God: Judgmental or loving? | Teen Ink

God: Judgmental or loving?

September 10, 2009
By Razzmatazz BRONZE, Findlay, Ohio
Razzmatazz BRONZE, Findlay, Ohio
3 articles 0 photos 3 comments

So often, we paint Jesus as a picture of Love, and God as picture of anger. How can God be Judgmental and Loving? What is love? Lately I have been studying and praying about God and His love. I am amazed at how loving God actually is. Here are a few things that I am learning about God, judgment, and love.

God is perfect and holy; therefore He can not be involved in sin. He must judge it, He can't accept it. If God accepted sin, how could He still be holy and perfect? God is not going to go against His nature. God is consistent. He must deal with sin. It’s true: God is scary, big and powerful.

However God is also love! He does not just love, He is LOVE. God (Love) created us to love Him and be loved by Him. We were made to love others and receive love from others. Love is the big picture!
So why would God make us, if He knew we were going to fail? He knew we would sin, and He knew we would reject His love. Why didn’t God just make us robots? Then God could love us and always be loved with out the big sin problem.

The thing about God is: He wants REAL love. He doesn’t want a bunch of people to “love” Him because they have to. That’s not love. God wants us to choose Him. God gives us a choice to love or not to love. Sadly, humans have chosen to turn away from God’s love by sinning. Sin separates us from God. God hates sin. It’s the opposite of LOVE; it ruins our love relationship with God.

The good news is that God still loves us, even when we are separated from Him. He loves us the same, and He wants our love. He knows what real love is! He doesn’t want to send us all to hell, because of all our many Many mistakes! So what did God do?

“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.” John 3:16. God is Love. God loves the world. God sent His Son Jesus, to die for us. Jesus took on all our sin. Now we can know God (LOVE).

“God demonstrated His love for us…” “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us” 1 John 3:16 God demonstrated his love, so that we could know love. So that we could know Him! What’s the point of being loved if you don’t know about it? God showed us His love so we could experience it.

Salvation is not about saying a prayer and doing whatever you want for the rest of your life. God is much deeper than that. God’s love is real. A relationship with God is about accepting God’s love, loving God, and loving others.

The point of “doing works” is not a burdensome list of rules. It’s simply reflecting God’s plan. When we do what is right, we are demonstrating our love to God. God wants a relationship with us. He demonstrated His love by sending Jesus. Our end of the relationship is to love God back, by demonstrating our love.

God always gives us a choice. We don’t have to demonstrate our love, but if we don’t want to, can we really call it love? The rules and commands don’t save us! Jesus justifies and makes us holy through His blood. That’s why a holy perfect God can be our friend.


“Faith without works is dead” because a relationship with out love is dead. Love should be put into action. We can’t love with out God’s love. When we receive God’s Love, we then have the capacity to love God and others. “We love because He first loved us!” 1 John 4:19

There is only one way to Heaven, and that is a love relationship with God, through what Jesus did on the cross. Even in Deuteronomy (An old testament book, full of rules) the heart is the most important thing. It mentions your “heart” forty-three times! It was always about a love relationship with God.

What happens when we mess up and sin again? Another awesome thing about God is that he can take a bad thing and use it for good. He can take your sin and use it as a love opportunity. It’s a chance for you to repent and once again try to live out the love. It’s also a time for God to love you, by forgiving you, even though you failed.

It’s really all about love! The more I read the Bible the more I find about how loving God is. There are countless verses and stories! I recommend reading 1 John, or better yet the whole Bible! Its just one love letter after another.



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This article has 46 comments.


MadMouse GOLD said...
on May. 7 2011 at 12:01 pm
MadMouse GOLD, Springfield, Missouri
15 articles 11 photos 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
'The only things worth doing on the weekend are completely pointless and wastes of time."

