Has someone ever made you think, “There’s no way God loves them”? Maybe it was someone who made bad choices or hurt you—or just someone with differing beliefs.
If you’re honest, maybe you’ve wondered the same thing about yourself. Could God really love everyone? Even people with messy pasts? Even people who don’t deserve it? Even … me?
If you’ve ever wrestled with those thoughts, you’re not the only one. Thankfully, we don’t have to guess what God is like. We can look at Jesus Christ.
How Do We Know What God Is Like? We Look at Jesus
Jesus went out of His way to love the people others rejected.
The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is “the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). If we want to know who God is and how He loves, we look at Jesus. When we do, we find something surprising: Jesus went out of His way to love the people others rejected.
Some people say that God does not love everybody—that God hates certain people. But Scripture shows us that while God’s righteous anger is real, His mercy, grace, and love extend to all. God created every person, and His love reaches even those who seem unworthy.
What About Them?
Jesus Christ often used parables to teach deep truths about God’s love. One of His most famous stories is the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
Here’s a short summary of the parable: A man was beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road. Two religious leaders saw him but passed by. They had knowledge of God’s law but lacked God’s mercy, humility, and love. Then a Samaritan stopped to help. He treated the man’s wounds, took him to an inn, and paid for his care.
Jesus making a Samaritan the hero of His story offended His listeners. Why? Well, without digging too deeply into the long-standing grudge between Judeans—Jesus’ listeners—and Samaritans, let’s just say they really didn’t like each other.
It’s Tempting to Hate
If you’d grown up in a Judean home in Jesus’ day, you probably would have heard people in town talk about how Samaritans were dangerous and deluded, and how they hated everything about the Judean way of life. And if you’d grown up in Samaria, you probably would have heard the same dehumanizing narrative about Judeans.
It’s tempting to otherize the people or groups we dislike, and Christians throughout history are guilty of using religious language to justify harmful attitudes and behaviors.
But here’s the truth: Jesus made a Samaritan the hero because He wanted to make a dramatic claim about who God loves and who God invites to follow Him. God loves everybody, and He doesn’t give us permission to dismiss, hate, or harm people.
Still not convinced? Let’s look at five quick examples of how Jesus loved “unlovable” people.
5 “Unlovable” People Jesus Loved
1. Zacchaeus
Why was Zacchaeus unlovable? He was a tax collector—a man who got rich by overcharging his own people. He was seen as a traitor, a thief, and a sinner.
When Jesus saw Zacchaeus, He didn’t reject him. He called him by name, invited Himself over for dinner, and offered Zacchaeus a new way of living. Jesus’ love transformed Zacchaeus, and Zacchaeus responded with radical generosity and repentance (Luke 19:1-10).
Jesus’ love shows us that people can change.
2. The Woman Caught in Adultery
Why was this unnamed woman unlovable? The religious leaders of Jesus’ time saw her as nothing more than a moral failure deserving of punishment.
Jesus saw her as a person worth saving. Instead of condemning her, He defended her, silenced her accusers, and told her she was free to live a new life (John 8:1-11).
Jesus’ love shows us that moral failures don’t disqualify us from God’s grace.
3. Joanna
Why was Joanna unlovable? She was married to Chuza, a man who worked for Herod—a ruler who opposed Jesus.
But Jesus welcomed Joanna. She became one of His followers and used her resources to support His ministry. She wasn’t defined by her connections to power but by her devotion to Jesus (Luke 8:1-3).
The love of Jesus Christ shows us that God invites all kinds of people into His family.
4. Judas
Why was Judas unlovable? He betrayed Jesus, handing Him over to be crucified for thirty pieces of silver. Today, his name is synonymous with betrayal.
Yet, Jesus still called Judas “friend” in the garden where he betrayed Him. Jesus washed Judas’ feet, shared meals with him, and loved him to the very end. Even knowing what Judas would do, Jesus never stopped showing him love (Matthew 26:47-50, John 13:1-5).
The love of Jesus shows us that God loves even people who’ve failed Him.
5. The Roman Centurion
Why was the Roman centurion unlovable? He was a soldier of the empire that oppressed God’s people.
But when the centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant, Jesus was amazed by his faith. He didn’t reject the centurion because of his background. He honored his faith and answered his prayer to heal his servant (Matthew 8:5-13).
Jesus’ love isn’t limited to people of the right national or religious background.
So, Does God Love Everybody?
Absolutely. The life of Jesus Christ makes it clear: God’s love isn’t just for a select few. It’s for the outcast, the sinner, the broken, and the overlooked. It’s for you and even the people you may not like.
What about people who don’t yet believe in God or who follow other religions? Yes, God loves them too.
What about people who’ve hurt you or hurt others? God does not approve of their choices. He hates evil and sin, and Jesus regularly spoke out against people who use and abuse others. At the same time, God still extends unconditional love to all people—all they need to do is turn to Him and accept it.
What About All Those Verses?
What about all those verses in the Old Testament about God wiping out wicked people? Well, remember how we started this article? If we want to get a full picture of what God is like, we need to look to Jesus. He is the image of the invisible God, including His mercy.
As the Bible teaches us,
… God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV
God shows us love, even at our worst. That’s what God is like. Sure, it’s possible to cherry-pick Bible verses to try to justify hate, discrimination, and even violence, but those perspectives don’t reflect Jesus’ love, life, and sacrifice—and we need to take the whole Bible in context.
So will you accept God’s love today? Both for you and the whole world?
For more on God’s love for everyone, explore the story of Jonah in this article.