but the difference between the type of obedience your advocating and what we are advocating is the difference between following a rule book and knowing ,walking-talking with,the author.
Okay let's try this a different way. Jesus gave commands. I know the word "commands" is a buzz word for you, but perhaps it's just a difference of perspective. Jesus had expectations for his followers. He gave instructions, or teachings, which he expected his followers to...follow. That is what makes them followers. They follow.
You are correct that they are not just an ordinary list of rules, but a way of life. However, in order to experience that way of life, we must
apply the teachings. We must act on those teachings. For example, consider this list of rules from Jesus. I've selected commands which I'm fairly confident you will agree with.
1. Love God
2. Love your neighbor
3. Repent
These are rules. They are given as commands. They are not friendly suggestions. Jesus
expects these commands to be followed. Jesus himself referred to the first two as commands. He used the word "command".
They are found in a book we call the "Bible". If we choose to appreciate the good sense in applying these teachings, it does not mean we are following a book just because we learned about these teachings from a book. All it means is that we appreciate the lessons behind the rules.
These are not just legalistic rules, because there are good reasons to follow these commands. It makes sense to follow them. That is what distinguishes these commands from what you refer to as, "a legalistic checklist of rules". It is not legalistic to show our love for God. It is not legalistic to show love for our neighbour. It is not legalistic to show our repentance through our behaviour.
There are also other commands given by Jesus. They are lesser commands, but they still relate to the greater commands because these lesser rules show us HOW to follow the greater rules. For example, if it is not legalistic to love God and our neighbour, then neither is it legalistic to follow a teaching which is designed to help us to love God and our neighbour.
Let's say you have a boss who tells you to do an important job, but you don't know how to do the job; you need help. So the boss writes out a list of instructions on how to get the job done. That makes sense, doesnt it?
We could even say that, at first, you follow the list of instructions exactly as it is written because you lack confidence. But as you perform the list of jobs more and more, you will become more confident. At some point you may not even need to refer to the list anymore because you will understand the reasons behind the instructions on the list; you will be able to perform those tasks through experience rather than referring to the list. That does not make the list wrong or no longer necessary but just that you've become more experienced. When you become proficient, the boss may ask you to start performing different tasks which require a switch-up of the order of the list or to incorporate new instructions into the list, which will require new learning on your part.
This is what it is like with following Jesus' commands. At least at the start we are ignorant and lack confidence, so Jesus gave us commands to follow as a means of helping us to overcome our fears. If we will not follow simply because we understand the reasons for following, then at least we should follow because we are told to follow.
It's like a military commander at the edge of the high flying plane waiting for the soldier to jump. The soldier is frightened and inexperienced so he hesitates. The commander could stand there all day patiently waiting for the soldier to jump, but eventually the plane will exhaust it's fuel and need to land, with both the soldier and the commander feeling disappointed about the failure.
Or, the commander can give an order to the solider to jump. He doesn't give the command just because he enjoys telling people what to do. He gives the command because he knows it will help the soldier to overcome his fear. He may need to be told several times after that, but eventually he will gain enough experience to understand that he does not need to be told anymore. He will do the job because he understands how it works. But, for that first few times the command actually helped him to overcome his fear and ignorance.
It's the same thing with Jesus' commands. He knew that he was asking us to behave in a way which would be very contrary to all our understanding of how the worldly system works. He knew his teachings would challenge our fears and our greed. He knew we will find ways to hesitate. He knew we will struggle with some aspects of his radical new lifestyle. That is why he gave commands. He knows better than we do. That is why we should obey.
