Obedience Out of Gratitude

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We obey God because we are grateful to be saved.

Deuteronomy 6.20-25

“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.’”

Matthew 5.17-19; Romans 7.12; Romans 14.17; Ephesians 2.1-10; Philippians 1.9-11

The Law of God was to be such a prominent part of Israel’s life that children would be provoked to curiosity about it. What would they have seen? A good deal of teaching and talking about the Law, as we have seen, plus a way of life characterized by love for God and neighbor. Peter anticipated that unbelievers, seeing the hope of glory lived out in a believer’s life, would ask a reason for it (1 Pet. 3.15), and this is similar, I think, to what’s in view here.

Children pay attention. They observe what parents do and hear what they say. Here is a call for parents and all adults to remember that their conduct and conversation impact the generation to come. Let us make sure that what our children are provoked to inquire about, based on what they see in us, is the holy and righteous and good Law of God, expressed in love for God and neighbors.

In responding to their children, parents must be careful to keep their understanding of the Law within the framework of grace. The people of Israel were slaves in Egypt; we were slaves to sin. God came to us in our need and, through a powerful deliverance, lifted us out of sin and death into newness of life through Jesus Christ. He redeemed us, as He did Israel, freely, by His grace. But He redeemed us unto good works (Eph. 2.8-10), even the good works of the Law (Matt. 5.17-19).

We would still be helpless and lost were it not for the Lord’s mighty deliverance. In gratitude for His saving mercy, we receive His Word and declare, “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do.” Gratitude to God is the first reason we obey His Law: We love Him in gratitude because He first loved us in redemption (1 Jn. 4.9).

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics(Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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