The Obedience Equation

Since Tullian Tchividjian uses math to describe the gospel as Jesus + Nothing = Everything, I thought I'd throw out my own math equation for obedience. I have been having lots of discussions with folks lately about whether or not God is pleased with our obedience. Or, put another way, is our obedience sufficient? Because we have been justified by Christ and have the indwelling Holy Spirit and the resources of grace, does that mean, by implication, that our efforts at holiness through obedience are adequate in themselves to merit the full pleasure of God?

Is this equation correct? My obedience = (equals) God's full pleasure

There are many reasons why I would revise this equation.

Reason #1 - There is always some sin mixed with our obedience. The fall has affected everything, even our best intentions and our most noteworthy works. Every time I do something that God requires, there could be a plethora of mixed motives that went into the obedience. I would safely assume that there was a desire to please God in the knowledge that the act itself is what He requires. I would even be OK with saying that this could be mostly what we are motivated by (though I think I am being generous here). But what if I was proud of my obedience in a self-righteous sort of way, evidenced by my smug, simmering anger at those who didn't obey as I had? What if I boasted, even in the smallest way, about my obedience? Did I just stain the obedience? Is there now something that needs to be exposed in my obedience and rightly repented of? Pride, selfish ambition and glory stealing are only a few examples of the ways in which we can tarnish our obedience. So, do we simply need God to forgive and cancel out the sinful motives and expressions that may be mixed with the good in our obedience to be fully pleasing to Him?

Is this a better equation?  My obedience - (minus) the sin that stains it = God's full pleasure

I don't think so, and here is why...

Reason #2 - Was the obedience that I mustered up all that God required? For example, if I chose to obey the command to love my neighbor by not being spiteful when their dog left his "business" in my lawn for the 100th time, have I fulfilled the command? I may not have made any intentional rude remarks, but rather showed restraint and even serenity on the outside, but did I actively love them? Though it is a good thing that I didn't lose control and verbally lash out at my neighbor (kind of like the common grace for the believer), did I fulfill the command to love my neighbor? Why is it that we often think that what we have done is enough?

Our efforts to obey are never really enough when we look honestly at what the Word of God calls us to. It calls us to what is impossible with man. We are always in over our heads when we try to live out perfectly what the law requires. Either we are crushed by the painful awareness that we have not fulfilled the demand of the law (and cry out for mercy) or we adjust the demands a bit. We lower the standard enough until we feel that our effort is adequate. However, God warns us in James 4 not to judge His law in this way. (I wrote a blog about that here.) God's laws have always been, and will always remain, rigid and inflexible. The disciples of Jesus seemed to understand this as evidenced by their anxious questions like, "Who then can be saved?" When we honestly face the demands of the law, we must reckon with our inadequacy. The laws don't soften for those who are "in" the Kingdom. They remain the same.

So we are left with the itching question: was God pleased or not with my obedience in not giving a verbal lashing to my neighbor? Wasn't he smiling down at my active faith in my obedience? Though I heartily believe that God is pleased with our active faith (as imperfect as it is), I do not believe that our active faith is enough to warrant God's full and complete pleasure. We need some additions. We need Someone to make up the difference of what is actually required, namely perfect obedience.

We need the perfect righteousness of Jesus added to our sincere, though imperfect, attempts at righteousness for the Father to look upon our works with full pleasure. Only in Jesus are we fully pleasing, and fully acceptable before the Father. Only as we are wearing His robes of righteousness are we truly righteous. Why would anyone want to take off this robe to ask if their garments were enough?

So, I believe that the real equation for obedience is as follows:

My obedience - (minus)  the sin that stains it + (plus) an abundance of the righteousness of Christ = (equals) a true righteousness that the Father is most definitely and always pleased with. 

This equation for obedience removes any grounds for boasting as well as any reason for despair regarding my obedience. It allows me to boldly face my sin and inadequacy with honesty and integrity. It frees me to repent. But most importantly, it causes me to place all of my hope in the One whose righteousness is always enough!

You do the math!