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Love Compels to Discipline, but Law Compels to Punish

Love Compels to Discipline, but Law Compels to Punish

“God is love” (1 John 4:16). His law is love (Matthew 22:36–40). And love is not self-seeking (1 Corinthians 13:5)—love doesn’t seek to get for self but to give in order to uplift others. This reality has existed from eternity past and will exist to eternity future, for God never changes (Isaiah 57:15; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17), and His design laws for reality are His love built into the fabric of the universe; they are love in action, the fixed laws of heaven and earth that do not change (Jeremiah 33:25).

But what does it mean that “God is love”? Is it the same thing as “God is loving”? You and I can be loving, but we are not love. Love is more than a feeling; it is functional, and it functions by giving, by beneficence, by outward movement of energy for the good of others. Love is not selfish; it is altruistic, other-centered, healing, and restorative.

What do you think about not only God’s nature being love, but also God’s law being love? Does love function by force, coercion, threat, and inflicted punishments? Can you generate love in people by making up rules for them and then threatening to punish them if they disobey your rules? What happens if one makes up rules that we call “laws” but that are not design laws and then uses external pressures to force compliance? Fear, distrust, and rebellion result—the destruction of love! This is how reality functions. And this is why the kingdoms of the world are Satan’s—because they all function in made-up laws that are enforced by external punishment, which ultimately destroy love and incite rebellion (Matthew 4:8, 9; John 18:36). This is why throughout the history of the world, every government that has ever existed is eventually overthrown and replaced. But God’s kingdom is an eternal kingdom—it will never be replaced (Daniel 4:3; Luke 1:33; 2 Peter 1:11).

God’s design laws are expressions of His nature of love. To break that law breaks the very protocols of life and will result in pain, suffering, and death unless healed by God. As the Bible teaches, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction” (Galatians 6:8 NIV84). Breaking the laws of God is breaking the laws upon which life is built and destroys the lawbreaker unless healed by our Creator.

One of God’s design laws for intelligent beings is the law of truth. We cannot have health in lies, in falsehood, out of harmony with truth and reality. Thus, the Bible teaches that love rejoices in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6) and God is also truth—the infinite source of truth (John 3:33, 14:6, 16:13). In God there is no darkness, no lie, no deceit (1 John 1:5). Thus, love always operates with the truth, speaks truth, applies truth, moves forward in the truth, for the truth heals and sets free (John 8:32).

Love exists only in an atmosphere of freedom. Thus, as the Bible teaches, “The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV84). This is the law of liberty, a design law that governs the operations of hearts and minds. Individuality, development, love, and growth occur only in freedom.

 

God, Discipleship, and Punishment

God’s laws are not like the laws of creatures; God does not govern by made-up rules enforced through coercion and externally inflicted penalties, because such methods violate liberty, damage love, incite rebellion, and destroy individuality.

But the Bible teaches that God disciplines those whom He loves; further, the Bible documents that God gave many different types of rules or laws (Hebrews 12:6). So, if God’s law is not like human law and God does not enforce law like humans do, how do we understand all the examples in Scripture of God using law and external power—the destruction of the world by a flood, Sodom, the firstborn of Egypt, and others—with the fact that God says He disciplines those He loves?

Discipline comes from the root word “disciple,” and it means to teach. Thus, love will intervene with artificially imposed consequences to educate, teach, illustrate, protect, and bring lessons home to the heart and mind in order to bring children, the immature, to repentance, to understanding, to comprehension so they will freely choose to turn their hearts and minds around. Such discipline is a mediation, an intercession, a stand-between, an artificial intervention that is placed between the wrongdoer and the true, ultimate results of reaping what a choice would cause without intervention. Why? Because love is other-centered; it seeks to save, protect, and redeem children from destroying themselves.

Punishment comes from the same root as “punitive” and means to exact vengeance upon, to enforce, to inflict punishment—not to redeem but to uphold the law and the authority of the ruling system. There is nothing redemptive about punishing. Punishment is not for the offender; it is for others—so the community will not rebel, so the sinful community will feel “life is fair,” so the sinful community will not seek their own vengeance, so the offended will feel satisfied that the offender got what they deserved, and so those in power can keep power and prevent the people from rebelling.

