Christ-followers strongly embrace love because our God is love. John 3:16, the epitome of true love, shows the measure of God’s passion for mankind in the sacrifice of His only Son. No greater love exists. God stands as the author and source of love.
We hear a lot about the proof of love being tolerance and acceptance. However, scripture points a different direction. The companion word linked to love, interestingly enough, is obedience.
Wait. What? Jesus talks about love and forgiveness and salvation and grace. But obedience? That’s Old Testament stuff. Commandments and laws written down at length and in precise detail.
And yet, Jesus says that to love Him is to obey Him. In John 14, Jesus repeats this truth three times:
verse 15, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.”;
verse 21, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me.”;
and, Verse 23, “If anyone loves Me, he will obey my teachings.”
Scripture footnotes state well, “Love cannot be separated from obedience”. And C.G. Kruse commentates, “Love for Jesus is not sentimental, but is expressed by responding to all he taught, with faith and obedience.”
Pretty simple and straightforward. Very challenging. Early in life we resist being told what to do. Our individual will stiffens our backbone, we stomp our little foot, and defiantly respond “no”. Even after our salvation moment, because we walk in the flesh, we continue to battle urges and pulls toward selfishness. The enemy works hard to turn our focus from the Father, Son and Spirit to I, Me and Mine.
And if that isn’t challenging enough, there’s another battle in obedience: to keep our motivation for obedience in check. Why does Jesus ask us to obey Him?
Obedience is NOT an attempt to earn our salvation. It is NOT a means to be worthy of His love. It is NOT a result of an urgency to perform well so we capture and keep His attention. Obedience can quickly spiral down into “salvation by works” muck; taking the truth of the Word, and God’s plan of deliverance, and turning it into gobbledygook. Forging the freedom of salvation into chains. Twisting the work of the cross into works of our flesh.
The opposite trap touts, because of the all-encompassing grace of our Father, we are free to live as we please. Putting our wants above His will. Being flippant in our actions because of His gracious forgiveness.
Jesus clarifies, if we love Him, we will want to live in obedience. Obedience is a response to who He is and to all He has done for us. Obedience is not a manipulation to receive from God, but a response to what we have already received.
Also, obedience can only be accomplished through the power of His Spirit in us. With gentleness He prods us to obey. The source of our resolve to follow through, He puts a longing in our soul to seek God and His righteousness. Our part is to respond to His nudging and the prompts of the Spirit and scripture with joyful obedience.
So, we must cultivate responsive obedience into our faith walk, while minding well the traps of “salvation by works” or “let loose and let grace”. In all things, we follow the example of Jesus:
“It was by his obedience that Jesus showed his love of God;
and it is by our obedience that we must show our love of Jesus”.
-William Barclay
Therefore, we squelch obedience that leans toward self-righteousness and self-promotion, and embrace obedience that lays down self in a joyful response to God and all He has done for us. We examine our choices to be sure they promote the Kingdom of God; not the Empire of Me or the Domain of this World. We study scripture and use discernment based on God’s truths to be sure all our decisions and actions fall under the umbrella of loving Christ and being obedient to His instructions. We test thinking, teachings, and movements, rejecting those that require letting loose of any part of what Jesus taught. We hold to the truth that love for Jesus and obedience to Him must remain linked.
A worship song expresses this truth so simply:
“Amazing love, how can it be,
That you My King should die for Me?
Amazing love, I know it’s true.
And it’s my joy to honor You;
In all I do, I honor You.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yFwDvSWTbA
Photo by Free To Use Sounds on Unsplash
