Does God Demand Obedience?

Does God demand obedience? This is a tricky, but good question. It strikes at the very heart of who God is. 

God is Love. And Love does not control.

We can look at the garden where Adam and Eve had the freedom to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to see this.

What did God say exactly? Let’s take a look: 

16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” – Genesis 2:16-17 (NASB, emphasis added)

Is a command a demand? No.

With a command, you are free to disobey. You cannot freely obey if you cannot freely choose to disobey. Remember, where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). 

Love does not control. 

John 15:12-17 gives us our one command straight from the lips of Jesus:

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another. (NASB) 

The royal law of Love allows us to choose to obey or not. (James 2:8) 

You see, Love is so lovely that,

5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. –1 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB, emphasis added). 

Under the Law, which veiled the true nature of God, it was ALL about obedience to earn blessings (Deuteronomy 28). Under the New Covenant of forgiveness, Christ’s obedience on behalf of humankind makes provision for us to be blessed. Our obedience to the command to selflessly love is a fruit of being loved, not a demand from an unyielding God. 

As a matter a fact, Christ, the express image of the Father, said in Matthew 11:28-29:

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. (AMPC)

Did you get that? 

What did Christ say to learn about? His gentleness, meekness, and lowliness of heart that gives rest?! 

Christ, the express image of the Father, sounds anything but demanding! He commands us to love and then empowers us to do that very thing because He loves so well. And with that, our faith works and the blessings manifest.  

Obedience never earns blessing. We are blessed because we are in Christ. We are blessed because we are one with Love!