Yes, but...

As I have taught on the love of God the past few weeks it is amazing how many people are resistant to that simple message.

The internal struggle to accept God's love and mercy often gets expressed as "Yes, but..."

"Yes, God is love, but you have to emphasize His holiness, too. He is a God of justice and He is the Judge."

"Yes, God loves people, but 'He is angry with the sinner day and night'."

"Yes, God loves me, but when I sin I must confess it or I will die in an unforgiven state."

It is interesting that many people see the need to qualify God's love, or "balance" it with perceived 'negative' or punitive aspects of his personality.

We don't do this is our relationships with other people, so why do we feel the need to do it with God?

Can you imagine if every time you told your child, "I love you" you also added, "but don't forget that if you break my rules I will never forgive you until you apologize."?

Or perhaps you add an addendum to a simple statement of love to your spouse; "I love you, and I've written you a love letter... but if you don't read it every day I will burn with anger toward you."

Or tell your newborn daughter, "I love you. But when you grow up if you ever doubt my love for you I will soak you in gasoline and set you on fire."

We would never say or do those things!... with anybody, let alone the people we love. And yet many religious folks think that's exactly how God treats people who doubt, fail to read their bibles, or disobey His commandments.

A friend recently said, "We should never put a period where God puts a comma; and we should never put a comma where God puts a period."

God is love. Period. God loves you. Period. Those statements don't need to be qualified, or 'balanced' with a negative statement--especially statements that just are not true. We often believe lies about who God really is.

Sometimes Christians are advised to retain the "good news" of God's love and mercy until someone is thoroughly convinced of the "bad news" that they are wretched sinners headed for hell. That's not necessary.

People don't need to fear God before they can love God. Fear gets in the way of knowing just how much we are loved. The (good) news of His love is enough--enough to draw us... enough to keep us close... enough to transform us.

God is love. God loves you. Yes! No buts about it.

"With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us— who was raised to life for us!— is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and God's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing— nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable— absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us." (Romans 8:31-39, The Message)