God is love, and God, when dealing with rebellious, unrighteous, selfish, sinful people, set up a system of rules with legal authorities and mechanisms to inflict artificial stand-between external punishments in order to restrain the unloving, the unrighteous, the ungodly from abusing and exploiting others, to limit the self-destruction of the wicked of hardening their own hearts through such sinful actions, and to keep open the avenue for the Messiah and the outworking of the plan of salvation.

God’s instructions in providing imposed laws, like the Ten Commandments, was for the purpose of discipline, education, restraint, and redemption of each criminal/sinner/rule-breaker—but also to protect the community from the sin in their lives leading them into greater envy, jealousy, lust, acting out on anger, desire for vengeance, and to believe in some form of accountability and fairness, to provide some social order in a sinful world while God worked out His plan to bring Jesus to heal hearts and minds back to His ideal.

All the Old Testament laws given through Moses are intended only for those who have not been reborn, for the rebellious, and for the reborn immature infants, the children who don’t yet know better, who without a rule would still play in the street, not brush their teeth, or worship Baal thinking it is right.

 

The Added Law

The apostle Paul was constantly dealing with this same conflict, the legalistic Jewish leaders who believed God’s law functions like human law and who went around trying to impose rules on people and, thereby, caused confusion. So Paul had to write to the Galatians and remind them that for the need of people, God’s written laws, including the Ten Commandments, were added because of sin (Galatians 3:19–25).

But perhaps Paul was most clear when writing to Timothy:

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm (1 Timothy 1:5–7 NIV84, emphasis mine).

Paul makes clear that God’s kingdom is the kingdom of love, which functions upon the living laws, protocols, of love, that operate in the heart. However, the teachers of the law don’t know what they are talking about. They are promoting rules and rule-enforcement, the kinds of laws creatures make up and which will lead to rebellion if the heart is not converted to love. Force violates liberty, which destroys love. And this is what all legal religions do: They destroy love and incite more rebellion against God. Thus, Paul makes it clear that God’s written law is NOT for the righteous; rather, it is for the immature, selfish, unconverted people:

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me (1 Timothy 1:8–11 NIV84, emphasis mine).

The Bible teaches that the written law was added because of our sin to reveal that sin to us—to convict us, to diagnose us, to convince us of our terminal sin-condition—and to lead us to Jesus, our heavenly Physician, for healing. The written law, including the Ten Commandments, was added for our need and has operational benefit only in a world of sin.

In a world where God has restored His living law of love, truth, and liberty into hearts and minds and eradicated fear and selfishness (the carnal nature), there is no written law—for it is not needed! When love rules in the heart as God intends, there is no imposed law that instructs not to murder, steal, commit adultery, bear false witness, avoid other gods, etc., because the righteous are repulsed by even the thought of such things. The righteous live the law of God as the driver and motivator of their actions. The Ten Commandments law has purpose and function only in a world of sin. God’s eternal design laws (love, truth, freedom, etc.) exist and function over the entire universe through all eternity, past and future.

 

When God Destroys

Then what about the times and places in the Bible where God did use power to destroy? Isn’t that evidence of Him using imposed laws with imposed punishments? Not at all—instead, it is evidence of God working to restrain the destructiveness of sin for the purpose of fulfilling His promise in Genesis 3:15, the promised Seed to destroy sin, death, and Satan and redeem humanity.

When Adam sinned, he changed himself, taking himself out of harmony with God and God’s law for life. Adam’s condition became terminal, dead in trespass and sin. Without Jesus, the promised Seed, Adam would die eternally. But God is love, and love compels action—so God’s love compelled Him to act to save and to heal.

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 (John 3:16, 17 NIV84).

Without Jesus coming, no human would live because all humans are infected with this terminal condition (Psalm 51:5). Thus, throughout the entire Old Testament narrative, we see God working in love, mercy, and grace to keep open the avenue for the birth of the Messiah, and Satan warred against God, seeking to destroy that branch of the human family.

