind of “love” where God will only love us if we repent, believe and obey. God is not that kind of God. He is not a contract-God.

It’s All About Loving Relationships

The truth of the matter is, God has always been concerned about loving relationships—not legal transactions or contracts. That’s who God is. He is love. We have always been loved by God. This is exactly the picture being portrayed in the parable of the lost son. Jesus himself gave this parable to reveal to us who the Father really is. The father in the parable both loved his sons—whether good or bad. Although the younger son committed a grievous offense, what was foremost in the mind of the father was that his son was back! The Father was patiently waiting for the son to come back home and when he returned the father was overjoyed! That’s love! The father did not wait for the younger son’s apology before accepting him back. That’s love.

The same is true with the older son. Despite his bad attitude and resentment against his younger brother, the father both loved his two sons. This is not about transactions or contracts before one get’s saved.

God’s Great Love

In fact, when the father saw his younger son afar off, he ran to meet him, hugged him and kissed him! He was overjoyed to see his lost son back again! Regardless of his sins he loved his son all the way. No conditions! Just pure godly love of a father to his son. He immediately organized a party to celebrate the return of his lost son. That’s great love!

God’s Love Not Transactional

That’s how God the Father loves us too! While we were still sinners, the Father allowed Christ to die for us (Rom. 5:8)! He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet.3:9). That’s great love! That’s unconditional love. Not a transactional, legal or contractual kind of love–which is no love at all. God doesn’t love us only when we’re good. He loved us even when we were still “bad” and unbelievers. Even before we believed, he already loved us. He doesn’t love us only when we believe. And all of us are all sinners—all of us were unbelievers before we became believers. God loves us all the way all the time! All of us! How great is the Father’s love for all of us!

For Further Study:



Updated 3/14/2020

The Gospel Truth: It is Finished



The Objective Reality

Christ has already done everything that’s needed to be done in order for us to be saved. “It is finished,” Christ said. It’s already a reality. Christ’s atonement is sufficient and effective for all—past, present and future. It’s for everyone—for all (universal atonement). “It’s a done deal” as the saying goes.

This is similar to President Abraham Lincoln’s declaration in 1863 that the black slaves were now free—the Emancipation Act. It was already a reality but some slaves were unaware of it or did not believe it. They continued living as if they were still slaves when in reality, they were already free. They continued to live in misery unnecessarily. It was already true whether they believed it or not. It was really, truly and in actual fact, objectively true that they were already free according to law! That’s the objective truth!

The Subjective, Personal Experience

Some of the slaves believed that they were already free while some others did not. Those who did not believe or were unaware of the Emancipation Act* continued to live in misery as if they were still slaves. Those who learned and believed that they were already free really did enjoy and they experienced for the first time what it was like to live like a free man!

Christ did everything that was needed to save all of us. In fact, in so far as Christ is concerned, “it’s a done deal.” Without asking for our permission, Christ has already died for us even while we were still sinners. That is, even before we had asked for forgiveness, he has already died for our sins on our behalf as our substitute and representative — as our High Priest, our Mediator. He has already saved us by and through his grace. And this applies to all.

Personal Response, Participation

In view of the objective truth, how do we respond? Let us welcome this wonderful good news! We should accept this truth! Let us change our minds (repent) and believe the good news! Let’s enjoy and participate in God’s life and love in Jesus Christ! Let us become who we really are in Jesus Christ! This is the abundant life! This is the good news! Join the fun and enjoy it!

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