God doesn't love us to the degree we are LIKE Christ, but to the degree we are IN Christ. Our union with Christ doesn't come in an installment plan it comes when we repent of our sin and trust in Christ alone for a right relationship with God. At that moment in time we become a new creation.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
