Does God Love Me despite My Sins? Simple Bible Advice You Need to Know

Inside: Does God love me despite my sins? Discover simple advice straight from the Bible to be absolutely sure He does. Don’t forget to download the prayer guide to help you battle your doubt and uncertainty about God’s love.

“God loves some of us more than others,” my friend said. She was trying to comfort me after a painful breakup with an emotionally abusive ex.

In all my years growing up in church, no one had ever mentioned this idea—not in my hearing, at least. So her words surprised me and intrigued me. But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t think of a single supporting Bible verse for her assertion.

My friend spoke with such utter confidence, I had to stop wallowing in my pain long enough to consider it. Plus, I was hurt and angry over the injustice of my ex carrying on wreaking havoc in others’ lives, as if he hadn’t already left enough devastation in his wake.

So you can understand why, out of all the comforting words she showered on me that day, I wanted more than anything to believe these.

I wanted to believe it was impossible for God to love a reckless, uncaring, unapologetic repeat sinner in the same way He loves me. Even more, I was horrified to think He could possibly love someone at all who I considered evil, much less to the same degree I wanted to believe He loved me.

This was why I was desperate to believe my friend’s words that day.

But deep down inside, I knew she was wrong. Because if God’s love for my ex depended on his goodness, I had to ask: Does God love me despite my sins?

Bonus: As a bonus for joining my weekly newsletter, get this free printable download—Your Faith & Trust Reboot. It gives you 5 simple tweaks to power up your prayers when you’re stuck in doubt and uncertainty about God’s love for you.

Why Does God Love Me Even When I Sin?

Contrary to what my friend thought, God doesn’t have a love meter that swings right for good people and left for bad people. This was her subjective human view of goodness at work.

After all, you can see your colleague who stole your work as the spawn of the devil. Meanwhile, someone else sees them as the bee’s knees. Or you can believe you’re the absolute worst with every fiber of your being, while your bestie thinks you’re the best thing since sliced bread.

Do you see? Our human tendency is to have a love scale and to think God has one too. But God doesn’t love me, you, or anyone else this way.

God loves you unconditionally, perfectly, and completely despite your sins. This is the first and most important thing you need to know.

Nothing increases or decreases God’s love for you. Not your charitable donations and kindnesses to others, not your sins and failings, and not your constant yo-yo-ing, doubt-filled love for Him.

No matter what you do or don’t do, God always loves you perfectly and completely.

This is because God’s love for you is one hundred percent independent of you. Which is great news, otherwise you’d be in so much trouble right now. But thank goodness, God loves you because He is love—He’s the definition and embodiment of it. Love is not only His nature; it’s literally who He is.

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

1 John 4:16 (NLT)

Since He doesn’t change, you can be darn sure this is still true—God loves you despite your sins.

Does God Love Me Even When I Sin?

Here’s the thing. Like most other people on this planet, you may believe “good” people have it better with God than “bad” people do. But the Bible throws a monkey wrench into this argument. You see, according to the Word, truly good people are a myth.

As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”

Romans 3:10-12 (NLT)

Even on a good person’s best day when it looks like they’re the best person God ever created, they’re still not so good.

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Isaiah 64:6 (NLT)

And yet, God loves you despite your sins. So much so, He gives you a new chance every single day to try again. He gives every single person the same opportunity.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

Does God Love Me despite My Sins against Others?

Most of us like to think we don’t hurt others as badly as they hurt us, but we do. No one is perfect so your words and actions sometimes cause others pain.

You may be inclined to downplay the pain you inflict on other people, especially when you have good intentions. But I’d bet the ones you hurt don’t care, even if your heart was in the right place. And you know what? God loves you even when you sin against others.

In fact, God loves you even when you sin against Him!

He loves you when you turn your back on Him in anger, when you set yourself and others up as idols above Him, and even when you sin and lie to yourself that you did it in the name of righteousness.

Let’s look at Saul as an example. With unmatched zeal, He oversaw the murders of early Christians, thinking he was doing the right thing. Seriously, he was awful!

But God saw Saul’s passion and potential and loved him despite his evil actions and questionable intentions. God loved Him so much, He gave Saul a chance to come over from the dark side.

