Obedience - Is It Really Necessary?

The title of this blog is Biblically Speaking - Who's the Boss. The implication is that we each have a boss. Maybe we consider ourselves our own boss. Or maybe our employer at work. Or maybe our spouse.Or maybe we accept that God is our boss.

Having a boss means that somebody tells us what to do and then we're expected to obey what we've been told.

In the Bible we certainly find that God tells us what to do. For example there are those Ten Commandments and the rest of the Law that He gave to Moses to give to the people. But even though God's Law was good, was it supposed to be the way for us to earn God's accepance by keeping it?  After all, when we were children we earned approval from our parents when we obeyed their rules, and on the job we earn the approval of our boss when we obey them. But no, obeying God's Law does not make us acceptable to Him.

Galatians 3:10-11  For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them."  (11)  Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith."  ESV

Nobody is able to perfectly keep all the Law all the time. Even the first commandment to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength has never been fully obeyed by anyone except Jesus. Since we don't keep all of the Law all of the time then we are all under a curse. We're all guilty. We're all sinners.

Thankfully the God who gave the Law with all its commandments, even knowing we could not use it to earn acceptance before Him, also gave a way to be forgiven for our sins against Him. There was only one way that we could ever be acceptable to Him. His only begotten son had to suffer and die in our place.

Galatians 2:21  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Christ was crucified and endured the wrath of His Father for our sins because there was no other way for us to be judged righteous. The Law helps us know what sinners we are and how much we need the one perfect sinless sacrifice that Jesus made. If we think we can earn our own salvation by something we do, such as keeping some rules or commandments, then we insult Jesus for what He did for us. We think (and He knows our thoughts) that we don't need His sacrifice.

However, if our keeping God's commandments cannot earn our salvation, and Jesus' death on the cross paid for our sins, then does that mean we no longer have to bother ourselves with obeying what God has commanded?

Sadly, that seems to be the attitude of many who call themselves Christians. They don't want to struggle with desires that are contrary to commands in the Bible, so they give in to them, telling themselves that it's OK with God since the price for those sins has already been paid.

But is obeying what God commands only about trying to earn our salvation? If that was true then why did Jesus always (and I do mean always) obey His Father's commandments?  Why? Because He loved His Father.

That is why we are to obey God the Father and Jesus the Son of God.

John 15:10  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.  ESV

If we love Him we will keep His commandments. (John 14:15) That is a far greater reason to keep His commandments than doing it to try to earn salvation (which is impossible anyway). We should seek to know His commandments even better by learning what is in His Word. We should read and study Scripture. We should avail ourselves of good preaching and teaching. We should become ever more obedient doers of the Word and not just hearers.

Obeying what God commands in His Word is not about being under the Law. It is about loving God. Do you love God? Do you love Jesus?