Articles
The Obedience Dilemma
There is a dilemma that I occasionally run across in the church. Do we obey God to be saved or are we saved and as a result we obey God (out of gratitude and love and a desire to be pleasing to God)? I’ve heard preachers argue one side or the other and rebuke those holding the opposing viewpoints. Which view do you think is correct?
Many years ago, I used to take art classes at school. We were given assignments and I had to do them in order to get a good grade. So, I did my homework in order to pass and not get in trouble with my parents (who always expected me to come home with a good report card). I did it because I had to.
Do you know why I took the art classes? Because I liked drawing. In fact, I liked drawing even when I wasn’t in art class or doing homework. When in my other classes (like English, history or math), during boring lectures, my notes would be surrounded by doodles and drawings. These decorations were not assignments. I didn’t do them because I had to, but because I liked drawing more than I liked taking notes.
If art was a spiritually important act, which one of those behaviors would have been correct? Should we do art for the grade or because we enjoy making art? Which one would have showed my passion for drawing? Which one would have helped me gain experience and practice to improve my skills? I say, why choose between the two? The same thing goes with our original dilemma. Should we obey to be saved or do we obey because we have been saved? The mistake is thinking that there can be only one solution rather than both being true at the same time.
Does our obedience have any impact on our salvation? Like it or not, the answer is yes. Jesus said that only “he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 7:21). We are also told that God will deal out retribution to those “who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (II Thes. 1:8). While we will never live in perfect obedience, nonetheless, walking in the Light is necessary for us to have a relationship with God (I John 1:5-7 – notice that walking in the Light leads to a cleansing from Jesus rather than a salvation by works).
Should we obey God more because we are saved? Absolutely. The fact that God has forgiven us should cause us to “excel still more” (I Thes. 4:1). We should want to do what is right out of gratitude for God’s love. The grace of God should lead us to avoiding wickedness and being zealous for good deeds (Titus 2:11-14). We have been bought with a price, therefore we should glorify God in our bodies (I Cor. 6:20). This type of obedience flows from grace already received and it leads to voluntary, passionate, and abundant service. It is good.
To pick only one, however, would be incorrect. Neither negates the other. They are both true. We obey God to be saved by Him, meeting His requirements to receive the amazing grace offered through the sacrifice of His Son. Then, being forgiven of so much, we in turn, love much (Lk. 7:40-43).
Wouldn’t it be great if we were careful to do everything God asks of us in order to be saved and then, rather than stopping there, we cheerfully kept obeying with a passion that infiltrated every aspect of our lives?