Saul became Paul, God’s ambassador to the Gentiles, despite his sins against God and His people. This same Paul wrote:

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

Ephesians 2:4-6 (NLT)

Bonus: As a bonus for joining my weekly newsletter, get this free printable download—Your Faith & Trust Reboot. It gives you 5 simple tweaks to power up your prayers when you’re stuck in doubt and uncertainty about God’s love for you.

Is God Mad at Me When I Sin?

Now, just because God loves you despite your sin, this doesn’t mean He’s OK with your sinful behavior.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).

Ephesians 4:30 (AMPC)

Yeah, girl, you read it right. When you sin, you vex and sadden God’s Holy Spirit, who lives in you as a born-again believer.

And although God loves you despite your sins, don’t expect Him to overlook or sweep them under the rug. Bummer, I know, but how else will you learn from your mistakes?

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 3:12 (CSB)

You’re not alone, though. King David sinned up a storm and was still known as a man after God’s own heart. He got into lust, adultery, murder, an illegitimate baby, and a shotgun wedding. Yes, the same man through whose line God gave us our Messiah!

David made his sinful choices—and kept ignoring and compounding his sin—while God looked on and was grieved.

What God Does When You Sin

Despite His anger and grief over David’s sins, God didn’t turn His back on David. In fact, God loved him so much, He sent His prophet Nathan to pry open David’s stubbornly glued-shut eyes.

“You’re the man!” said Nathan. “And here’s what God, the God of Israel, has to say to you: I made you king over Israel. I freed you from the fist of Saul. I gave you your master’s daughter and other wives to have and to hold. I gave you both Israel and Judah. And if that hadn’t been enough, I’d have gladly thrown in much more. So why have you treated the word of God with brazen contempt, doing this great evil?

2 Samuel 12:7-9a (MSG)

Though God loved David despite his sin, He didn’t condone what he’d done. Instead, He meted out some serious punishment to David for it.

“I’ll make trouble for you out of your own family. I’ll take your wives from right out in front of you. I’ll give them to some neighbor, and he’ll go to bed with them openly. You did your deed in secret; I’m doing mine with the whole country watching!”

2 Samuel 12:11-12 (MSG)

Yes, God loves you despite your sins but don’t make the mistake of thinking He turns a blind eye to them. He doesn’t because He’s a just God.

But you also don’t have to wallow or camp out in God’s displeasure. You can come back from your sins.

What You Need to Do When You’ve Sinned

How do you overcome your wrongdoing when you’ve sinned against God or others?

Simple. You need to admit your sin and ask for God’s forgiveness. This was what David did after Nathan’s eye-opening visit.

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin…You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Psalm 51:1-2, 16-17  (NLT)

David didn’t stop to wonder, “Does God still love me despite my sins, heinous as they are?”

No, David knew God still loved him, despite his sins. And he knew God only wanted his repentant heart and submitted spirit. So David turned to God and leaned on his love.

You need to do the same, despite the size of your sin. When you do, you have the promise of God’s forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 (ESV)

What about when you’ve sinned against others? Jesus gives you the exact steps to follow for this one.

So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Matthew 5:23-24 (NLT)

Whether or not the person forgives you isn’t your business. Your job is to make things right with them, if possible, and with God.

God Still Loves You despite Your Sins

I wanted to believe my friend’s words of comfort that day because I didn’t want to believe in the possibility of God loving my abusive ex who kept hurting me emotionally just as much as He loves me.

But going down the rabbit hole of my friend’s statement made me wonder, “Does God love me despite my sins?”

I’ve never been so glad to have a friend be epically wrong. God doesn’t love some people more than others. And though He’s never down with them, He loves you despite your sins.

I’m glad I didn’t fall for my friend’s unwitting lie about God’s conditional love. Because just as He loves the one who hurt me, God loves me despite my sins. I can’t tell you how glad—and relieved!—I was to learn this Bible truth.

But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

Psalm 13:5-6 (ESV)

This means you, me, and anyone else who chooses to turn to God can trust in His unfailing love. Even my destructive ex.

No matter how terrible your sins are, you can praise God for the saving blood of Christ Jesus, which cleanses you from them all. And as you repent of your sins, you can trust in and depend on His forgiveness and steadfast, eternal love.

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