In many ways, obedience is like the rough diamond before it is cut. Most people are convinced they would recognize it "when I see it." Religious people (especially if such people look upon themselves as Christian) are confident they would recognize obedience if they saw it. However, too often such people consider obedience only from a human perspective and not from God's perspective.
Especially among American Christians there is enormous certainty about the concept of obedience. With many American Christians, obedience is a black/white concept of sharp distinctions which contain sharp edges. It is as simple as "you do or you don't." Obedience is simply a matter of doing exactly and precisely what God said do. It is just a matter of "doing what God said." A person either did what God said, or he (she) did not do what God said.
People who drink deeply from the American culture do not like (a) to be dependent or (b) to be indebted to someone else. Americans like to "stand on their own feet," "pull themselves up by their own boot straps," and endure because they are "tough individuals." They give mercy to "people who deserve it. Pleas for mercy often begin with the individual's deservedness. Grace is a concept many religious Americans have difficulty understanding. Too many of them, something just seems wrong about doing good to someone who is not worthy of receiving consideration.
Consequently, the American Christian is more comfortable (perhaps much more comfortable?) even with God if he or she can say, "God, I deserve Your consideration. I dotted all Your "i's" and crossed all Your "t's." Therefore you ought to at least cut me some slack!" In other words, "I" deserve Your consideration, so give it to me!
If you are inclined to doubt the accuracy of this view, consider how many Christians approach their death with great fear because "I have not done enough." Or, recall the number of Christians who late in life are again baptized because they fear "I did not do it correctly the first time." They are not baptized again to declare I have never been a Christian. They are baptize again to resolve a personal conscience issue.
Rarely do you hear of a Christian fearing his (her) death because "I have not placed enough faith in Jesus Christ." The fear is commonly focused on doing, not on trusting. The fear is focused on "my acts," not on God's acts. It is as though a person can make himself (herself) worthy of God's consideration if only he (she) can do the "right" things in the "right way." The faith is more in what "I have done" than it is in my Savior.
If "I" personally do the right things, what "I" personally believe is unimportant. Consider the family members who are beside themselves because someone they love has not been baptized. The fact the person does not believe in Jesus enough to be baptized is not a matter of voiced concern. The push is not on generating a deeper faith in Jesus in the conviction that a deeper faith in Jesus will result in a desire to die to this world and become a new creature. The push is on convincing the person to be baptized. If the push is successful and the person surrenders to the pressure to be baptized, note how quickly those concerned relax. Often there is little difference in the "faith in Jesus" level of the person who refused to be baptized and "the faith in Jesus" level of the same person who was baptized. However, the level of "faith in Jesus" is not of concern. He (she) crossed the proper "t." God now must keep His promise.
A beam of light enters a cut diamond. That beam of light bounces around in the diamond until it escapes through one of the cut facets. That is what causes a diamond to glisten!
The light of Jesus Christ enters the life of a believing person. As that light escapes through one of God's cut facets, he (she) becomes the light of the world because the light of Jesus Christ shines in and through him (her) (see Matthew 5:14, John 12:35,36, and 1 Peter 2:9, 10).
It is God cutting the facets that allows the light to escape. It is the escaping light that attracts attention and causes people to give God glory. The Christian attracts people to Christ, but it is Christ that shines in the lives of Christians (see Matthew 5:16).
It is through obedience to God that we surrender to God as He cuts yet another facet. The more facets God makes in us, the more we glisten as we attract others to Christ.
We do not shine to attract others to ourselves. We shine to attract others to God. The objective of obedience is NOT to glorify ourselves. The objective of obedience is to glorify our God.
For Thought and Discussion
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 2