For a more detailed exploration of how love works to restrain, to excise pathology, to keep open the channels of blessings, but is never the source of inflicted pain and death, see our blogs:

The Flood and Questions of Whether God Kills—Part 1

The Flood and Questions of Whether God Kills—Part 2

The Death Penalty in Old Testament Times

God’s Wrath Versus Satan’s Wrath

The Truth About Hell

I invite you to reject the worldly view of law and embrace the eternal law of love from our Creator God as your motivator for life. It is the love and truth of God, as manifest in Jesus, that heals and transforms:

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view (2 Corinthians 5:14–16 NIV84, emphasis mine).

Be transformed by the truth and love of God and you will no longer view things through the lens of this world, with its made-up, imposed-law legal system, but through the truth as it is in Jesus!

 

 

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Two years ago I stumbled upon your book, “Could It Be This Simple,” and then found “The God-Shaped Brain” videos on YouTube, your bible study class, and the ‘Come And Reason’ mobile app. I shared your book with a friend and after nine months of showing love, patience, and kindness this person has been changed by the love of God, too. The same love that healed me, I now express to other women in tangible ways, such as to a Baptist woman with high anxiety and childhood trauma. She was extremely happy and relieved when I shared about the so-called “judgment of God” and burning in hell. She had no desire to serve a God that was so harsh. I have repeated the phrase dozens of times to her. “What we believe has power over us, but we have power over what we believe…”

This message that you are sharing has changed my life. I will continue to serve other women and bring this message of God’s healing love to their lives by sharing your books, YouTube videos, and The Remedy Bible app. Keep up the good work. Don’t be discouraged. God is doing a mighty work in and through this ministry!

Jill L., Midwest, USA

 

Testimony 71

When I was 9 years old, I remember setting at our devotional table with a hunger and thirst for God that wanted more, deeper, BETTER. I can remember literally crying and pounding on the table, “I know these teachers didn’t mean to give us error. They taught what THEY had been TAUGHT, but didn’t ANYBODY READ THE BOOK?!?!?” It mattered to me then. It mattered to me as a teenager. It matters now as I teach bible classes. It didn’t have to be so hard as I watched so many give up and lay God’s great plan and gift of salvation aside as being “impossible.” Then, a friend sent me a link to Come And Reason’s website. I grew excited. YES! FINALLY! Then another friend told me to stay away, saying her son had just broken up with a girl because she was involved with Come And Reason and that “Tim Jennings preaches a false gospel.” But, AFTER many years of developing an authentic and, dare I say FUN relationship with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit I see this message has been around a LONG time, since the apostle Paul, Ellen White, Graham Maxwell, Ray Foucher, and yourself (though I admit, you’ve made me back up, rewind and replay the clips, and get out my well-worn Bible on a few things.) I’m so thankful I have found LIGHT during these DARK days. I am not alone.

Vicki DiNitto

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Over the past couple of years God has been expanding my view of Himself and His character. Along my approximately 40-year journey, I have often had questions, but was hesitant to voice these and step outside the traditionally accepted thinking, for fear of admitting that I may in fact be eternally lost. In the recesses of my thinking has been the thought – if one blindly accepts (which is widely regarded as “real faith”) and does not question, is this really ‘truth?’ I often find it challenging to grapple with very theological ‘speak,’ but Dr. Jennings has a real gift of explaining spiritual concepts with clear practical examples. The weekly discussions are growing my Christian experience and slowly changing my view of how to live as a child of God in today’s complex world. Finally the whole Old Testament sanctuary teaching moved in my mind from fantasy to reality!

Beverly S., South Africa

 

Testimony 56

I cannot thank you enough for opening my understanding to the beautiful truth of God’s Law of Love and how it applies to everything. I have been a Christian for over forty years, but I feel like I am only now seeing with my eyes open. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

Tammy Cinzio, Australia

 

Testimony 57

You have helped make sense of thirty two years of confusion. The material you freely provide reorganized so much of my life into such a beautiful pattern that has always been hinted at from within, but misguided with my training and what I was experiencing externally. My filipno parents, who were converted from Catholicism to SDA, were sincere and did their best to raise me the right way and I have deep respect for them. However, being immigrants and not understanding the language made for a difficult transition as I was growing up, which also applied to my spiritual growth as I learned the patterns of religion. I have been listening to as many bible study classes and reading blog posts as my time in a work truck will allow, searching for the practical applications of where spirituality and reality meet, and I thank you for helping me find that. You have helped me reach a point in which I can truly say that I love God, that I believe He loves me, and, like David, I delight in His law. God bless.

