Motivated by Fear or Love?

A new, circumcised heart, being born again , is by the Hand and the Will of the Father in heaven - it is not something we can accomplish ourselves , no, not any man...

Xavier Cane said:

Is it possible to be motivated by love rather than fear? Is it possible to be motivated to serve God because you can sense, feel, or understand his love for you, rather than being motivated to do things because the bible says so?

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Yes, absolutely.

Our relationship to Christ as his bride has many parallels to marriage. Just as you can be so much in love with your wife and one with her, you can be as equally (or more so!) one with Christ and in love with Him.

A marriage will not function based on fear of each other; only with unity and love for each other.

Does that picture help you?

I don't really think about hell very often so I'm not motivated to live for Christ or follow Christ out of fear of hell. I have experienced what I would describe as hellish suffering due to separation from Christ in this life on earth though. Life without Jesus is horrible in the long term, maybe the short term sense gratification seems good and fulfilling for a while but ultimately it's a losing game. Jesus' love for us is so incredible, I'm definitely motivated by that love!

Xavier Cane said:

Is it possible to be motivated by love rather than fear? I

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Of course it is possible. I think the fear of hell, or rather the recognition that one justly deserves it, provides a good balance to prevent pride or indifference though. It helps to maintain humility and attentiveness.
On the other hand, fear or recognition of ones unworthiness can lead to dangerous despondency/despair if love, trust, and hope aren't also present.

So I believe that ideally we should fully recognize our own failures and that we haven't earned any mercy while simultaneously maintaining unshakeable faith in the fact that God's love and desire to show mercy overshadows any of our shortcomings.

As St. Silouan said, "Keep thy mind in hell, and despair not."

Xavier Cane said:

Is it possible to be motivated by love rather than fear? Is it possible to be motivated to serve God because you can sense, feel, or understand his love for you, rather than being motivated to do things because the bible says so?

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Definitely. I didn't have a 'born again' experience because I feared hell. It was more because God showed how much He loves us and me specifically at that time. I was compelled out of His love.

Xavier Cane said:

Not really. But thanks. It's more like work to me. lol. IJS

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How so, Xavier?

I was motivated by love and reminded of my choice. I felt indebted to Him for His love and deliverance. I suffered a lot but the freedom I’ve gained was worth the hardship. I’m finally home. I can never repay all He’s done but I endeavor to fulfill the mission He’s bestowed as a testament of my love and His glory.

Xavier Cane said:

It's just work.... Do this, do that. Don't do this, don't do that. Pray, read the word, study, praise Him, Love others, be a cheerful giver...the list goes on and on and on...It's just work that never ends. Am I to be happy with that? Maybe some people are. But I'm not one to lie about these types of things. I don't like being a slave..no not even to God. But I am...because if I don't...then well....there is only one other place for me to be lol..funny thing it is. Darned if you do, darned if you don't.

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Christ told us that the greatest commandment is to love God with your whole heart, and next to love your neighbor as yourself... That all of the other parts rest on these two things. Without love, it surely is a great burden.

Xavier Cane said:

To love God means to keep his sayings. Love is not emotion....Love is action.

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I don't disagree, but our thoughts/feelings/beliefs often determine our actions. If, in your heart, you don't feel love for a person then it would be most natural if your actions toward them reflected whatever feeling you actually do have towards them. To act in love towards someone you don't feel love towards requires great effort. However, to act lovingly towards someone you do feel love for is easy, mostly automatic.

Xavier Cane said:

It's just work.... Do this, do that. Don't do this, don't do that. Pray, read the word, study, praise Him, Love others, be a cheerful giver...the list goes on and on and on...It's just work that never ends. Am I to be happy with that? Maybe some people are. But I'm not one to lie about these types of things. I don't like being a slave..no not even to God. But I am...because if I don't...then well....there is only one other place for me to be lol..funny thing it is. Darned if you do, darned if you don't.

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That's sad. I know what you mean, because some churches portray that kind of God, but wow, that is so backwards. You need to let all that go and get alone with God and learn about his love. I would recommend something radical like Brennan Manning's book, "Ragamuffin gospel" to help you really understand grace.

