The essence of the Christian faith is that a person is made right with God not through what they do but rather through faith in Jesus. While many are comforted by this reality (and I hope you are), others are greatly confused and even troubled by it, believing that this belief then grants Christians the ability to do whatever they want with no ultimate consequences.
This misunderstanding has been around since the very beginning – as Paul seems to have to confront this idea in Romans 6 when discussing how we are freed from sin and false teachers seemed to utilize it as a way to justify their sinful behaviors. It may seem to make sense from a purely logical perspective, but it greatly misunderstands the Christian faith and is at odds with those whose hearts have experienced the joy that comes through trusting in Jesus – the very point that Paul makes in Romans 6. Obedience is not an obligation in order to earn salvation but the only logical outflow of how one who has been saved from their sin through the death and resurrection of Christ will want to live because of the nature of sin, God’s instructions, and salvation.
Sin is Dangerous and Deadly
The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Sinning is not just breaking some random or silly law that makes no sense, it is ultimately living at odds with the one who established the world order and designed life; in living against our design, we are actually living as “sub-humans” and falling short not just of our potential but also of our baseline. Therefore, sin is not something enjoyable but both dangerous and deadly. When we trust in Jesus, we are acknowledging this, saying that our sin deserves to be punished and has led us on the wrong path. To want to return to that path of sin is completely illogical. Now, there are certainly times in which we forget that, thinking that our old life was the “good life” but totally forgetting what it was really like – just like the Israelites thought that things were so good for them when they were slaves in Egypt because they would eat leeks as they were wandering in the wilderness. But the true reality remains that we should not want to go back there because it was bad for us, which we are reminded of when we turn back to those ways and find ourselves empty and hear God calling us back to Himself and His good ways.
God’s Way is Life-Giving
The reason that Christians walk in obedience to God’s Word is not because we are trying to impress God or earn brownie points but because we trust Him and believe that His ways are like eating brownies – amazing! Now, at times walking in God’s way does not always feel as enjoyable as eating a brownie; this is largely because we have a world in which things are not right and that wages war against God. But the reality is that we believe that God’s ways are better, that His Word is what truly brings life and fills us; we find true joy, hope, and peace and are part of a community of love. When you read Psalm 119, you see that the Psalm delights in God’s laws and ways, believing that these are what is best for us. Thus we obey not to get saved but to experience the true and good life that God has offered in Christ.
The Spirit Transforms Us
The pathway to eternal life is through faith in Christ, not good works. But belief in Christ is not just a ticket to heaven in the future as God also does work in the present; Ephesians 2:8-10 says that we are saved by grace through faith but then goes on to note that there are good works in which God has designed for us to do. The Holy Spirit comes into Christians to transform them, to make them become like Christ and follow God’s laws. This means that those who have faith in Christ will end up walking in his ways. This does not necessarily mean doing so perfectly while in this life (as we see the Christians in the Bible – including the apostles – stumbling in different situations), but there will be some evidence and fruit of a changed life. God’s purpose in saving us is not just to be with us for all eternity but to show His power and mercy at work in our lives now.
Final Thoughts from our Forefathers in the Faith
The question of why we should obey God’s Word since we are saved not from what we do but through faith in Christ, is by no means a new one. As I noted, you see it already brought up within the Bible itself. We also see it addressed in the Heidelberg Question, as question 86 asks why we have to “still do good” if we have been delivered by grace. Here is the answer:
“To be sure, Christ has redeemed us by his blood. But we do good because Christ by his Spirit is also renewing us to be like himself, so that in all our living we may show that we are thankful to God for all he has done for us, and so that he may be praised through us. And we do good so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over by God.”
Much of what it says echoes some of what I have shared already, but there are two additional points made in the Catechism’s answer that I want to make sure to note. First is that we do this ultimately so that God may be praised; when we trust in Jesus, our perspective shifts from being about pleasing ourselves to pleasing God. We obey not to be saved but to please the God who saved us, as we want to make Him happy and honor Him. Not only do we want to honor Him, but we also want others to do so, which brings us to that second point made in this answer – we obey so that our neighbors will see the difference in us and then desire to have what we have. Instead of obedience to God’s Word being something that we have to do, it is something that we get to do for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Bible translations are from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers.
