Obedience for Obedience' Sake

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There's a false teaching floating around out there in evangelicalism that obedience for obedience' sake is a bad thing. Or that duty for duty's sake is a bad thing. An example would be someone who's unwilling to go to church or read the Bible because they don't want to. And if they don't want to do it, it would be somehow bad or perhaps Pharisaical to do it just because it's the right thing to do. They suppose that until they really want to do it, it would be better to refrain from doing it entirely.

But this is a bunch of hogwarsh.

The ideal is obedience from the heart. That we love God and obey his commands because it is our heart's deepest desire. But even when we do not desire to obey God's commands we still ought to obey them. Indeed, that's what makes it obedience! When we do it even though we don't want to do it we are submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Christ.

Do any of Y'ALL subscribe to this false teaching?
 

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There's a false teaching floating around out there in evangelicalism that obedience for obedience' sake is a bad thing. Or that duty for duty's sake is a bad thing. An example would be someone who's unwilling to go to church or read the Bible because they don't want to. And if they don't want to do it, it would be somehow bad or perhaps Pharisaical to do it just because it's the right thing to do. They suppose that until they really want to do it, it would be better to refrain from doing it entirely.

But this is a bunch of hogwarsh.

The ideal is obedience from the heart. That we love God and obey his commands because it is our heart's deepest desire. But even when we do not desire to obey God's commands we still ought to obey them. Indeed, that's what makes it obedience! When we do it even though we don't want to do it we are submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Christ.

Do any of Y'ALL subscribe to this false teaching?
Yep. The bible says a lot about self control. And that is what this is about. It's controlling the flesh, but not because you're doing it to be saved. You are already saved. You do it because you want to be more perfect, which is a goal of every Christian. And it can be hard work, as the New Testament proclaims all over the place. But it is a worthy goal.
 
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Colossians 2:18-23

Obedience for obedience sake sounds too "taste not, touch not, handle not" so I'd definitely reject the teaching, not an evangelical tho.
But that is obedience to rules not from God. What about Obedience by not watching prn even though you really want to. Is that somehow uinbiblical?

Then again, maybe I don't really understand what is meant by 'for obedience sake".
 
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Gregory Thompson

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But that is obedience to rules not from God. What about Obedience by not watching prn even though you really want to. Is that somehow uinbiblical?

Then again, maybe I don't really understand what is meant by 'for obedience sake".
I don't have a problem behaving with God because we have a relationship and it doesn't even come to mind. When humans start throwing around the word obedience, it means they are trying to assign work, and there is no relationship. This is iniquity.
 
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eleos1954

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There's a false teaching floating around out there in evangelicalism that obedience for obedience' sake is a bad thing. Or that duty for duty's sake is a bad thing. An example would be someone who's unwilling to go to church or read the Bible because they don't want to. And if they don't want to do it, it would be somehow bad or perhaps Pharisaical to do it just because it's the right thing to do. They suppose that until they really want to do it, it would be better to refrain from doing it entirely.

But this is a bunch of hogwarsh.

The ideal is obedience from the heart. That we love God and obey his commands because it is our heart's deepest desire. But even when we do not desire to obey God's commands we still ought to obey them. Indeed, that's what makes it obedience! When we do it even though we don't want to do it we are submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Christ.

Do any of Y'ALL subscribe to this false teaching?

John 14

15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and He will be in you.

Amen and God Bless
 
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Albion

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But this is a bunch of hogwarsh.

Agreed.

But even when we do not desire to obey God's commands we still ought to obey them. Indeed, that's what makes it obedience! When we do it even though we don't want to do it we are submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Christ.
Of course.

If we were left to obey or not obey, depending strictly upon our preferences, none of the Commandments would hold any sway over our actions.
 
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I don't have a problem behaving with God because we have a relationship and it doesn't even come to mind. When humans start throwing around the word obedience, it means they are trying to assign work, and there is no relationship. This is iniquity.
I certainly can't argue with that. Like so many words, it is not the word that is the problem. It's how it's used.
 
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Phil 1:21

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There's a false teaching floating around out there in evangelicalism that obedience for obedience' sake is a bad thing. Or that duty for duty's sake is a bad thing. An example would be someone who's unwilling to go to church or read the Bible because they don't want to. And if they don't want to do it, it would be somehow bad or perhaps Pharisaical to do it just because it's the right thing to do. They suppose that until they really want to do it, it would be better to refrain from doing it entirely.

But this is a bunch of hogwarsh.

The ideal is obedience from the heart. That we love God and obey his commands because it is our heart's deepest desire. But even when we do not desire to obey God's commands we still ought to obey them. Indeed, that's what makes it obedience! When we do it even though we don't want to do it we are submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Christ.

Do any of Y'ALL subscribe to this false teaching?
I honestly can't say I've heard of this. But quite frankly, not much surprises me anymore. Thanks for sharing.
 
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Tree of Life

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Acts 5:29

Obedience for obedience sake seems to be a line to mean obey the religious authorities, but when their ideas contradict what God wants to do, I'll definitely obey Him instead.

What about when God tells you to do something that you don't want to do? Would you do that?
 
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Do any of Y'ALL subscribe to this false teaching?
Man, (woman), that was COOL! As soon as I read the question,
I saw 45,000 hands go up fast !
Then when they realized what they were admitting to (confessing), many of the hands went down even faster !
 
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Gregory Thompson

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What about when God tells you to do something that you don't want to do? Would you do that?
God gave me a task that I don't like, I still do it anyway. It builds character.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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I agree. But does this mean that we should never perform acts of obedience unless we are convinced that they are perfect?
Faith is like trust, perfect is like maturity, I was talking about trust.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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This appears to me to be a non-sequitur. How do you think this relates to the OP?
This is related to when the call for obedience is actually an example of new testament phariseeism as was mentioned in the OP.
 
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