With God, Motives Matter!
Lesson 1

Lesson One

The Importance of Motives

"What" a person does for you is important. "Why" a person does something for you is equally important. We regard a person to be extremely naive if he or she is not concerned about "why" when a kindness is extended. We often look for "strings that are attached" when an unexpected kindness is extended to us. In fact, we are so skeptical of unexpected kindness that we immediately search for "the strings attached." We are skeptical about anyone who does a kindness for our benefit for no reason.

God knows "why" we do things. He is never deceived about our motives. Our motives may deceive other people. They may even deceive us about our actual reasons. It is possible for us to be so deceived about our motives that we cannot explain our principle motivation.

Surely, we do something for a reason. God is never deceived about our real reason--even when we are successful in deceiving ourselves!

With God, "what" you do is important. With God, "why" you do it is equally important. In our interaction with people, we are easily deceptive about our "real" motive (yes, most of us make distinctions between verbalized motives and actual motives). Too many times verbalized motives are deliberately deceptive. The "why" we give for doing something may or may not be true.

Certainly there are multiple "whys" for most acts or actions. To cite a single "why" may not be an attempt to deceive, but a serious attempt to choose the primary, relevant "why" for the situation. To cite a specific reason when many reasons exist is not necessarily an attempt to deceive. Quite the opposite! Often it is an attempt to be truthfully direct!

However, there are people who use deceptive "whys." The deceit may not to be found in the "why" stated, but in the motive behind that "why." That person may give us one reason for the "why" prompting the act. Yet, the reason he or she gives is not at all the primary reason. Instead, it is a deliberate attempt to deceive. The deception seeks to take advantage of the person or persons. The declared motive of the deceiver and the actual motive of the deceiver are two different motives. Often the declared motive focuses unselfishly on your benefit. However, the actual motive focuses on the deceiver's benefit with little or no regard for you.

There are two truths about God we always should find sobering. (1) God cannot be deceived (Galatians 6:7,8; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 15:33, 34; James 1:16, 17; 1 John 3:7, 8); (2) God knows our true motives--even when we succeed in deceiving ourselves! People can deceive themselves [as well as others], but people never deceive God.

With God, "why" a person does something is of equal importance to "what" a person does. God will not only judge deeds ["whats"] but He will pass judgment on "whats" by considering "whys." The person who knows the right thing to do and refuses to do what he or she realizes sins against God (James 4:17; 2 Peter 2:20-22; 2 Timothy 2:21-26). Were it not for God's grace, none of us could endure His scrutiny!

At some point, the church concluded that if a person did "the right thing," his or her motivation for doing "the right thing" were not relevant to his or her behavior. That concept does not even work in human relationships! Do the "right thing" for the "wrong reason" in your relationship with your husband or wife, and the behavior is deeply resented because the motive is "wrong!" How resented? Enough to destroy the relationship! Do "the right thing" for the "wrong reason" with your teen children, and they will deeply resent and distrust you! Do the "right thing" for the "wrong reason" in your relationship with a close friend. He or she likely will never trust you again! Likely you will quickly descend from the status of "good friend" to "distrusted acquaintance." We only deceive ourselves if we conclude that our motives in doing God's "right things" do not matter!

In the restoration movement in the United States of American, we place enormous emphasis on doing the right thing. In generations past it was understood that right things were to be done for right reasons. At some point in the early 1900s, the understanding that right things had to be done for right reasons became a less common understanding. Emphasis began to shift toward doing right things without regard to appropriate reasons. As an example, in the 1800s brothers of completely different understandings commonly regarded each other as brothers. "Not the only Christians, but Christians only" was one of the early restoration statements. However, in the 1900s people increasingly found themselves in disagreement on what was stated to be "essential issues." Increasingly such people refused to regard themselves in fellowship as they rejected each other as brothers in Christ. People went from the extremes of the position of "we are discovering truth" to the extremes of the position of "we found complete truth and defend it." Dedication to discovery of truth was no longer permitted. The restoration position shifted continually toward defending the truth.

As an example of this shift, the thrust of the restoration movement in America [within many in the Churches of Christ] shifted from "discovering truth" to "defending truth." The American restoration movement in Churches of Christ declared for decades that those who sought to be Christians should seek truth. Yet, increasingly, the American restoration movement in Churches of Christ adopted the cry, "We must defend the truth." With the first thrust, full truth was yet to be discovered. With the second thrust, full truth was fully discovered and needed only to be defended. The first thrust in its most flexible expressions produced inquiring minds open to new discovery in scripture. The second thrust in its most inflexible expressions produced closed minds that defended only past discoveries.

Presently the American restoration movement in Churches of Christ seems to seek an emerging third thrust. This thrust basically seems to have little awareness of the background concerns of the first two thrusts. By and large, it seems to function with little awareness of past restoration roots or allegiance to past restoration roots.

The pendulum in Churches of Christ seems to be swinging away from basic nineteenth century restoration issues and concerns. Increasingly, there are clashes within the church between Christians who approve of this swing and Christians who oppose this swing. In the clash, the collision seems to fall between motives and forms. In this clash, some suggest that motives are of little relevance. Yet, scripture declares motives are as critical as forms. The key is to be found in what is and is not a godly motive.

For Thought and Sharing

  1. Are motives important to you when someone behaves kindly toward you? Explain your answer.

  2. Are motives important to God in human behavior? Explain your answer.

  3. Are motives important to the church in human responses? Explain your answer.


Link to Teacher's Guide Lesson 1

Copyright © 2006
David Chadwell & West-Ark Church of Christ

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