"He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love" (1 Jn. 4:8). "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." (Jn. 3:16). Many conclude from these two passages that God only loves. While God is love and does truly love us, He is often filled with anger.
Moses warned Israel, "You shall not go after other gods,...lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you... " (Deut.6:14-15). God has always desired first place in the hearts of men. When man places anything above Him, God is angered. At times man even engages in that which the Lord "hates" (Prov. 6:.16-19).
Jehovah God is not the "Mickey Mouse"/"Barney" figure that man envisions. He is a just God rendering tribulation to the unjust (see Rom. 2:2-11). Paul warns us to "…Consider the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. 11:22), both of which should motivate us to faithful obedience all the days or our lives. Does God love? Certainly. Does God ONLY love? Not hardly.
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