Whenever you try to mention obedience to an American Christian, you get the tomato.
What is the tomato? It is a flying vegetable! (Or fruit to be more exact.) You know, people throw them when they are highly displeased?
Yeah, if you try to convince Christians that obedience is what is missing, they pull out the vegetables (or fruits.) American Christians have the problem of thinking that they already ARE being obedient.
Along with that, a mental picture usually forms which makes them think of slavery. I know that in the past, whenever it was mentioned that I needed to be more obedient, I pictured an over-bearing task-master demanding my allegiance and dogmatic service.
Slavery is not the type of obedience that God is asking for.
He is asking for the obedience of a child.
He is asking for the obedience of a child.
God doesn’t want us to be slaves. What kind of service and obedience would that produce? It is not a service that comes from the heart.
God does want us to be sons. This produces a type of service and obedience that God loves; that which comes from the heart.
John confirms this. When recalling a conversation that Jesus had with him, John tells us that Jesus said:
15:9 - As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.
Then, He seals the deal as to how we can be obedient as sons. He gives us a command that cannot be fulfilled by a slave. It can only be completed by a son.
15:12 – This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Even further,
15:17 – I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
I do not think that Jesus could be any clearer. Read the entire chapter to be even more educated on what Jesus thought of obedience and sonship.
I believe that we will find that to be obedient with God, we must be obedient as a son. To be obedient as slaves may have the right actions, but they are sure to have the wrong heart.
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