I’m going to launch an ever so gentle disagreement on account of the fact that often semantics and linguistics can get in the way of our understanding. Words can have different meanings and the context can be varied among individuals.
I’ve written several posts about the problem of obedience, which is a bit amusing in a Christian context. One must ask, So do we have too many faithful and obedient Christians in the world? Why yes, yes we do, the problem being we are often very obedient to all the wrong things. We start to value our own obedience more than we value the One we are obeying.
Michael writes, “What is God’s love language?” He, like many others, suggests that it is obedience. I have to disagree. God’s love language is actually Jesus, and not our own obedience.
The five love languages are acts of service, words of affirmation, gifts, physical touch, and quality time. I think Jesus embodies all of those. Obedience is not actually a love language at all, in part because obedience is our own response to someone else’s love. Obedience is all about us. “We love because He first loved us.”
I suggest that we are simply incapable of being obedient on our own. In fact, we are incapable of even knowing “how” to obey. We often don’t understand what the will of the Father even is. There are some broad road marks, like the ten commandments, so we know “thou shall not steal.” Stealing is not the will of the Father. Managing to not steal in any given situation however, is not really obedience.
Keeping all the commandments, although definitely a form of obedience, is simply not what God is looking for. Jesus tells the rich young ruler, who apparently DID keep all the commandments, okay, now go and give all your money away to the poor. The rich young ruler just walks away sad.
Jonah of the whale tale is actually obedient to the will of the Father, whereas King David a few times is not. Jonah, although kicking and screaming and trying to run away the whole time, does go and preach repentance to Nineveh and they are saved. Through no fault of his own, Jonah actually does the will of the Father. King David who is a man after God’s own heart has a bit of a slip and does his own will instead. We don’t often hold Jonah up as an example of obedience, but if obedience is about doing the will of the Father, Jonah hit a home run.
I think we need to be really careful about focusing too much on obedience. Something that has really bothered me the past couple of years is how in the midst of so much wrong doing on the part of our leaders, many Christians chose to preach on Romans 13, the need to submit to governing authorities. That is one of the mistakes that happens when we decide that our own obedience is a virtue unto itself.
Many who have studied the Bible much more thoroughly than I have, believe Romans 13 is speaking about relationships between Jews and gentiles, respecting the synagogue rulers of Rome, and not about secular authorities at all. It is not an overarching commandment to “obey the Romans.” Paul is saying the synagogue rulers interpret Torah, and Paul is encouraging gentile believers to give them their due respect.
So again we have an example of how Christians can trip over ourselves eager to obey, but lacking all context about how and what we should be obeying. We need to be careful about trying to put the virtue of our own obedience before the One we are obeying.
See, there's this thing called biology... 
We must obey God and not man.
Acts 5:29
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
I go so far as to say that, because all truth is God’s truth, Christians who love the Lord need to be prepared to give all in defense of even the most mundane truth when it’s attacked by The Enemy.
If you see 4 lites, and The Enemy commands to you say there a 5 lites, or 3 lites, no no lites, you must not obey. Not ever, no matter if they offer to pay you a shipload of money, no matter if they tell you they will kill you.
https://prnt.sc/BGPp1NdPpzAS
https://prnt.sc/yoXpOsn2Pdcd
https://prnt.sc/iu0U7iyrkl8l
We do have the right to remain silent, which may or may not be the best option, only the Holy Spirit could tell you.
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Yes, I quite agree! The past couple of years have really taught me that the truth matters and we need to be prepared to fight for it. We’re either going to be obeying the truth or we’re going to be obeying a lie. Another word for “obeying” might be “believing.”
What we believe totally shapes our behavior, our perceptions, and influences a good chunk of our reality. The enemy is sometimes called the father of all lies and we need to become unwilling to buy what he is selling. Don’t buy the lies.
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I agree, IB. Obedience is a Response… not a ‘Requirement’ per se.
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True! I think we could even say Jesus was not obedient to people and things here on the Earth. He went missing, went off to the temple, and scared His parents for a few days. Even with His own parents He tells them, “don’t you know I must be about my Father’s business?”
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Seems to me… the Gospel of Jesus coming to take our sin and sins, two different concepts, is all about our Inability to fully obey, yes? Once accepted, our only Response is love and gratitude, which in concert with the change that only the HS can bring to “conform us to the image of christ” also “conforms us” to the Obedience to God. That’s why the Fruit of the Spirit aren’t called the “Works of Obedience”.
Long answer short… Obedience to God’s Character, will and word is the HS’s “job” or role in us as we progressively become more and more like christ… and He changes us “even as from glory to glory”.
