Love Makes Me Sick

I love chocolate cake. A nice, wide piece, melts in your mouth, just oozing with thick, yummy icing. And, of course, that's just the gravy after I get to lick the bowl before the cake ever goes into the oven. Yes, I love chocolate cake.

But I don't want it for breakfast, lunch, and supper--every meal, every day. Eventually, it would make me sick.

We have a wonderful, loving God. His grace and mercy are boundless, and we, as sinners, would be utterly hopeless without them. Love is the greatest motivating factor in existence, and it moved God to attempt to save mankind through the offering of His Son. The denominations don't really understand what John 3:16 means, but that doesn't keep it from being a marvelous verse of Scripture: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It's a message the world needs to hear, frequently.

But not every sermon and Bible class.

There is more in the Bible than love. Once the love of God is preached, repentance--man's repsonsibilities and duties--must be emphasized every bit as much as God's love, if not more. The love of Jehovah won't save a single soul that doesn't respond to it in humble obedience.

At some congregations, it seems the only message is "love, love, love." Yes, we need love. But, like chocolate cake, too much love can be sickening.

"From that time, Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'" (Matthew 4:17). Notice what the first word of Jesus' message was when He "began to preach." It wasn't "love."

In fact, gentle reader, did you know that the New Testament never records Jesus using the word "grace"?

Yes, Jesus believed in the love and grace of God; of course, He did, that's why He came to the earth. But there was a whole lot more to His doctrine than that, and there needs to be a whole lot more to our message as well.

Preach love, preacher, but don't preach it every sermon. Otherwise, you won't be truly helping mankind and you'll make a lot of godly people sick.