IS GOD LOVE, OR IS HE A TYRANT?

Several years ago, I was talking to someone about Jesus, and he told me he was no longer on the “Jesus Plan.” He said he used to be stressed out all the time, thinking he was going to hell because of a certain sin he was not willing to give up. He said he looked at some other religions, searching for one that wouldn’t “rule” him, and “doesn’t threaten” him “with punishment” for things he does. Now, he’s “an Ex-Christian with no stress about going to hell.”

At first, I thought to myself, “this guy’s crazy,” but later, after carefully considering what he said, I think I can actually see where he’s coming from. I certainly don’t agree with his decision, but I think I somewhat understand his thinking. None of us really want to be told that we’re doing something wrong. We don’t want anyone to tell us what we should and shouldn’t do, and none of us want to be threatened with consequences for doing something we really enjoy. We certainly don’t want to hear that we’re going to hell if we don’t give it up.

Human beings are stubborn creatures, and we want what we want. Even when we love God, and are trying to obey him in every way, we’re still somewhat selfish. That’s human nature. It’s not always easy for a loyal disciple of Jesus to give up something that God says is a sin, but when you’re not completely committed to obeying God, then giving up a cherished sin is impossible. We make all kinds of excuses for hanging on to it, and as hard as it is to understand, many even turn and walk away from God rather than give up the sin.

That’s why a close, personal relationship with God is crucial. That’s what my book THE JOURNEY TO HEAVEN is all about. We can’t be good by ourselves. Oh, we can do good in certain areas of our lives, but there are areas where the flesh is just stronger than we are. For those areas, we need the supernatural intervention of a power much greater than anything we could ever conjure up. We need the power of our creator to change our hearts.

Here’s something that many people don’t understand. The first step to real change is simply this: We “must be born again” (John 3:1-7). Only then will we truly want to obey God. Many are being deceived into disbelieving that the Bible is really God’s inspired word to us, and yes, many are choosing not to believe because they don’t want to obey God and give up sin. Others, however, refuse to believe and serve God because Satan and his followers have perverted and twisted many teachings of the Bible.

The doctrine of hell, for example, is very misunderstood. It has been twisted, and distorted for centuries, making God seem like some tyrant who loves to punish people in the flames. The character of God has been terribly marred by the distorted teachings on this subject. In 1 John 4:8, the Bible tells us that “God is love.” Verse 9 offers us proof of that love. Echoing the words that Jesus told Nicodemus one night, the Apostle John says that God loves us so much that he sent his only Son into the world, so we might live because of his sacrifice on the cross (1 John 4:8-10).

He loves us with a love that we sinful humans could never completely comprehend, and he wants what’s best for us. He wants to be with us, now, and forever, but sin separates us from God because he is holy (Psalm 99:9). That’s what happened to Adam and Eve when they sinned, but God had a plan to fix everything. Part of that plan is to someday eradicate sin from the universe, forever. Here’s where many are confused about the character of God. Many think he’s some kind of dictator, who wants us all to do what he says, or else. They think he’s up there, looking down on us, just waiting for us to mess up so he can send us to hell, but that’s not the case at all. Take a good look at these three verses from God’s holy book.

9 In this was revealed the love of God toward us, because
that God sent his only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through him.
(1 John 4:9)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish, but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)

11 Say to them, as I live, says the Lord God, I have
no pleasure in the death of the wicked:
(Ezekiel 33:11)

The fact is, hell fire is designed for Satan, who started the sin problem in the beginning, and for the evil angels who follow him (Matthew 25:41). Hell fire is the method God will someday use to destroy sin from the universe for all time. The sad thing is, many of us allow ourselves to be slaves to sin and that puts a wall between us and God. The Prophet Isaiah said that our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Sin is attractive and fun, for a while. We get so caught up in it, and the pleasures it offers, that we don’t realize we’re slaves to it. In fact, the opposite is true. We think we’re free. We hang on to sin and reject Jesus, like the guy I mentioned earlier. God WILL destroy sin someday, and if we’re still hanging on to sin, then we’ll be destroyed right along with it; Not because God is mean or sadistic, but because we have allowed it to become part of us. Sin actually controls the sinner. Sin becomes the sinner’s master. Look what Jesus said in these next three verses.

