Obedience is not a popular word today. For
generations we have been taught by secular teachers to avoid such words. One
result has been a lack of discipline in our homes and schools which is an
important factor in the progressive decline of our students in every objective
test of performance.
Scripture, however, makes it very clear that obedience is a necessary
and crucially important part of our life as Christians.
I believe the key to obedience is submission to God. What matters is,
not external adherence to specific rules, but a heart that is submitted to God.
If our heart is submitted to God, then we will obey his specific requirements.
But it is the heart attitude that is crucial. Perhaps I should have called this
paper, "Submission to God", but I felt that for many, today,
"Obedience" would be a more challenging word.
What is our motive for this obedience, or submission? At the risk of
oversimplification, let me say that I see three basic motives.
(1) Fear. We obey because we fear someone who is more powerful
than we are. This does enter into our obedience. Scripture tells us to fear the
Lord, and, indeed, he is a God of awesome power. He is capable of great wrath.
"It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God"
(Hebrews 10:31). At a minimum, we obey him to avoid his wrath and punishment.
But there are better motives for obedience.
(2) Self-interest. God told Joshua, "Do not let this Book of
the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may
be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and
successful" (Joshua 1:8). The Bible is our instruction manual. We need to follow the instructions so as to
live a fruitful and blessed life.
But God does not want us to submit to him just
because of the benefits we hope to get. That was the issue in the book of Job,
where God allowed satan to test Job to see if he loved him only because of what
God has done for him (see Job chapters 1 and 2). God wants us to love him, and
to obey him, for who he is, and not just for what he does for us.
(3) Love.
Our relationship should be a personal one. God loves us, and we love him. When
you love someone you want to do what pleases him. "This is love for God,
to obey his commands" (1 John 5:3). Jesus said, "Whoever has my
commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me" (John 14:21). The
primary motive we have for obeying God is that we love him, we want to do what
pleases him, and we want, as nearly as we can, to become like him.
“Obedience to God is the most infallible evidence of
sincere and supreme love to Him.”
(Nathanael Emmons)
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