The other day, I heard the following from a professor, “The more assured someone is of their salvation, the more they will take advantage of it.” I’m sure just reading that made all the hardcore Calvinists hit the back button and most evangelicals will likely cringe at the thought, not because they disagree but because they are afraid it might be them.
I like this phrase, but I think I want to change it slightly for the purpose of this discussion. The more someone is assured of their salvation, the more they will take advantage of it. I make the distinction because there is a big difference between nurturing a strong faith, and having nothing but love shoved down your throat from the pulpit. I am, of course, more concerned about the latter.
The Church today emphasizes a doctrine of love. This is all well and good. God is loving, our example of perfect love, and it is only through that love that we are saved. The trouble lies in the fact that love is emphasized, and nothing else is. We don’t talk about true fear and awe of God. Rarely do you hear anything about our need to follow the law. And too often, we are told that God is like the cat that will come back no matter how hard we try to get rid of it.
In reality, scripture says we ought to fear God. This is a healthy way of relating to God because God is so much greater than we will ever be, and in His perfection He could choose to wipe out humanity, earth, or the entire universe and none of us would be able to criticize Him. Instead, He choses to love us, and through that love wants to save us.
God is, however, a jealous God, and for good reason. If you were a perfect, infinite being and people disrespected you by making up idols and worshiping them, you’d be upset too. So He has given us rules and tasks. He expects us to follow them out of obedience, a byproduct of our love for him. “Legalism!” I hear you cry. But legalism is following rules to demonstrate your own righteousness. It is not out of love, but out of pride. Obedience is a response made out of love. We obey our parents because we love and respect them. So too must we be obedient to God.
When we emphasize grace alone without considering works, we decline obedience. And by declining obedience, we position our heart away from God toward other idols we have set up. No matter how many times we go to church, or read the Bible, or even say prayers, if there is no obedience then there is no relationship.
Yet, whether we turn away or rush forward in obedience, God is there, loving us, and hoping that we will live out our love for Him.
Pax,
Paul Hart Cochran