To tell people that “obedience is the Love Language” of God so you “better get busy” or at least “look” busy (lol)… both misses the point AND puts Obedience Hopelessly back into OUR hands, rather than His Spirit. I hope that helps clarify my position on the issue. 🙂
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Yes, thank you. That’s a good explanation. 🙂
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I’m so glad you wrote about this as I literally was googling how should Christians respond to evil politicians this morning. For whatever reason, God has put in place the people that make up our government, some truly rotten, brainless drones captured by sin. We have to accept that God is working his plan behind the scenes, but that doesn’t mean we condone bad actors. I guess we stand up for truth and push back where we can without breaking God’s laws and becoming consumed by hate.
Thins are going to get even more crazy in this country, if you can believe it and standing firm in the faith more important than ever.
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It really is kind of complicated, isn’t it? Each situation is unique and the context really matters. Romans 13 for example, is probably NOT telling us to, “submit to Rome in all things and be eager to pay lots of taxes, for the Romans were appointed by God!” I’m laughing, but some people actually say things like that!
I’ve had to pray about the silly masks and listen to the Lord in each situation. I spent months at risk of being arrested and permanently 86’d out of the grocery store, and yet I felt the Holy Spirit telling me, do not comply. In another situation several months later He completely switched it up on me and said the point has been made, honor their request and put your mask on. Needless to say both of those nudgings from God turned out to be the correct choice. That’s one problem with obedience, we want it to be very linear, one size fits all and applies to every situation, and it simply isn’t like that. Sometimes just dropping the rope in a game of tug o war, causes the other team to fall on their behind.
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Yes, that’s been my experience exactly! Especially with the masks, I felt and still do feel very strongly that they must be opposed at all costs. But you’re right, sometimes the best thing is to just drop it.
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Hi Tricia, my apologies for the confusion the article seems to have created. I was saying that what is important is obeying God. This will get you in trouble and maybe persecuted. This is clear here: “Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
We are to pray “Your Kingdom come, your will be done”. It is all about what our Master Jesus wants.
The scripture I focused on is “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,” from Hebrews. That seems clear to me.
Based on the feedback from IB, I have reformatted the post. It is here:
Shalom!
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No worries Michael, it won’t your post I was referencing. I just happened to be googling about evil politicians, which also just happened to align with your post.
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It is hard for me to react because I do not really get what the term “love language” means. It seems like, from your five Jesus examples, that by this term you mean indicators or demonstrators of love. In this case I definitely would say that there is a important difference between obedience and the five examples. I think you captured it when saying that obedience is more like a reaction.
Obedience is of course a fungible term which demands careful thinking i order to tease out in different contexts. It means something enirely different as a child than as an adult. It also can mean something like “unreflective irresponsible compliance”. For me, the entire phenomenon of mega churches with charismatic preachers which has risen up and taken prominence within so-called Evangelical Christianity is a leading current example of this kind of irresponsible compliance. Anything smacking of surrendering one’s independent moral discernment in a mass group setting to a persuasion-technique-oriented leader or articulator of interpetation and opinion represents a turning away from what should signify “Christian”: exercising calm and loving moral assessment of situations informed by the conscience (Christ) within. Trump rallies are also good examples of this kind of blatantly non-Christian mass phenomena.
Only independent individual awake conscience can lead to Christian insight. Obedience, per se, is for the Old Testament.
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The “five love languages” are styles or forms of showing or communicating your love to someone based on what they value, what they find pleasing. It’s other centered, so it is about the other person and not ourselves.
I tend to agree with you here, “Anything smacking of surrendering one’s independent moral discernment in a mass group setting to a persuasion-technique-oriented leader…” The problem arises when those you disagree with always become the accused cult followers, the brainwashed lemmings.
I’m constantly accused of being in a cult, of not thinking for myself, of being brainwashed, when in truth I’m such a cranky curmudgeon and a freethinker, and prone to go in the opposite direction as everyone else just as a matter of principle, that I’m almost in danger of wrecking the care in the far ditch.
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There is such a difference re. obedience out of duty/ or fear, vs. desire.
People don’t ‘obey’ the speed limit because they love the law. They ‘obey’ because they do not want flagged which means $ in addition to a ding on their record. That kind of obedience is a legal thing, which can be good or bad.
But the desire part, there’s the ticket. I would drive at the correct speed through a school zone without needing to see the sign posted. If the hearts right, we do right.
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That’s a really good point, Colorstorm! “If the heart’s right, we do right.” A few legalities are probably not a bad thing and inevitable. At some point in life however, there won’t be any signs telling us what to do. The Bible says, “don’t you know you’ll judge the angels someday?”
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Great reminder about angels. I suppose we will draw then upon our knowledge of God, grace, and of course His will, which we should be quite familiar with through a lifetime of studying Hid word.
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“Obedience” language is difficult because of the way it has been used – and horribly abused – for a long time, in human history and in many people’s individual histories. There are some individuals for whom “obedience” is trigger language, because of what they’ve been subjected to. Suggesting that God is “like that” is really the opposite of good news for those people, regardless of what the Bible “says” – or rather, seems to say. Because sometimes we get the literal translation right, and miss the meaning. So it’s a mistake to just go flinging words like “obedience” around, without considering how people will hear them.
