Thinking Winsomely - Is it Christlike to Try to Obey Christ?

Hello, welcome to Thinking Winsomely, a ChattTGC podcast. This is the space that, it's a safe space where we gather and meet together to struggle and to, and to, and to wrestle and to truly engage the culture in an authentic way, seeking a truly authentic gospel-centered faith for our modern times.

The Claim That Trying to Obey Christ Is Not Christlike

I'm looking forward to today's episode. Today, we are going to be engaging the issue, should Christians try to obey Christ? In fact, I would challenge that notion. We hear this so often in our modern white evangelical spaces that we should be trying to obey Christ, but I am here to suggest that trying to obey Christ is not Christ-like.

So I wrote this article. It's a short article, and I think it will help you to think through as Christians, as gospel-centered Christians, this very difficult issue. I hope you enjoy it. As Christians, we often talk about the importance of obeying Christ.

And while obedience is an essential aspect of our faith, we must be careful not to elevate it to the point where it becomes something that we try to do. In fact, focusing too much on trying to obey can actually be counterproductive, and it's not Christ-like and does not result in human flourishing.

We must remember first that obedience should naturally flow from a heart that loves Christ, not from effort, not from trying. Those things tend themselves to trying to avoid His wrath or thinking that we somehow earn His favor and grace.

When we focus on trying to obey Christ, we risk turning our faith into a legalistic checklist rather than a relationship with the living God. Second, a focus on trying to obey Christ can lead to judgmental attitudes towards others.

We may become critical of those who do not meet our standard of trying to obey, rather than showing them the same grace and love that Christ showed us. This is so important in our time. I think of all the judgmental things that are said about the LGBTQ community.

I think of the scathing criticism I've seen of the exvangelical community and the trans community. I think I already said that. That's the T in LGBT. I apologize. And that flows from a heart that is trying to obey Christ instead of simply having a relationship with Christ and obeying Christ.

You don't try to love your spouse. You just do it. I'm sorry. Let me go back to the article. I got a little bit sidetracked there. Forgive me. Furthermore, a focus on trying to obey Christ can lead to a neglect of other important aspects of the Christian life, such as love, compassion, and service.

Christ's Ministry of Love, Compassion, and Service

Christ Himself emphasized these qualities in His ministry, and we must not neglect them in our pursuit of trying to obey Christ. Christ Himself never tried to obey Christ. He just obeyed. Let that be an example.

Instead of focusing on trying to obey, we should strive and try and earnestly seek to cultivate a relationship with Christ that is characterized by love, grace, and humility. When we love Christ with all our hearts, obedience will naturally flow from that love.

We don't have to try. When we approach others with that same love and grace that Christ showed us, we create an environment in which human flourishing can finally and wonderfully and fearfully occur. In short, trying to obey Christ is not Christlike.

Let me repeat myself. Trying to obey Christ is not Christlike because Christ didn't try to obey Christ. We must cultivate a relationship with Christ that is characterized and defined by love and grace.

We must have unbelievers look at us and say, look how loving. If they do not, I dare say that our faith is in vain and the truth is not in us. And we must approach others in the same way. When we do so, we create an environment in which human flourishing can occur.

And that is what we long for. That is what our hearts yearn for, human flourishing, both spiritually and emotionally. Let me finish. That's the end of my article, but I just, I feel like I need to add, the Lord has laid something on my heart.

The Final Twist: If You Don't Want to Obey, Disobey

I need to add something here. Here's the, here's the thrust of this. If you don't want to obey Christ, then the only Christlike thing for you to do is to disobey because it is not Christlike to fake it until you make it.

If you don't feel like obeying Christ, then it's not truly within you. It is not something that is, that is, that is naturally flowing from love and from a desire to have a relationship with Christ. Therefore, you should not obey that.

You should not obey in that moment because that would be inauthentic and there is nothing more on Christlike than being inauthentic to your true self. Obedience should naturally flow. You should not try.

Let me summarize this whole thing by saying this. It is not Christlike to obey Christ, or I'm sorry, to try to obey Christ. Of course it's Christlike to obey Christ. Well, is it because Christ did Christ obey Christ?

That sounds like a question for another episode. Anyway, this has been thinking winsomely, a chat TGC podcast. I'll see you next time.