Love Me or Else!

Recently someone told me that they had a hard time believing in God. "I grew up in the whole Baptist thing and I kind of got the impression that God was saying 'love me or else'."

What he was saying is that the the way the Gospel is so often presented the message that comes across is this:

"Love me or I'll punish you!" or

"I'll love you unconditionally IF you will confess your sins, repent of them, commit your life to me and join the church." or

"I love sinners but I can't have anything to do with you until you ask me to forgive you."

Sadly, the mixed messages serve as a huge barrier to actually loving God. We "love" him to avoid getting punished. We jump through hoops to get an unconditional love? We beg forgiveness to stop the pain of his rejection of us sinners who He can't look upon.

Love is what God is after and as long as you fear God you will never love Him!

"But what about the fear of God?" you ask.

Fear-of-God is not three words. It is one word in three. It is to stand in awe of God and realize you have encountered Someone who is beyond you, has unlimited authority, and is the Ultimate Reality of all things.

How does God bring about holy love in sinners? He freely pardoned all sinners! (Romans 5:6-11; Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 2:4-5)

Yes! Every last one of us has already been pardoned, forgiven, accepted in Jesus Christ. When we wake up to the truth of his grace for sinners (not potential grace) we are struck with gratitude (root word "gratis" - grace). Our "thank you's" are the beginning of love for a God who lavishes love and grace upon sinners.

Father God sent His Son for us sinners to do for us what we never could do for ourselves. Father doesn't accept us in Jesus because on our own we are too dirty. Father sent His Son to do for us because on our own we are too weak.

Thomas Erskine states "The love of God is to our minds, what the keystone is to the arch, and it falls to ruin without it." The only punishment one will ever experience not loving God is self-inflicted. To not know the love of God or to reject the love of God is to live in an unreality that will never work. It is a denial of who you really are - a beloved child of God!

God really is good. God really does love you. God really has already pardoned you. Fear not, draw near to Him and experience His love.