Emmanuel V., Calgary, AB Canada

Testimony 41

I have been blessed by your ministry. I have experienced personally, and deeply resonate with, the God of love and the beautiful picture of God’s character that you present. I have seen your seminar series on YouTube, read ‘The Journal of the Watcher’ book, used your mobile app, and also listen/study the bible study lesson with you each week. I concur with many of the thoughts and perspectives that you share. I understand your conclusions on natural laws vs imposed law and the legal/penal substitution (incorrect diagnosis). This makes perfect sense to me.

Bless you for all you do.

Melissa L.

 

Testimony 53

I was so blessed by a friend who gave me your book, “The God Shaped Brain,” while I was sitting in church asking God to please help me learn more about Him and help me not to be so confused and scared. That was about 2 years ago. Your books have helped me to love God even more. I’m not confused or scared anymore! I have listened to all of your bible study classes and feel like I know the wonderful people that attend every week. Thank you for all that you’re doing in spreading the true message about God and His law of love. God bless you and your whole class.

Elssy P., Modesto, CA, USA

 

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I am so pleased with the response your message is receiving at my church from the middle-aged to the young adults. I have given out 100 copies of the first two seminars and there are more request every week. One of my [class members] came to me after viewing the series, grateful and impressed with how easy the message was retained. He had been a Seventh-day Adventist in fear all his life, and felt like the scales were removed from his eyes after viewing the seminars. I am so impressed by the change I see in members who have received this message, we are in one accord. However, I am sadden by the negative response of the older people. I am verbally attacked anytime I talk about imposed laws, but I believe my mission is to enlightened everyone I can. I watch your Bible Study Class on YouTube every Friday night and I feel like I am apart of the class. All of you are in one accord and I am so blessed to have found you. I pray that all of you continue to spread this message and I am committed to doing my part.

Clara S., Westfield, MA, USA

 

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Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

Nancy S.

 

Testimony 60

Just watched watched lesson 10 in the 1st quarter 2021 bible study classs on Isaiah. I want to thank you for your intellectual spirituality; it’s not an oxymoron! From the point of view of a teacher I also enjoy seeing how much personal pleasure you clearly take in not just tasting, but feasting on God’s word – it reminds me of Jeremiah not being able to hold it in! It makes me smile that your cup is so full and overflowing that you make it to Tuesday’s lesson (on a good day). It just goes to show the richness of God’s Word.

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I just wanted to personally thank you for your teachings and insight into scripture. I came across your website via my cousin who suggested I look into “Healing the Mind” information. My youngest daughter has been struggling over the last couple of years and it all came to a head this spring. When I started listening to the “Healing the Mind” lectures my own life began to be transformed. I began sharing with all my daughters the concepts you laid out so clearly. I ordered your book and soaked it up. I just want to say “Thank You!” My walk with the Lord has been refreshed and renewed. Your obedience to the Lord is a blessing to so many.

R. K., Anderson, SC, USA

 

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Thank you! I love listening to the Come And Reason Ministries Bible study classes and am using some of your notes to get the lessons together that I will be teaching. You always have such good quotes and Bible texts and pull things together to make good sense.

T. C., IN, USA

 

Testimony 36

Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you share with others the intricacies of how we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I must share that you have opened a whole new world to me, and I have found tremendous healing through what you have shared in two of your books, “Could It Be This Simple?” and “The God Shaped Brain.” I praise God for what you shared, what I have learned, and how I have grown and healed! My prayer is that My Precious Jesus will be seen by others in the way I live, act, talk, etc. and they may be encouraged to know He is truly a GREAT God of LOVE, desiring that no one should perish! God Bless you in your continued endeavors to present Him as He really is!

Joleen H. GA, USA

 

Testimony 31

It was very touching to hear the testimony of your class share how viewing God’s true character has changed their lives. My feelings are the same – there is so much freedom in knowing that God LOVES me – regardless of my… just, REGARDLESS! I’m still blown away by the true gospel, the fact that God is not ready to strike us when we fail. He is not arbitrary. He simply loves us and warns of the natural consequences because He can’t stand to see us suffer. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS GOD!!!

Ceil V.,  UT, USA