Often we hear people say that God loves everyone in a
defense of overlooking sin in the life of people. The Word of God is ignored
and how people live is disregarded in the name of being “welcoming.” To do
otherwise will cause a believer or church to be labeled as bigoted or hateful.
The problem with this view is that it is usually
expressed by people who either don’t know or don’t really believe the Bible.
Once it was the supernatural that was disbelieved and now even the precepts of
morality are ignored. All is explained away. It’s completely carnal and
worldly. It is an attempt to make the Bible fit into the world’s mold.
No real believer would deny that God loves everyone. He “so
loved the world.” This would include every person who has ever lived and lives
today. Doesn’t matter the race or nationality. What someone has done (or not
done) doesn’t matter either. God loves because He is love. There is nothing He
does that doesn’t flow out of His love, even judgement. His commandments are
not given arbitrarily but out of His love for us.
There is also the misunderstanding caused by what it
means to believe in Jesus. The promise of eternal life is conditioned on the
person believing. To believe in Jesus is not simply to give mental assent to
the Gospel. According to the New Testament it is to follow Jesus. This means
one will believe what He believed and live according to the standards He did. It
is to allow Him to be our Lord, Teacher and Master. There is no real believing without
being a follower of Jesus.
This is illustrated in how Jesus called His disciples to
Him.
And as He walked by
the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the
sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will
make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed
Him. Mark 1:16-18
Simon and Andrew immediately changed the direction of
their lives to become followers of Christ. It took more than them giving Jesus
a “I believe in You” or to “make a decision” about Him. They had to change to
match their lives up to follow Him as Lord. One cannot continue to live the way
they did before they made Jesus the Savior of their lives and say they are
followers of Jesus. I submit that one can’t say they are saved and not be followers
of Jesus (Luke 8:34-38).
God loves us so much He gave His only begotten Son to pay
for the penalty of sin and the power of sin to give us freedom and salvation. We
are sinners in need of salvation and in His great love He has provided that.
Why would we not be affected by that great sacrifice of His love? Why would we
continue to live in a way where we do things that caused Him to have to come
and die? How could that be a reasonable response to His love for us?
God loves us! What a powerful thought that the
Holy Creator of All Things loves us. This divine love should change us. It
should cause us to treat others as He treats us. But it should never be an
excuse for withholding the truth of God’s Word to people or the world. He paid
too high a price for us to do so. Full salvation has been provided in His great
love for us. Let’s live it and declare it. That is love. The love of God being
expressed to a world that desperately needs it.
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