34 Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you,
Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
(John 8:34)

24 No man can serve two masters: he will either hate
the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other.
(Matthew 6:24a)

30 He that is not with me is against me;
(Matthew 12:30a)

Just a quick recap here. Sin controls the sinner. Sin is the sinner’s master, and no one can serve two masters. If you don’t choose to serve Jesus, you have chosen to continue serving sin. You have made your choice and you will be destroyed with sin at the end of the world. Do you see how it works? God is not cruel. He doesn’t want anyone to experience the flames of hell. Think about this for a minute. People who live a life of sin are very uncomfortable around people who are truly living their lives for God, and they don’t want to hear about holy things. Many are even hostile about it. A person like that would be miserable in heaven. Plus, sin can not exist in the presence of our holy God. That person would be destroyed just by being there.

That’s the whole reason he sent his Son, cloaked in human flesh, to pay the penalty for our sins and to pave the way for us to get back into the presence of God. So many people don’t realize exactly what happened when Adam sinned. It involved so much more than just being put out of the garden of Eden. It threw everything in God’s perfect creation out of balance. It brought chaos to the perfect ecosystem that God had so carefully set up. It brought pain and suffering, along with death and destruction upon every living thing that God had so lovingly created. It put a barrier between the Creator and the entire human race.

For the past six thousand years, God has been working tirelessly to bring us back to him so when he finally destroys sin, mankind will be able to live in his presence again. That’s the end result of the plan of salvation, but God is holy, and just, and he will not force his will on us. He made mankind with the freedom to choose. He can not save anyone who doesn’t want to be saved. All he can do is try to convince us that we need saving. That’s what the gospel is all about.

Imagine, for a minute, that you can’t swim. You wake up on a huge barge in the middle of a deep, wide river. The sun is shining, and the water is calm and peaceful, so you begin to enjoy the ride. After all, you can’t swim so there’s nothing you can do. Surely it won’t be long until the barge runs into shallow water or drifts to the edge where you can get back to land.

Now imagine that a man comes down the river in a speed boat and drives up beside you. He tells you the barge is headed for a waterfall and he came to save you. The barge is too big and too heavy for the speedboat to pull back up the river, so he wants you to get in the boat with him. That sounds simple enough. All you have to do is step off the barge you are on, into his boat, and he’ll speed you back up the river to safety.

What would you do? You may not believe him at first. You may not understand his motives for wanting you to leave the barge. You may have questions, but one thing is sure, there’s nothing you can do to save yourself. If what he says is true, and you remain where you are, you’ll go over the waterfall with the barge, and you’ll die.

Because of Adam’s sin, we’re all born on that barge. We’re all cursed and condemned to death. Jesus came to earth and lived a holy, sinless life. He now offers us eternal life by substituting his sinless life for our sinful one. All we have to do is accept it. It’s entirely up to us. He won’t force us. As I said, all he can do is try to convince us that we need saving. He’ll keep pleading with us, and he’ll give us chance after chance. If we end up lost, it’s nobody’s fault but our own.

The barge in this story represents sin. The one who put you there is Satan. If you choose to stay on the barge (sin) while the man (Jesus) is offering you a free ride to safety (salvation) then you will go over the waterfall (hell) with the barge (sin) and you will die. You can’t blame God because he created the waterfall. He sent someone to save you. There are only two options. The choice is yours. If you refuse his help then YOU are choosing death. If you end up in hell it will be because that’s what YOU chose. You can’t blame God. He did everything he possibly could to save you.

God has made it perfectly clear, he will destroy sin in the lake of fire, at the end of the world (Matthew 13:1-50). If we choose to hang on to sin, we will be destroyed right along with it, even though Jesus is trying desperately to save us. If you’re still on that barge, please, step off now, and let Jesus carry you to safety. He desperately wants to save us all, and he’s doing everything he can to make sure everyone has the opportunity.

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