Yes, God loves even the wicked, but His love is not approval of sin.
The Bible holds two truths together: the Lord is merciful to the sinner and at the same time the holy Judge who will not allow evil to exist forever.
The question of whether God continues to love the wicked always touches the very essence of the gospel. If we speak only about love, we may come to think that sin does not matter. But if we speak only about judgment, we may portray God as harsh and unmerciful. Yet Holy Scripture reveals a harmonious picture: God loves the sinner, calls him to repentance, is longsuffering, gives grace and time for choice, but in the end He will bring evil to an end. This is exactly how Adventist theology understands this theme, emphasizing both God’s love and the reality of the final judgment.
God loves the sinner even before repentance
God’s love does not begin when a person becomes good. It comes before repentance, a changed life, and even awareness of one’s own guilt. This is seen most powerfully in the sacrifice of Christ.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8
This verse shows that God’s love is directed not only toward the righteous, but precisely toward those who are still in sin. The Lord does not wait until a person becomes worthy. He is the first to go out to meet them.
Jesus also said directly that the Heavenly Father shows kindness even to those who do not honor Him.
“...and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and evil.” Luke 6:35
So, as long as life and the time of grace continue, God sends the wicked sun, rain, bread, breath, the voice of conscience, the light of Scripture, and the call to repentance. This is not mere neutral tolerance, but the action of His love.
God’s love calls to repentance rather than leaving a person in rebellion
God’s love does not mean indifference to a person’s moral condition. On the contrary, true love seeks salvation, cleansing, and restoration. Therefore, God addresses the wicked not with a desire to destroy them, but with a call to return.
“Say to them: As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live! Turn back, turn back from your evil ways.” Ezek 33:11
This is one of the clearest texts about the heart of God. His will is not the destruction of the wicked, but their conversion. The apostle Peter confirms the same truth.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward you, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
From the perspective of the Adventist understanding of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, God’s longsuffering also has a cosmic significance: the Lord gives time so that the consequences of sin may become evident, and His character of love and justice may be vindicated before all creation. Ellen White repeatedly emphasized that God’s judgments are never arbitrary; they come only after a long appeal of mercy and the rejection of light.
God hates sin and will not preserve rebellion forever
Here it is important to understand the word “always” correctly. If we mean God’s favor, kindness, and call to salvation during a person’s earthly life—yes, God loves even the wicked. But if we mean that God will endlessly sustain the existence of those who have finally and deliberately rejected Him—no.
God’s love is not permission for the eternal existence of sin. That is why the Bible contains the theme of judgment. Judgment does not contradict love, but is its necessary completion in a world destroyed by evil.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom. 6:23
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly, will be stubble... and it will leave them neither root nor branch.” Mal 4:1
In the teaching of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the final destruction of the wicked is not eternal torment, but the just end of sin and sinners after judgment. This means that God does not cease to be love; on the contrary, His love cleanses the universe of what destroys life, peace, and holiness.
God’s wrath is love’s holy response to evil
In modern thinking, love and wrath are often set against each other. But in the Bible, God’s wrath is not capricious rage, but a holy and righteous response to everything that destroys His creation. That is why God can simultaneously love a person and be against his rebellion.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Rom 1:18
This is not a contradiction. A good doctor loves the patient but fights the disease. In the same way, God loves His creature but resolutely stands against sin. At Golgotha we see the summit of this truth: there love and justice met. Christ bore the consequences of sin so that humanity might be saved without God’s law and holiness being dishonored.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
What this means practically for us
So, the answer is this: God continues to love the wicked in the sense that He gives them grace, light, a call, and the opportunity for repentance. His heart is open to the sinner while probation lasts. But this love does not mean that He will tolerate rebellion forever or cancel judgment. God’s love is holy, and therefore it not only forgives, but also cleanses the universe from evil.
The practical conclusion is very personal. If you are still far from God, do not think that He has turned away from you: Christ died precisely for sinners. But do not abuse His patience either. Today is the day to respond to His love with repentance and trust. And if you are already a believer, look at people as God looks at them: love the sinner, pray for him, call him to Christ, but never call evil good.
