Adam Miller shared a powerful lesson that he learned from 50 years of trying to earn God’s love. He realized that love is a commandment and not a reward.
Adam Miller
A professor of philosophy, Adam Miller, realized that after 50 years, God had never asked him to earn His love. He admitted that he spent part of his life trying and failing to obey a commandment God never gave.
“I’ve had everything backward…There is no commandment in any Scripture delivered from any pulpit by any prophet in any age to make myself into someone that God could finally love,” he shared.
Then, he said God didn’t command him to make himself perfectly lovable. This is an imaginary commandment. For him, breaking an instruction that God never gave is impossible. Eventually, he mentioned an unconditional commandment about doing love’s work – to love God and join Him in the hard work of loving others.

Faith Matters. (Screenshot). (2023). Love is a Law, Not a Reward , Retrieved February 27, 2024 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yim5CJQ8AMs
Love As A Commandment
Furthermore, he discussed that he had been telling himself that love was a reward when, in truth, it’s a law.
“Love cannot be deserved. Love is always a commandment to be obeyed full stop and never a reward to be earned,” he explained.
In addition, he also highlighted that love is a noun, and it is a work that he must join. It requires his participation and not his perfection. And then, he considered love as a secret hidden from the foundation of the world. This is what the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ was all about.
Moreover, he recalled the parable that Jesus shared about the prodigal son. With a humble heart, he said that he was like the younger son who treated love as a reward and not a law. Lastly, he remarked, “He treats love as something he could, with very hard work, deserve. He treats God’s law as a measure for whether he deserves to be loved. This son thinks love is about being loved and earning love, not about loving others.”
Watch the full video here.
Reference | Faith Matters
Header Image: Faith Matters. (Screenshot). (2023). Love is a Law, Not a Reward , Retrieved February 27, 2024 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yim5CJQ8AMs