By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
(1 John 5:2-3 ESV)
Obedience is one of those words in the Christian vocabulary that makes me a little skittish. I’m pretty certain that’s because I’ve heard it mistaught so often as a means to earning salvation. I (We) get myself into trouble, though, when I refuse to consider a word that the Word says is a distinctive marker of a person who knows God’s love. I’ve been re-examining it, and I’m going to post here a few resources I’ve found to re-learn what obedience really means and why it’s a delight — to God and to us.
“And finally God’s delight in obedience is good news because the obedience he loves is the obedience of faith. And faith means banking our hope on the mercy of God. And mercy means that our obedience does not have to be perfect; it only has to be penitent. “If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
God is still a mountain spring and not a watering trough. Obedience is not a bucket brigade to fill his need. Obedience is the irrepressible “public relations” efforts of those who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good.”
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