Why Obey?

In The Divine Conspiracy Dallas Willard argues that Christianity ceases to have an impact on the world when Christians cease to be obedient to Jesus. Contemporary Christians balk at obedience to Jesus for two major reasons. The first is that Jesus commands us to do things that go against our nature and put us at odds with the world around us. Obeying Jesus is costly and painful. The second is that, having been indoctrinated into the concept of “salvation by grace alone”, we mistakenly believe that Christians have been set free from any behavioral standard. Jesus teaches clearly that reconciliation with God and eternal life come to us through Jesus’ action on our behalf, and can never be secured by our good behavior. And yet Jesus teaches repeatedly that if you have been ushered into his new life, your life will look radically different. Your new life in Christ comes to expression in clearly defined, costly, countercultural action.

The difference lies, however, in our motivation. A person who is simply religious believes that good behavior is the way to secure a good life now, and a decent life after death. In other words, the motivation for religious behavior is self-interest and self-preservation. And the point at which the religious behavior stops serving the cause of self-interest becomes the moment at which it is abandoned.

Listen to what Jesus says about obedience to him:

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”     (John 14:23-24)

What’s our motivation? Love. Because I love Jesus, I will do what he requires, no matter the cost. If you struggle to do what Jesus teaches – or even struggle with the idea of doing what Jesus teaches – you don’t yet know Jesus. You’re still treating Jesus as an object. As a means to an end. But if you know Jesus; if you know his gentleness, his compassion, his grace that come to us through his poured-out life, then you love him. You see his commands as an expression of his perfect love. Not as an imposition on your life; but as the framework, the foundation, the essence of the new life Jesus gives.