I love this article! You're really good at writing. I think this is the best spirituality/religion article that I've read. Keep writing, please!

on Apr. 5 2011 at 5:41 pm
Logan1315 BRONZE, Pennsylvania
4 articles 1 photo 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I&#039;m not sure about the universe.&quot;<br /> -Albert Einstein<br /> <br /> &quot;Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light a candle, by God&#039;s grace in England, as I trust shall never be put out.&quot;<br /> -Latimer

This is great!  It's sometimes easy to forget how much God loves us even when we mess up.  You helped me remember.

on Mar. 29 2011 at 1:03 pm
NateRabner BRONZE, Cabin John, Maryland
4 articles 0 photos 2 comments

"What is love?"

Baby, don't hurt me

Don't hurt me

No more


TheJust ELITE said...
on Mar. 29 2011 at 9:37 am
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they&rsquo;re told.&quot;-Skandar Keynes<br /> <br /> &quot;When it&rsquo;

P.S That was not meant as a bashing or an insult, simply what God said.

If you have anymore questions, you may like to check out my articles Religion or Relationship pt.1 and 2...they talk a lot more about that.


TheJust ELITE said...
on Mar. 29 2011 at 9:35 am
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they&rsquo;re told.&quot;-Skandar Keynes<br /> <br /> &quot;When it&rsquo;

And also, God never created Jesus. Jesus IS God and IS the Son of God. Jesus always was, is and will be. Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Rev 22:13  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.


TheJust ELITE said...
on Mar. 29 2011 at 9:33 am
TheJust ELITE, Ellenton, Florida
254 articles 202 photos 945 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I feel that a hero is somebody who will stand up for their values and what they believe in and that can take any form. People that have values and have thought them through rather than those who just do what they&rsquo;re told.&quot;-Skandar Keynes<br /> <br /> &quot;When it&rsquo;

This is the best Christian article I've seen on Teen Ink! Love it! I completely agree! 

I also have 5 Christian articles on here: Knowing Aslan 1 and 2, Religion or Relationship 1 and 2 and Why??....I think you'd like the Religion or Relationship articles. :)


on Mar. 24 2011 at 9:34 pm
septemberstarz BRONZE, Austin, Texas
3 articles 15 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;All you need is love&quot;

I see that you are devoted to God.

But the thing is, you would never be able to explain this to someone of a different religion.

If you're Jewish, THE BIBLE DOESN'T COUNT.

If you're Muslim, THE BIBLE DOESN'T COUNT.

If you're Atheist, THE BIBLE DOESN'T COUNT.

If you can find a way to write about God WITHOUT using the Bible, I would like to read it.

Nice try,

Septemberstarz


on Mar. 21 2011 at 4:21 pm
blues_are.still_blue BRONZE, Southampton, Pennsylvania
3 articles 0 photos 109 comments

Favorite Quote:
This sentence is false.<br /> - Unknown

Oh yeah, he's so loving that even though he's omnipotent, he couldn't figure out a more effective way of reducing sin than creating a son just so he can be ruthlessly and painfully murdered on a torture device. Really efficient, huh?

writerssoul said...
on Mar. 17 2011 at 12:52 am
writerssoul, One, Delaware
0 articles 0 photos 105 comments
Love It! Totally agree:) Liked that u quoted scripture, nice touch

bec1111 said...
on Feb. 18 2011 at 10:01 am
Just a thought that I had... would it be possible to teach all these moral values without the God or religion aspect of it? I mean what if you were to explain it to someone of a completely different religion? I believe it's all true, especially about the love and the choosing not to sin stuff, but I'm also extremley aware of other religions. Growing up with parents of two completely different religions has taught me to be open-minded and understanding of all religions.

peachesjk said...
on Jan. 20 2011 at 4:02 pm
peachesjk, Syracuse, New York
0 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;You never know what you got &#039;til its gone, but you never know what you&#039;re missing &#039;til it comes along&quot;

Great article! I absolutely agree with all of the words you said! 

on Dec. 29 2010 at 2:08 pm
love it! everyone always makes out like god is evil and truly more of a devil than a god. but i love it bcuz god is all of these things

on Dec. 26 2010 at 3:51 pm
maggierebekah BRONZE, Woodstock, Illinois
3 articles 1 photo 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;i think there is no world without theatre.&quot;

The fear that that verse is talking about is completely different from the scared sort of fear.

