As a preacher I come across people of various ages and backgrounds and as such, get a lot of questions and many more opinions. Lately, I’ve heard the following, “I’m not going to be part of a religion of guilt and fear.” I personally have found Christianity to be a religion of rescue and salvation and would hope many of you feel the same. However, for those who do think religion is about guilt and fear, perhaps the heart of the matter is about motivations and obedience. Should we respond to God out of fear of eternal punishment? How about obeying Him because He promises Heaven to the faithful? Is there something else?
As parents of four kids who were close in age, my wife and I had our hands full. We realized that fear of discipline and promises of reward were good motivators but overall, those were such a small part of our relationship. Love, concern for their welfare, contributing to their futures, and wanting them to have happiness all played a part in their time with us. As Christians, like our children, should we also be afraid of discipline and be motivated by rewards? Is there more for us spiritually? Why should we obey God?
Let’s address obeying out of fear. While it may seem unpopular, the fact is that God does use fear to motivate people to act righteously. In Philippians 2:12, the Apostle Paul said his listeners were to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” I was taught as a youth that this fear just means reverence, but that isn’t a complete understanding. The Greek word here is ‘phobos’, from which we get our word “phobia”, and includes the idea of panic, flight, fear, dread, or terror. That same verse mentioned trembling as well. This is real fear we are talking about. There are many other passages on this subject to consider including Acts 10:34-35, Hebrews 10:26-31, and Ephesians 5:5-7, to list just a few. This plainly tells us that working out our salvation is a serious matter, and we should take the utmost concern with it so that we end up with God’s approval. But fear isn’t the only thing we find in scripture regarding obedience.
What about obeying because of God’s promises and rewards? Eternal life is a very strong motivation. The Apostle Paul wrote that Christians should not tire of doing good, because in due time we will reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7-9). There are other rewards as well, answers to prayers, blessings in this life, peace of mind, and so much more. These all go a long way as incentives for following God’s word. But there is more to obedience than just doing things because we get a reward.
When we think about risk (fear) and reward (eternal life) as motivators, we
need to be aware that they are centered on self. “Am I going to Heaven or Hell?” While this question is clearly important, it isn’t the only thing. As we mature in our Christianity we learn our love must be less self-centered, but rather centered on God and what pleases Him and how He wants us to love others.
The Apostle John wrote that love actually supersedes fear (1 John 4:17-18) as a motivator, and then goes on to say that our love must extend to our fellow man, or we don’t actually love God (v.20). God has always wanted His people to obey out of love. The Old Testament passage of Deuteronomy 6:5 reads, “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” We still have the same God today, just live under a different covenant, so it makes sense that Jesus quoted that same passage in our New Testaments (Matthew 22:37-39) when asked about the greatest command. Jesus tied love with keeping His commandments in John 14:15, showing that our love for God is not a passive arrangement where we do nothing. I believe love is the real secret to sustained obedience, enabling us to weather good times and bad.
The type of love we have been reading about (agape) is outward looking, not selfish, and motivates us to do things we might not otherwise do for the object of our love. Sometimes these things might not feel pleasant in the moment but are the best things to do for both parties in the long run. Our love for God is how we can do things in this life, preparing for the next, which the world doesn’t understand.
Have we really considered what Jesus did for us? It is natural to express how appreciative we are when someone does us a special kindness. And the bigger the act or sacrifice, the more we want to show them how grateful we are. Jesus died for us. It should have been us, but Jesus took the punishment, death, for our own failings. Paul wrote that while everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23) and the correct payment for sin is death, God has provided this payment for us (Romans 6:23). When we try to wrap our feeble minds around this immeasurable gift God gave us in the sacrifice of Jesus, it makes total sense to feel motivation out of obligation and devotion.
The Christian is called to do ‘good’ based on what God says ‘good’ is, not what people or society says is good. We are called to repent of things the world doesn’t think are wrong, to make difficult decisions that might not make us wealthy, to help people who may have wronged us, and even do what is best for our enemies. We can do all this and more, motivated by love. God gives us love, cares for our welfare, provides joy, and has provided for eternity. The least we can do is love Him and give Him what He has asked for.
Jeff Mullen
Minister, Blanco Hills Church of Christ
blancohillschurch@gmail.com
830-554-0701