This past weekend, my social media feed featured a post of country singer Carly Pierce, singing her new song "Church Girl". As I listened to the song, I grew more concerned about the lyrics. Rather than rushing to judgement, I googled the complete lyrics of the song and read them at which point I became dismayed…
[Chorus]
"So you like to get high when you talk to Jesus
So you love who you love, and you go out on the weekend
So you drink, and you think for yourself
That doesn't mean you'll go to Hell when you leave this world
Just 'cause you heard it in church, girl."
The stanzas of the song each highlight a type of sin, while the chorus seems to excuse it, despite what they heard in church.
When I looked into the comments about the song and saw that a majority, if not all, praised its premise, I was greatly disappointed.
In no way do I want to be misunderstood… Of course, just because you engage in this type of behavior does NOT mean that Jesus will cast you aside and say that you are unworthy. His blood and grace indeed cover over those sins when you truly accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and repent. But what I am saying is that at face value, this song appears to imply that you can stay in those sins without true repentance and still go to Heaven.
This way of thinking could be interpreted as "easy believism" which have the following core tenets: Intellectual Agreement: Salvation is achieved through simple mental assent to facts about Jesus; Grace Alone: Emphasizes salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) but downplays the necessity of repentance or ongoing obedience; Savior, Not Lord: Accepts Jesus as a Savior but not necessarily as the Lord who governs one's life; No Works Required: Believes good works are the result of salvation, not a necessary component of saving faith. {AI-generated}
There can be two extremes when it comes to Christian obedience. On the one side, it can be way too harsh, judgmental, and legalistic. But on the other hand, it can be too permissive, with a live-and-let-live attitude that is absent from any faithful Biblical obedience in the name of grace.
Which begs the question, has obedience changed? Is there a difference in the obedience of Old Testament Christians compared to New Testament Christians, and even compared to modern-day Believers?
For context, it's also essential to review what the word obedience means in everyday life compared to Biblical obedience.
Obedience: "the act of complying with the orders, instructions, or laws of an authority figure. It involves submissive or dutiful behavior—ranging from voluntary to mandatory—in response to direct commands, such as those from parents, teachers, or superior officers." [AI-generated]
Biblical Obedience: "submitting your will to His authority, trusting His guidance, and aligning your actions, thoughts, and life with His divine commands and principles found in scripture, often expressed through love for Him and others, as exemplified by Jesus Christ. It involves more than just following rules; it's a heartfelt response of faith, a demonstration of love, and a continuous effort to live harmoniously with God's purpose, even when it's difficult."
Let's keep those in mind as we look at what God's Word says about obedience for children of God in any dispensation.
Old Testament Children of God
"Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey." Deuteronomy 6:1-3
In reading this verse, I don't see a harsh taskmaster with a "God complex"; I see the living God who chose the people of Israel to be His children and loved them eternally. His purpose for His commandments was not to play puppet master stringing the Israelites along, but to train them in righteousness so that their lives would go sooo much easier… He desired to bless them with a land flowing with milk and honey and to prolong their days. How loving is that?!
Think about traffic signs. They are in place so we can follow the rules of the road, not to make our lives difficult, but to protect us from danger. In the same way, the Lord established His commandments not only for the Israelites, but for us as well! It was the Pharisees who added so many other rules and regulations that were not intended by God, making the law odious to those who followed rules rather than God's heart.
As you read the Old Testament, you'll see that Moses continually reminded the Israelites of all the ways the Lord protected and provided for them - a constant reminder of His love and care.
For those who got it, they were obeying because they loved the Lord and wanted to please Him. For those who didn't get it, they were following rules and becoming resentful.
You see the difference? Referring back to our definitions of obedience, when love drives our obedience, it hasn't changed at all from what God intended in the Old Testament. Sadly, people both then and now have changed the meaning of obedience by attaching a legalistic mindset to it, rather than seeing it as God's loving provision and protection.
New Testament Christians
"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24
"It must have been amazing to walk with Jesus as a New Testament Christian. They sat at the feet of Jesus daily as He taught them. Not only that, He demonstrated, through His own life, what it meant to obey. "Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him". Hebrews 5:8-9
Ultimately, they were when their Beloved Christ hung on the cross, His blood fulfilling the law and ushering in Grace.
Yet New Testament Christians like Paul did not negate the law of Moses. "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Romans 3:31 "So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good." Romans 7:12
The New Testament shows that obedience itself hadn't changed from the Old Testament, but what had changed was that Jesus fulfilled the law so that we would take up our cross and follow Him daily. Does that sound like we continue in our sin? No, not at all. But what it tells us is that we continually come to Him with our sins and repent daily. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness". John 1:9 With this continued act of repentance, we are showing a desire to follow Christ daily, NOT to accept our sins as the status quo, thinking that because Grace has saved us, we are all set.
Again, back to our definitions, when we follow God's commands like rules from an authority, of course, we will grow weary and fall short. However, when love for God is the driver of our obedience, there will be no hurt, whether from past church experiences or how we were raised, that will tempt us to easy believism.
Modern Day Believers
"If you love Me, keep My commandments" John 14:15
There is no denying that people suffer "church hurt". Lately, you see a lot of prominent Christian leaders whose children are coming out and "deconstructing" their faith, whether it be from extreme legalism or a parent who demonstrated more Pharisaical leadership than shepherding their child's heart. But as I mentioned earlier, sadly, these people swing from one extreme to the other, so much so that they are basically living for themselves while claiming to be Christians.
The bottom line is that Biblical obedience has not changed. Our God is unchanging. His desire for our obedience has ALWAYS been driven by love - His love for us and our passion for Him.
Sadly, those who have been hurt are allowing what people have done to them to sully their opinion of God and what He requires. Yet God's Word tells us, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 To walk humbly with your God requires obedience. Living for yourself in the name of Christianity is not humility; it is selfishness. You are serving yourself rather than the Lord.
It makes me so sad to see those who have turned away from church, and most especially God, because they have been hurt as a result of the church.
The bottom line is that there is a definite problem with how people interpret obedience and how it is enforced. Obedience was never meant to be a weapon or a means to control, certainly not in the church and ESPECIALLY not by God.
So how can we "deconstruct", if I dare use that word, our opinions of what Biblical obedience looks like? We go to the Word and spend time in the Old Testament. Yes, you read that right. I think, too often, when people read the Old Testament, they see God in a very harsh light, which can lead to problems for modern-day Biblical obedience. But I'm here to tell you that, having read through the Old Testament several times in my life, now when I read it, ALL I see is God's love, patience, compassion, and protection.
If you struggle with understanding obedience, I encourage you to read the Old Testament with fresh eyes. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you God's love throughout those pages.
Has obedience changed? No, it hasn't. We need to change our perspective and see obedience as our love expressed to the Lord.
Lord, help me to see your love in Biblical obedience and allow me to respond in love. Where do you struggle with obedience?
What steps can you take to turn that struggle into joyful obedience?
Photo credit: Unsplash/Aaron Burden
