'Taint "love" if'n it's done in fear of consequences of Not.
Right. I love Him because He made a universe in which I could be more than a robot. The fact that some people would rather He didn't, doesn't change that fact. All the "sadism" hand-waving just tells me you want (or believe to exist) one of the following:
1. A universe where there is no God.
2. A universe where there is no choice.
3. A universe where there is no consequence.
Choice demands boundaries, rewards, and consequences. The fact that the Biblical God bound all those factors into a contractual relationship with His people seems to be the sticking-point for you? Or is it that the consequences are irrevocable (ie - death)? Quite frankly, I wouldn't give a tinker's damn about the consequences if they weren't final, and neither would anyone else; "I'll just recant on my death-bed," right?