If I love God must I follow His rules?

I love God. And God is love. And since I love God, I’m saved. So, do I still have to follow His rules? Maybe, maybe not. But may not for the reasons you think.

Rules?  Rules are for suckers, right? No one follows rules anymore.

Except for one really important instance.

Do you know what that one instance is? The time when rules are followed?

It’s video games.

That is, unless your goal is to break the game. You have the rules, or you learn them as you go.

And you want to win, so you figure it out.

But think about these rules

Speed limits?  Who follows them, other than Corolla drivers?  No one.  Unless you’re playing a video game.  If you’re playing a driving game the car only goes as fast as it goes before it crashes.  Even if you want to go faster you can’t.  And you’re OK with it.  Because those are the rules.

Let’s say it’s a sports game.  In real life, sportsmanship is pretty much gone.  Anything goes when it comes to getting a penalty called.  “Diving” is what it’s known as.  Everyone complains about it.  But everyone does it. It’s not bad sportsmanship anymore – it’s not getting an edge.  With people as judges and referees, you can get away with things.  So you try.  And even have the nerve to complain when you don’t get the call you wanted, even though you know you don’t deserve to get it in the first place!  But with computers, that doesn’t happen.  And you’re OK with it.  Because those are the rules.

Maybe it’s a card game, like solitaire.  With a real deck of cards, you can cheat.  Pull a card out of order.  Stick some cards at the top of a pile instead of at the bottom.  And then get excited when the games come out.  Because you “won”!  But with a computer game, you can’t do that, because the computer won’t let you.  And you’re OK with it.  Because those are the rules.

Same with bowling.  Foot fault in real life?  No problem.  Ignore it.  But do it on a computer game you’re busted.  And you’re OK with it.  Because those are the rules.

Am I making the point yet?

In real life, it’s not like we don’t know the rules.  We most certainly do.  But somewhere along the line, it’s become not only acceptable to break the rules, it’s more and more becoming expected.  It’s part of the game now.  Being good at breaking the rules is a skill that’s in high demand.

But in a computer game, we know we can’t get away with this.  Because the computer knows the rules and “sees” everything.  But we still play the game.  And we’re OK with it.  Because we know that’s how it works.

What about rules in life?

But, what about the “game” of life?  No, not the board game called Life.  I mean real life.

You know, the life we get when we’re born.  The rules that have been given to us by the One who created us.  Yeah – that One – God.  And those rules – the Bible.  For some reason we’re not OK with that.  

Just like the computer, God sees everything.  And He knows the rules.  He should. He wrote them. But we’re not OK with that.

Somehow we’ve tricked ourselves into believing that those rules don’t apply.  That since we don’t pay an instant price, then He must not really be seeing everything.  That therefore, we really can get away with things.  That we can even make our own rules.

The ultimate example, I guess, would be the fantasy games – like fighting against evil people – against zombies – against aliens – against anything  or anyone that’s considered evil.  Those games are so popular.  And they have rules.  And the players follow the rules.  And they’re OK with the rules.  Because that’s how computer games work.

But it’s still all fantasy.  It’s not real.

Life, on the other hand, is very real.  And it’s a battle against a very real opponent – the Evil One himself, Satan, along with his band of fallen angels.  It’s the ultimate real life or real death contest.  It has rules just like the video games.  And the rules are enforced just like the video games.  But we’re not OK with that.  

Why not?

It can’t be the fact that we’re not allowed to break the rules.  Because we’re OK with rules in video games, which can’t be broken.

We’ll play for a fantasy victory on a computer.  But we won’t play for our very lives when it comes to God/Jesus?

We’ll play the fantasy video game as if our lives depended on it.  But when it comes to real good and evil, we’ll pretend no such thing exists?

Could it be that we’re afraid of really truly living?

Yes, I do believe we are afraid of really living life. If we weren’t, why aren’t we intrigued, and eagerly seeking after what Jesus said in the passage below?

The Shepherd and His Flock

Jn 10:1 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

Jn 10:7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jn 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

Jn 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Notice this part: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The fullest life possible! Isn’t that better than a video game?

Maybe it sounds too simple. To easy. Boring. If that’s the case, then how’s this passage?

The Armor of God

Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Eph 6:19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Oh. Maybe that’s too much? You can actually die in this game. Guess what? We’re all going to die. The only question is are we going to participate? Or are we going to hide in a video game and pretend real life with real consequences doesn’t exist?

But what if I love God?

