Why Obedience Is Not the Point

I recently saw a Christian podcast episode titled “Our Job Is Obedience, God’s Job Is Everything Else.” It’s from a very reputable Christian ministry that I have a lot of respect for and I really like. And the episode was actually good and helpful, about doing what God’s called you to do without taking responsibility for things we can’t control, like outcomes or results. I loved the episode itself.

But the title of the episode is completely wrong. And unfortunately, much of the church has this erroneous viewpoint that the main job of a Christian is obedience. Keep the rules. Don’t step out of line; God’s watching you.

I respectfully disagree. Adamantly.

Our Job Is Not Obedience

The problem with this perspective is it reduces Christianity to a transactional system.

Too many Christians live in transactional bondage, implicitly believing lies like these:

“If I just live up to God’s calling on my life, I’ll have a good life.”
“Obedience to God’s Word will atone for my past.”
“If I can just try harder, eventually God will love me.”
“If I break the rules, I won’t be worthy of God’s love.”
“My identity is what I do.”
“My actions define me.”
“If I’m not perfect, I’m damaged goods.”

But the Kingdom of God is not transactional. The Kingdom of God is relational. Jesus called this out on the Sermon on the Mount:

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” – Matthew 7:21-23 (emphasis mine)

Jesus didn’t say “You broke too many rules” or “You broke more rules than you followed” or “You didn’t do enough.” He said “I never knew you.” The Kingdom of God is relational.

Jesus chided the Pharisees for obedience without relationship. Their obedience wasn’t because they loved God per se, but because they thought they would be rewarded for it; God owed them.

Our Job Is Connection

Our job is connection to Jesus, not obedience to a set of rules. That is our main focus as a Christian. Anything else becomes idolatry.

Now please don’t hear what I’m not saying. I’m not discounting the importance of obedience to the Word of God and Jesus’ teachings. Of course not. Our behavior matters. (See Romans 6:1.)

But disobedience is harmful, sinful, bad, and self-destructive, not because it breaks the rules, but because it breaks connection with Jesus.

And the truth is, obedience flows out of that connection. If you love someone, you can’t live in a way that breaks their heart, because it damages the connection. And in reality, you can’t be obedient to Jesus without having that connection.

We can’t live a holy life in our own strength. We need his help. We need his grace. We need time spent with him. We need connection.

Employees vs Lovers

Is Jesus the lover of our soul? Or are we just Kingdom of God employees? We can tell by what questions we ask ourselves.

Employees ask questions like, “How little do I have to do to get my paycheck?” It’s a contract. “Ok, boss, I’ll do what you want in exchange for what I want.” Employees do what the boss wants (the job tasks) to get what they want (the paycheck).

An employee’s mindset is, “Ok, God, how little do I have to do to get into Heaven?” Or this one: “How close can I get to the sin I really want to do, or how often can I get away with it, without losing Heaven?”

But lovers ask questions like, “How much can I do? What makes my lover happy? What gives my lover joy? What else can I do?”

It’s a whole different kind of relationship. It’s not doing what our lover wants so we can get something out of it. It’s doing what they want for one reason only. Because they want it. Because it makes them happy. And their smile is our reward, worth more to us than all the paychecks in the workplace. Because we have their heart and they have ours.

Jesus isn’t looking for obedient employees. He’s looking for lovers who will do a heart exchange with him – give him their heart, and receive his heart.

Are you willing?

Your Turn

Does this resonate? Are you willing to make this paradigm shift: From an employee trying to be obedient and not get fired, to a lover of Jesus prioritizing connection with him as the first thing? What has this looked like in your life? Tell us your story in the comments.

Do You Want Help?

You can reach out to Dave and Janet here for a session. We use a method called The Immanuel Approach, a facilitated safe, gentle way to experience a connection with Jesus, get unstuck, and receive the healing he has for you.