Why God never forces anyone to love Him
Imagine having an AI-generated son, daughter, or spouse. While you could program such a fine-tuned robot to behave according to your wishes, you would not receive an ounce of lasting satisfaction from such a machine. The robot would bring you no real love, joy, or fulfillment, let alone any cherished feelings of warmth, affection, kindness, and appreciation.
The same dynamic is true with God. He obviously could have made human beings who were forced to “love” and “obey” Him. But it would have been meaningless to God because such beings would be unable to freely love their Creator.
Instead, God chose to create Adam and Eve with free will. Likewise, you and I were made in God’s image (see Genesis 1:26-27). God consists of Three Persons in One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You and I were created as three in one: body, soul and spirit (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
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One day Jesus was asked, “‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’” (Matthew 22:36-37).
But how is such a thing possible? Well to begin with, you must have an immortal soul, which includes your heart and mind. God created you with these necessary “components” through which you exercise your free will. Unfortunately, sin separated us from God leaving us in an extremely precarious position. Thankfully, Jesus was sent to Earth to repair this relationship and pay for our sins by dying on the cross. Those who repent of their sins and receive Christ as Savior (see John 1:12) enter into an eternal relationship with their Creator.
God never forces anyone to believe the good news of the Gospel (see John 3:16). And once you are in God’s family through faith in Jesus, God will never force you to love Him. You were created with free will and God longs for you to freely love Him, just as He chose to freely love you by sending His only Son to die in your place. God made that enormous sacrifice because He wants to spend eternity with you in Heaven.
If you are not yet a follower of Christ, you have no idea what it is like to receive a new heart and a new mind with which to love God. Trying to love God without first being converted is like trying to love a spouse who was forced upon you in an arranged marriage. True love, on the other hand, involves making choices with your free will.
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). People who truly love and obey God are those who want to do so. No one is forcing them to do it. And believe it or not, God actually fills His children with the desire to love Him. You see, “God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” (Romans 5:5).
If you currently have no interest or desire to love God, then you will need to address that problem with your Creator. If you desire living water, you must go to the well (see John 7:37-39). If you want food for your soul, you must come to “the Bread of Life” (see John 6:35-38). If you want more than robotic religious rituals and a mechanical relationship with your Creator, then go directly to the Lord in prayer and express to Him what you desire.
Sin hardens man's heart toward God, causing us to see our Creator as a harsh taskmaster rather than a loving and tender Father and friend. Those who are born again see God far differently than those who are outside God’s family. The only way to have your perspective changed and brought into line with the truth is to repent of your sins and accept Jesus as your Savior from sin.
It is not natural for man to love God, but rather, supernatural. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God enables us to love Him, whereas sin causes people to harbor bitter feelings toward their Creator. It is easy to blame God when things do not go our way, but blaming God only makes our situation much worse.
When you have no hope, you see no light at the end of the tunnel. God is the author of everlasting hope, love and joy. But here is the question only you can answer for yourself: “Will I come to my Creator in humility, repentance and faith in order to receive the new heart that is necessary in order to love God?”
God will never force you to love Him, but He does invite you to receive the forgiveness of your sins as you repent and turn to your Creator in faith. Would you like to receive a new heart that freely and joyfully loves the Lord, or would you prefer to remain in spiritual darkness and be separated from God forever?
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). “Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). If you refuse to come to Christ today, the only one forcing you to say “No” to God is the person you see when you look in the mirror.
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