But what if you love God? You can just say, but I love God. Jesus said all I have to do is believe in Him and I’m saved. I’ve gone even further. I love Him. I’m saved. I don’t have to “play the real game”. I don’t have to get involved in messy and dangerous things like life. I’ve got it covered. That’s why I love God.

But, do you really love God?

For those that have the courage to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “Do I love God?”, do we also wonder, what does that mean? Should that have some kind of effect on how I live my life? Is there more to being saved than just saying, “I believe in Jesus?”

Would you believe, Jesus actually did answer that question. And the answer is a resounding, Yes – there’s a whole lot more than just saying some words.

Check this out:

Jesus Promises The Holy Spirit

Jn 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.

Are you still with me here? Jesus just said, to very slightly paraphrase, “If you love me you will follow the rules”. Whoa. Who knew? Think about what that means from a strictly logical sense. It means that if we don’t follow the rules, then we don’t love Jesus. And oh, by the way, that sounds an awful lot like maybe we’re not saved either.

Of course, God’s the one who decides who is saved and who isn’t. Not you. And not me. I’m just pointing out what seems to be the case.

I also need to point out that we do still live in a fallen world. We can’t and won’t be able to follow all the rules all the time. We just won’t. We shouldn’t fail all the time either. It’s what’s in our hearts, what we really want to do, that matters.

In case you’re not familiar with it, the whole passage is below. I’m not going through it here, since that’s not my goal. My goal is to show the answer to the title question, If I love God must I follow His rules? Of course, the answer is yes.

Here’s the entire passage:

Jesus Promises The Holy Spirit

Jn 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

Jn 14:22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jn 14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Jn 14:25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Jn 14:28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.”

If I love God, what are His rules?

That may sound like a weird question – If I love God, what are His rules? Are there really different sets of rules for people who love God and for those who don’t? Well, kind of.

The Greatest Commandment – Matthew

22:34-40 pp — Mk 12:28-31

Mt 22:34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Mt 22:37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

You see, for those who love Jesus, His rules are, while not easy to follow, very simple. There are two. And if you remember from above, if we love Jesus, then we have the help of the Holy Spirit to get better at following those rules. And we are saved, through our belief, love, and everything that flows from that love, by Jesus’ death on the cross.

However, if we don’t love Jesus, then we’re not forgiven. And we are judged by The Law. Hundreds of laws. Laws that we have no chance of following all the time. If we don’t love Jesus, we also won’t have the Holy Spirit. Nor will we have forgiveness or salvation.

Conclusion – If I love God must I follow His rules?

I hope by now you realize something. The original question – If I love God must I follow His rules – is the wrong question. Why? Because when we truly love Jesus, “must” isn’t part of the equation anymore.

The question isn’t a question anymore either. It’s a statement.

If I love God I will follow His rules, with the help of the Holy Spirit. And I will do this because I want to.

I have one more passage for you. It’s about what “love” really is.

God’s Love and Ours

1Jn 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1Jn 4:13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 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.

1Jn 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

It’s all important. It distinguishes between the love that we know of and have, as opposed to the LOVE that God has for us.

But the most important part, for today, is the closing paragraph.

1Jn 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Of course, the explanation and the logic of God loving us, and how our love for God translates to our love for others.

But notice the ending:

Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

We read the word “must”. And our minds probably go back to the title question. It sounds like a catch. There’s still a “must”.

In the original Greek text, there is no word corresponding to “must”. It’s a word added by those who translated the Greek into English for the translation I’m using here.

For instance, when we look at Young’s Literal Translation, it reads as follows:

21 and this is the command we have from Him, that he who is loving God, may also love his brother. ¹Young, R. (1997). Young’s Literal Translation (1 Jn 4:21). Logos Bible Software.

So we see now, there is no “must” in there either.

Rather, it’s that because God loves us, because we love Jesus, and therefore God gives us the Holy Spirit, and therefore we are able to love our brother – or whoever it is we wouldn’t love at all without the Holy Spirit.

The bottom line then is this. Do we have to follow the rules if we love God? No – but – we will try to follow the rules because we want to try to follow them. And we’ll do better at following the two rules Jesus gave us, with the help of the Holy Spirit – than we could ever do at following the hundreds of rules on our own.

It’s a life and death difference. It’s a fullness of life difference. And in a very real sense, it’s a life with life, as opposed to a life without life.

It’s like the difference between walking through life in the sun instead of the rain.

Footnotes

• 1
  Young, R. (1997). Young’s Literal Translation (1 Jn 4:21). Logos Bible Software.