“God is love, and that’s all the matters”….

Many people keep insisting "God is love, full of grace and forgiveness," and that's all we need to know. Truth is, that’s just partially true! Here’s a little example that will hopefully get the point across:

A father teaches his toddler, among many other things, to look both ways before crossing a road. The father does that because he is full of LOVE and all that it entails for that child. He knows that rearing, guiding and teaching a child is not an easy task, and children DO tend to forget things – and that is why constant vigilance, guidance, patience, and reminders are needed.

One day, when the father’s mind is preoccupied, the little boy manages to slip outside and, without thinking, he happily heads toward the busy highway near his house. He finally gets to be independent, with nobody telling him what to do – yay! He’s not afraid, though, because he can feel his father’s love deep inside his soul, and it makes him feel very safe. Nothing can hurt him, because Daddy is with him in spirit.

High on the feeling that he is safe, no matter what, he forgets to check for traffic as he steps out into the street … where he is promptly hit by a semi-truck.

So, did his father's LOVE save that child? Of course not! But that is exactly how some view the love of God. They are under the erroneous assumption that God’s all-encompassing love means they can stray from his Divine Instructions whenever they choose because, hey, He knows they’re “only human” and He "knows their heart."

After all, the sins they occasionally commit aren’t THAT big a deal, are they? Sure, the “Old Testament God” used to have people stoned to death for committing those same sins, but hey, the “New Testament God” is pure love. And besides, all those old commands were just for the Jews….

The Truth is, those who have read the Torah (first five Books of the Bible that contain all of God’s “do’s” and “don’ts” for ALL who have accepted Him as their God – See Numbers 15:13-16) know that the excuses used by some (i.e., “God is grace, love and forgiveness) are just smoke screens designed to give them permission to sin.

God NEVER gave anyone permission to stray from His commands! As a matter of fact, He is very adamant that those who obey His commands are blessed, and those disobey them are cursed. (See Deuteronomy 11:26-28; 27:26; 28:1-30; etc.)

Loving God includes obeying His rules, because they are our ONLY blueprint for moral, holy living. Stray away from those rules and you will get smashed by that proverbial semi-truck!

Romans 3:31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.