Fearing God is talking about obeying and respecting him, not being afraid of him. You fear God in the same way you fear your parents.


on Dec. 4 2010 at 10:29 pm
spiritualrevelationrevealspainandrevolution PLATINUM, Eugene, Oregon
23 articles 0 photos 212 comments
the scripture quote on the last part of your comment makes what you said hypocritical.if god is love, and our most pleasant state is love then why would we fear god?

on Dec. 4 2010 at 8:36 pm
shinegirl24 BRONZE, Grand Rapids, Michigan
3 articles 0 photos 49 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;All, everything I understand, I understand only because I love.&quot; Leo Tolstoy

That is gorgeous! I loved it. So true!

LunaLives GOLD said...
on Nov. 27 2010 at 9:20 am
LunaLives GOLD, South Bend, Indiana
17 articles 0 photos 237 comments

Favorite Quote:
Because I can!-Me &quot;Life is a choice and death is a decision&quot;-Lil Wayne

I liked this article, allthough I don't have the same faith as you do. I still think it is a very good article. I'm happy that you didn't slander anybody, only pointed out the great things that you believe. I think you are a great writer and encourage you to keep doing it.

on Nov. 6 2010 at 6:41 pm
PuzzleLuver SILVER, Powell, Ohio
6 articles 0 photos 51 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life&quot; John 3:16

I agree with the Phantom Mankind chose sin, but God gave us a way out by asking him to fogive us. He always will forgive you if you truely mean it. Like the article said God loves us so much and wants us to be with him he does not want us to sin, but we(a lot of mankind) have chosen it, Our free-will is shown through that. By my free will I can chose sin or I can choose faith and forgiviness either way there a conciquences (conciquences can be good). Personally I choose faith.

Superblyme said...
on Sep. 8 2010 at 4:21 pm
Superblyme, Phenix City, Alabama
0 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
&lrm;&quot;I&#039;ve said it a million times: I would love very much to be known as one of the great entertainers. if that&#039;s me having a big ego, then sorry. I&#039;m shooting for the stars, and if I miss I&#039;ll hit the moon an that&#039;s pretty high&quot; -Michael Buble

I absolutely LOVE this! I came to tears reading it. I am very glad you wrote this and published it. You are an amazing writer. I couldn't stop crying, this has a very powerful meaning to me.

on Jul. 30 2010 at 10:08 pm
ThePhantom BRONZE, Brooklyn, Ohio
4 articles 0 photos 3 comments

That is an interesting way of looking at it.   I think that the error in your message is the thought of being punished.  Mankind(representative) made the choice to sin.  And now we have to make the choice to accept the payment of that sin.  If we don't we will suffer the consequences of our sin.   It is not punishment; it is reaping what we have sown.

God is not forcing us to choose him He is simple enforcing justice but He offers a free way out of our punishment.   We do need to fear the consequences of our actions but we do not turn to God because we fear but because He loves us.


BandGeek833 said...
on Apr. 28 2010 at 9:18 pm
Hello hello! Concerning fearing God, we should fear Him because of His awsome power but that does not mean we do not have free will. God allows us to make the choice to serve Him or live a life of plesure on this earth, He does not force us to serve or condem us from birth to a life of punishment. Instead He gives us a choice, the choice to live a life for Him and be saved or not and then face judgment. But we should fear Him for the fact that He will judge us one day, but as we grow in serving God that fear eventually passes away as we become certain of His taking care of us in the afterlife because we "chose" to serve Him in this life!  "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" I John 4:18 Sry I'm longwinded!