Xavier Cane said:

I'm caught betwixt two then...Because some days it seems natural, other days it is like, I really don't want to do it, but I made a commitment, so I must follow through. Thanks for the input! God Bless.

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It's ok, I think a lot of us struggle with this! Some days are easier than others. "I don't want to pray tonight, I'm tired!" "I don't want to be nice, I'm in a bad mood!" But in my experience, sometimes it helps to put in effort even when I don't want to. Maybe your prayers that night will be to tell God that at this moment you would rather be doing something else, and ask Him to help you be in a better frame of mind tomorrow, and to bless your sleep. Maybe when you're too grumpy to be very nice to someone, you practice instead self control to just not be mean, or honesty and open up to them about how you're feeling that day. But in any case, it's good to ask God for help because it's hard for us to try to do all of it alone.

Xavier Cane said:

t's just work.... Do this, do that. Don't do this, don't do that. Pray, read the word, study, praise Him, Love others, be a cheerful giver.

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Fear of Hell may be a motivator to get someone to consider Christianity. It is never sufficient for conversion. As a Christian, you obtain a new nature, and naturally discover the character changes consistent with that nature. If you feel pushed to the point you are going beyond your desire to have a new kind of life, it is best to back off and just experience the difference having the love of Christ makes in your life. When you feel motivated to express that new nature, you can take steps to deepen the relationship -- at your own pace.

May God bless you, and help you experience the joy of His salvation. Be careful not to pay too much attention to those who suggest Christianity is a "check list" of things to be done.

Xavier Cane said:

As Believers in Christ, are we motivated to give our lives to him out of fear of hell or love he has shown?

Is it possible to be motivated by love rather than fear? Is it possible to be motivated to serve God because you can sense, feel, or understand his love for you, rather than being motivated to do things because the bible says so? I feel more like a slave than a free moral agent. Any advice? Let's talk about it.

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Hi Xavier, since becoming a Christian (nearly 33 years ago now), my principle desire has been to please, honor, glorify and obey God in all that I do/say/think. My motivation for that desire, since the day that I was saved (since the day He chose to forgive all of my many sins and lifted the unbearable weight of the guilt that I felt because of them off of my shoulders), has always been His love for me.

I led a fun and, sadly, very sinful life in my 20's. As a result, one of the first thoughts/realizations that I had as a Christian was how displeasing my life must have been to God up until that point, as well how I never wanted to be displeasing to Him again.

I'm sure that the fear of going to Hell was part of what led to my "dark night of the soul" experience right before becoming a Christian, but it has never been even a small part of my motivation to please and obey Him since then (or to repent and seek His forgiveness whenever I sin now).

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - when my "old self/old man/old nature" .. Ephesians 4:22-24, rears its ugly head (which sadly, it still often does) and I sin, it's not the fear of Hell that causes me to repent and seek the Lord's forgiveness, it's because I know what I've done is displeasing to Him and I want to begin to please Him again (because I know what He did/does for me and how much He loves me and always wants the very best for me).

It's also because of my profound desire to experience/have a renewed sense of full fellowship with Him again (that I lose whenever I sin), that the "~joy~ of my salvation" would be restored to me (as King David put it for us in the Psalms

Xavier Cane said:

As Believers in Christ, are we motivated to give our lives to him out of fear of hell or love he has shown?

I ask this question in the midst of reflecting on my Christian experience. Honestly, if I did not think hell was real, I would say “God thanks but no thanks.” Hence, I feel very motivated to serve God because I am afraid of what will happen if I don’t. At the same time, the only reason I try to live out the bible because it says “if you love me, you will keep my words,” hence, I am trying to prove my love out of action, rather than an intimate connection causing me to be devoted to it.

Is it possible to be motivated by love rather than fear? Is it possible to be motivated to serve God because you can sense, feel, or understand his love for you, rather than being motivated to do things because the bible says so? I feel more like a slave than a free moral agent. Any advice? Let's talk about it.

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Biblically, the answer should be both. The fear of the Lord is the reverence and awe of all that is God that renders one to willful obedience in Him. To fear God is to know God. To know God is to love God.