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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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Testimony 54

I had a lot of pressure, as a pastor’s kid, to conform and be “good.” I was good at being “good.” I thought my life was going along well until it all started falling apart and I could not figure out why! In my search for “why is this happening to me, God?” I came across your book, “Could it be this Simple,” and God started revealing to me the many distortions I held about His character, His principles, and how He has designed His universe to operate. I remember thinking, “Wow, I have had this all backwards.” I was happy and angry all at the same time. Happy to have the light of truth break through the darkness, revealing a wonderful, beautiful way of understanding God and His plan for His children, and angry, because I felt deceived and cheated by the church, my family, and myself!

My heart thrills when I listen to your bible study lessons. Literally I have gone from death to life. It is a journey I look forward to every day, as God reveals areas this distortion affects. Praise GOD! I will ever be grateful to God for this ministry and your cooperation with the Spirit!

Karen S., Portal, AZ, USA

 

Testimony 67

I was introduced to Come And Reason by a friend of my mother-in-law, who gave me several CD’s of Dr. Jennings. The clarity of the message and recognition that God’s is a God of love was so clear, advancing beyond Dr. Maxwell’s message. However, grappled with Maxwell saying God used emergency measures for the fallen world. Now after several years of being a regular listener of the Come And Reasoning bible study class and attending Jennings’ meetings in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, things are becoming clearer for me. Design law versus imposed law has added so much to my personal understanding of theology. This message has really impacted my work in counseling so many people miserable because they are searching for and trusting human governments to create order and peace or believing in a God who says love Me or I will kill you. I am grateful that I have an alternative view to offer my clients that makes sense. I teach a bible study class on a semi-regular basis and I value the materials that Come And Reason so freely offers to aid me in presenting this vital message. Thank you for continuing to provide advancement in our very limited understanding of a Infinite God that is rational and believable.

Dr. Roger D, Arlington, TX, USA

 

Testimony 48

I just want to tell you how blessed I have been reading “The Remedy!” It has become a daily part of my devotional relationship with God. In it I have found a God of love and a God that loves me! The bible has come alive for me! It is the first time that I can say that I have felt hope fill my heart as I have read God’s word. This is good news I can share! Thank you, Dr Jennings! Thank you for your heart for others. I can’t put into words how this has set me free! It has strengthened my trust and love for God.

Jason H.

 

Testimony 68

Your message of design law vs imperial law is so uplifting and makes so much sense- it is a game changer for me. The fact that Jesus’s death is not a big payment by an angry God is , quite frankly, a relief.

Laura G., London, Ontario, Canada

 

Testimony 51

I Love This Ministry!!!!!!! I see first hand how this message is desperately needed, how erroneous beliefs about God and His Character negatively affect humanity at every level. I thank God for your ministry, as I was searching on my own and was discovering some of your same beliefs and was blown away when I found your ministry. I know you hear it all the time, but it is truly life changing. May God continue to reveal His Will to you and Bless you!

Eric S., Sanford, FL, USA

 

Testimony 4

I’m a youth leader in South Africa. We as a youth group are currently using a lot of the material on the Come and Reason site. Since we’ve started using the material, our youth group has grown.

R. V. N., South Africa

 

Testimony 62

I would like to express my thanks to the C&R team for creating a platform from which people can learn to trust in God and grow. My life is a witness to the effectiveness of this ministry. Without believing the truth about God as you have shown, I don’t know what my life would be like. I had given up on God helping me with certain sins – it was all useless. Given that the scripture is clear and God is so good, how could I have betrayed him so many times? I was a yo-yo christian; spinning up and down. My faith and enthusiasm was driven by discoveries/threats that prophecy is about to be fulfilled. But when I watched your “Healing the Mind” seminar, it was like a light finally went on. I could see God had no plan to hurt me, the danger came from sin, and that He is working to protect me and strengthen me. Thank you for allowing God to use you. The message God gave C&R saved my life!

Antony N. – Hobart, Australia

 

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 37

Hearing Dr. Jennings’ presentations in person came at a pivotal moment in my spiritual journey that began about nine months ago, when the fault lines inherent in my belief system began to crack under questions that most reasonable people end up asking about God and His nature. These were questions I couldn’t find answers to, and they shook my faith. I was unable let it go any longer and be satisfied. My Christian experience became distant. I was afraid; the fear in me rose like thorns, pushing me away from Jesus. And then someone heard my questions and introduced me to this ministry, and my life has totally changed.

I can tell you that this new, “present truth” message is far grander and life-changing than when I shifted from being an agnostic and then a nominal Christian. It has radically altered my worldview, because it reveals a God that makes sense. It is a revolution. I believe that Dr. Jennings’ message is the final message that must go to the world. If any message could be called “righteousness by faith,” as abused as that term is by the right and the left, this is that message, because Jennings’ biblical message identifies a God who is different, whose character isn’t an impossible contradiction.

I walk this path now without fear. I see people differently, and the Holy Spirit burns in my heart. Many call Dr. Jennings’ message false and compromising, but it isn’t false, because I’ve seen the fruits within my mind and body. It is not compromising, because in this message is the only road to holiness that makes any sense. No longer do I behold a pagan god who is always angry and suspicious. Instead, I behold a God who is freeing and loving, always working for our good, and giving me every reason to love my enemy even to my own death, just as Jesus pleads with us. God is good.

Anthony L., CA, USA

 

Testimony 38

Since November 2015, when I started studying Gods word from this God Is Love point of view, my life has been transformed. My troubled marriage of 15 years has been healed and my husband and I are truly happy for the first time in 15 years. Now When I read the word of God I understand it so much better and I can’t help but see Gods love radiating through the pages to humanity. Gods word is living and active and I am blessed beyond measure to be having this amazing experience. God has given me a beautiful understanding of Jn 3:16 that amazes me more and more each day. Thank you again for your ministry.

Helen D., London, England

 

Testimony 47

I can’t even begin to thank you and your ministry enough for introducing me to the Truth about a loving and merciful God! I have my daughter and her in-laws to thank for sharing with me “The God-Shaped Brain” as well as your website. I listen to the Bible study class lessons on my daily walk. May God continue to bless your thirst-quenching ministry!

Liz H., Port Angeles, WA, USA

 

 

Testimony 9

I really enjoy with you the view of a gracious God. Thank you for sharing the work you are allowing the Lord to do in you.

L., Queensland, Australia

 

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 6

I got the book “Could It Be This Simple?” a few months ago and the reading was wonderful and I was fascinated. I lent the book to a friend at work. She is having a difficult time and the book is helping her to find Jesus and I found this very exciting. She has asked me questions and I can see her life changing.

H. S., Australia

 

Testimony 69

After reading your book, ‘Could It Be This Simple,’ someone was explaining Christianity in a way that made sense to me for the first time in my life. One morning, I simply prayed “I’m sorry and I love you.” As soon as I silently said that, I could literally feel God’s presence and light flood down on me from above and fill me up with love and joy. I sat there crying my eyes out, because I was so overpowered with this feeling of love and joy. It was just so incredible. I hope that more people can read this book and get a blessing from it. It’s really amazing.

Rachael H.