If God Is Love Then Why Do So Many People Reject God?
The short answer is that He is also the Truth
It’s ironic how people blame God for the state the world is in, yet they themselves reject God.
People say they love someone, but their actions say otherwise.
People reject God because they love themselves too much.
Everything is about me, myself and I.
What’s in it for me?
We are hard-wired this way since the Fall, so it takes discipline to put others before ourselves.
Self-absorption is one of the main causes of broken relationships today and it’s getting worse.
Greed is prevalent. The more we see the more we want.
And it’s driving everyone crazy. There’s a constant race to get stuff.
All kinds of stuff - material and immaterial.
Consumerism is an addiction yet even though people know this, most don’t want to stop.
Perfectionism is becoming the norm and people don’t care. That too has become an addiction. “If I can just be perfect enough then I will be okay and I won’t be rejected or abandoned.”
This leads to performance addiction and the insatiable need for approval.
Competing and comparing yourself with the next person is evident on social media.
All this leads to a society absent of love.
And for what?
Have we stopped to ask ourselves why we are carrying on like this?
I find it hard to have a decent conversation with anyone these days because they are just not interested in connection.
Whatever happened to having a chat or a laugh with your colleague or person at the local shop?
I make a habit of chatting to strangers when I’m out. Just a friendly word or two.
They don’t expect it.
I laugh and joke with the young people at the shop or the church.
I love surprising them! Children love it when adults act silly. :)
You should try it.. it helps them to relax and not worry about life so much.
Young people are struggling and are looking to us adults for answers while many of us are running around chasing the wind.
It’s gone way out of control and God is not pleased.
What’s this got to do with God and love, Orla? You’ve gone off the point.., you might say.
No, I haven’t. What I am saying is…
God loves to see you smile
God loves to see you laugh
God loves to see you enjoy a game
God loves to see you enjoy kicking a ball with your friends
God loves to see you play with your children
God loves when you chat with old people
God loves when you are kind to a stranger
God loves when you sit still and do nothing
God loves when you dance or sing
God loves when you talk to him
God loves when you plant a tree
God loves when you enjoy flowers
God is love
He gave us all of creation to enjoy
But most of all, He gave us His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus who was born of a virgin in a manger in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago lived a sinless life and gave up his body as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
He was crucified on a cross, rose from the dead so we would be free from the power of sin and death, and live holy, blameless lives as His children.
When we receive this gift of salvation, we are washed clean of all our sins and forgiven once and for all so we can love as Jesus has taught us.
We can live as purified holy children of the Most High God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
What a glorious calling!
Why then are so many people rejecting God?
They are rejecting God because they love their sins.
They love to do evil things.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Jesus is the light of the world and there is no darkness in Him. Darkness is sin, it’s wickedness, it’s evil, and the light is goodness and love.
People do not want the light of Christ as it will expose their evil deeds. This is why they do not come into the light.
Everyone who lives by the truth comes into the light.
People who walk in darkness refuse to acknowledge their sin and therefore refuse to repent of their evil ways and because of this, they cannot love.
People will be lovers of themselves
The Bible says in the last days men will be lovers of themselves. They will love money, and be arrogant, proud, cruel, disobedient, unholy, and loveless. I think it’s fair to say that this is how the world is today.
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
The apostle Timothy tells us in the scripture above to have nothing to do with these people.
As believers today, we must go through a period where we try to persuade the people we love to come to the truth. We need to be sure they understand the gospel for Satan may have blinded them from the truth.
We can do our best to lead them into the light.
However, there comes a point where we have to leave them to it.
If they choose to remain in the dark, that is their choice. They have free will.
Our part is done. We can continue to pray for them, but it is better to have nothing to do with them as the scripture says above.
Of course, if this was your family or old friends, and they needed you, you would be there for them, but to be spending time with them is not wise.
If you have decided to follow Jesus, then follow Him and trust He will deal with the people in your life.
God is just - sin does not go unpunished
People who reject God will suffer the consequences and the longer they live in darkness, the more sin they will accumulate. This sin inevitably has consequences and people get hurt.
“Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.”
- Proverbs 11:21
Love – The Greatest Commandment
We are all called to love because God is love and the truth is that God sent Jesus to set us free from sin and death.
We no longer live by The Law of Moses but by grace and the Greatest Commandment given by Jesus Himself which He broke down into two parts.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Love your neighbour as yourself.
One of the Pharisees, an expert in the law, tested Jesus with a question:
Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” Jesus declared, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. “This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
—Matthew 22:36-39
So, because God sent Jesus as an atonement for our sin, we are no longer tied to the Law, but we still obey it, but this time through grace that is given to us through the Holy Spirit.
How should we live as believers in this dark world?
We are to live as children of Light. We are in the world, but not of it. When you accept this you will have more peace. We must be wise and discerning for the devil is always using unsaved people to try to trip us up. Do not live as unwise but walk by the Spirit and you will know what to do in every situation.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.
Let us never forget who Jesus said He is:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Thank you for reading.
Love, In Christ,
Órla