By Daniel M. Doriani

When I was a new Christian, my teachers clearly taught that I owed the Lord my obedience in all of life. Yet I was a bit muddled as to why I obeyed. If asked to explain, I answered three ways, which we can call the way of wisdom, the way of trust, and the way of gratitude.

The way of wisdom says, “It is only reasonable to obey God’s law. After all, he created all things, so he knows how they work. Therefore, we expect his commands to be effective, to bring us good.” As Moses said, God gave Israel his commands “for your own good” (Deut. 10:13).

The way of trust says, “God loves us and would never mislead us.” We should behave as he directs and trust him to make it work. If we do what is right for him, he will do right for us.

The way of gratitude judges that it is fitting for us to obey God without reserve because God first gave himself without reserve to us when he redeemed us. Because he has done so much for us, we should be willing to do much for him.

The Problem with All Three: Reward Based Obedience

These perspectives contain profound truth. They are certainly superior to the way of merit, where people obey God to earn or retain his favor. And they surpass the way of fear, where people obey God to avert punishment. It is always good to obey God’s law, yet he cannot be pleased with anyone who obeys him strictly to merit rewards or avoid penalties. Such obedience is selfish, even manipulative.

Yet, if we pause, we see that the ways of wisdom, trust, and gratitude partially obey for God’s sake and partially for selfish reasons. There is trust and gratitude toward the Lord, but there is also a desire to gain benefits and to relieve debts. Thus they fall short of the noblest motive for obedience, the desire to obey God for his sake, out of love for him.

A Tale of Three Runners

Suppose that three men go running five days each week. Suppose, further, that we ask each one why he dedicates himself to running.

• The first answers, “I run because my father died of a heart attack at fifty-four and I want to live long enough to retire and to see my grandchildren grow up.”

• The second replies, “I run because I can eat anything I want when I run and I still don’t gain weight. Running also makes me nice and tired, so I sleep soundly at night.”

• The third says, “When I run, my legs soar over the ground; the wind brushes my face; my heart beats like slow, heavy thunder in my chest; and I feel alive.”

The first man runs out of fear; he is worried about the consequences if he stops. The second runs for its benefits; he eats and sleeps better when he runs. But for the third man, running is its own reward. The first and second men love health, food, and sleep. Running is an instrument they use to gain what they desire. Only the third man loves running as an end in itself.

The obedience of many Christians resembles the first two runners. We obey to avoid what we fear or to get what we want. How many serve God and seek no reward other than God himself? Ideally, the man after God’s heart loves the Lord for his sake. Yet we love God as he reveals himself in history and in the Bible. We love God for his grace and his gospel. The idea of loving God for his own sake is daunting. But he does not leave us to “work up” love for him. Rather, he draws us to himself.

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Daniel M. Doriani