Moreover, here’s something I’ve learned in Torah study: Noah is obedient. God tells Noah He’s about to destroy all life on earth in the most gruesome way, and Noah obediently goes off to build the ark, and never says a word. This does not make Noah an admirable character, or a role model for the rest of us.
Abraham, who remonstrates with God over Sodom and Gomorrah, is more admirable in that regard.
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Yes, well said! Words can have different associations depending on our personal histories and our experiences with them.
I once casually said, “the Lord wants you to be happy” and half a dozen people jumped all over me because they thought “happy” just meant drinking heavily. I wasn’t necessarily wrong, but I had forgotten I was talking to people who didn’t yet believe in their hearts that one really can be joyful and “happy” without abusing alcohol. Communication can be somewhat subjective so we need to take into account how it is being received.
Good point about Noah and Abraham, too.
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” one really can be joyful and “happy” without abusing alcohol”
Alcohol doesn’t make you happy, but it can make you forget how unhappy you are, until you sober up, in which case you need to repeat and increase the dosage.
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A slippery term indeed that applies to voluntary and compelled behavior! May we join those two by observing that in each case, some version of self-interest is operating?
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I honestly think Jonah obeyed in the end because he was afraid of what God might do to him if he ran off again instead of doing as God told him to do in the first place. I know I wouldn’t want to spend any amount of time inside a fish/whale and spit up like a bad case of food poisoning. I think most of the greatest ones in the Bible disobeyed God at one point or another even Moses did when he struck the second rock instead of speaking to it. It proved they were human although favored by God.
I do believe you are right that often our obedience is given to the wrong things and I believe often for the wrong reasons. The fact that the majority of those that claim to be Christians have never read the Bible explains part of the problem it is hard to know what obedience is if you have never read the Word of God. The other problem is we live in a secular world and there are so many bright shiny things out there to distract us as well.
People want to hear what makes them feel good about themselves not the things that convict them like sin. It is one of the biggest reasons the Charismatic movement is still alive, thriving, and growing those itchy ears are profitable after all. Joel Osteen says people feel guilty enough about their sin that is why he doesn’t preach on it. No they don’t if they did they wouldn’t wallow in it like a pig in a mud puddle. I have heard people say things like it is going to be a great party when I get to hell and all my friends are there. Ummm they have a very mistaken idea of what a party is and hell to for that matter. I will take the one in heaven thank you very much.
I am not perfect of course and I mess up far, far more than I want to and the difference is though I repent when I realize what I have done, and I am saved (which I am not saying is an excuse to sin because it isn’t). Sad fact is most people in this country have no idea who God is or what He wants.
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Sometimes I think we miss the part about how the fish doesn’t come to punish Jonah but rather to save him. As unpleasant as being swallowed by a fish sounds, it was a rescue mission to save him from death. He was thrown overboard in the middle of the ocean and he would have drowned.
I have people who also think hell is a big party. Sheesh! I don’t know how to help them understand satan doesn’t share power with anyone, he doesn’t hold parties. He is not like the other political candidate or something. You are not voting for who you like better. He is not equal and opposite to God, He is a created creature. You know all this stuff already, but I guess we need to just keep saying it.
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Oh I don’t think it was a punishment, but I do think it terrified him and do think he probably thought he was dinner. I think the fear was if he ran again what would God be willing to do to get him to do as he was told.
I know I don’t understand how people think hell is going to be a big party either and as far as good company that is not going to happen. Even satan will have no power there he is going there to be punished as well along with the demons. Maybe just maybe if we keep saying it, it will get through to some people.
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Howdy IB, I was traveling yesterday so did not see this. Thanks for the feedback. I have done a couple of things.
I have given it a new title and removed the photo.
I was unaware of something called the five love languages. I must have missed the early 1990’s.😁
I have added more context to the article.
The article is about obedience to God. The main scriptural basis is “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.”
Jesus is not a language. Jesus is the Son of God and our Master. “Eternal salvation is available to all who obey him.” We obey His commands, not because we must, but because we want to, because we love Him. We are enabled to obey because, once we believe in the Messiah and are saved, we are remade.
The article is not about obeying men or the government. The article is not about whether to wear masks or not.
Please let me know if you have any additional feedback.
Shalom!
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Michael, that’s so sweet of you! You were not required to change anything, but I do so appreciate your desire to clarify the message and to help people understand better. God bless you.
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Howdy IB,
I appreciate feedback and the opportunity to clarify what I meant. I think the first post was clear enough.
The question always is “Where do I go to get my reputation back?”
Shalom!
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It would be sweet of you to update the post with current content of the article. Maybe even offer a few comments as well.
Thanks for your kind consideration.
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