Why does obedience matter? (Titus 2-3)

"Jonny," Elizabeth said in a warning tone, "please stop that."

Her three-year-old looked up but continued to bang his plastic Spiderman toy against the back of her car seat.

"Why?"

Elizabeth sighed in frustration.

"Just... because!"

We've probably all had some experience of the wilful defiance of toddlers. And I range from feeling profound sympathy for the mother with the raging, shrieking child on the shop floor, to feeling a little annoyed myself that she doesn't just give in and take the child away so the poor shop assistant won't have to restock a whole shelf again.

But how much are we, as grown adults, like toddlers when it comes to obeying God? Do we shake our fists in wilful defiance, like Jonny, because we perceive His commands to be like Elizabeth's: arbitrary and stemming from a spirit that's easily annoyed?

Well Paul's letter to Titus says a lot to change our view.

'For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age' (11-12).

A true love for Jesus stems from understanding His grace towards us. And He is GRACIOUS! He's not an irritable guy in the sky who imposes frustrating restrictions on us. He DIED to SAVE us and give us FREEDOM from sin! Whenever we shake our fist at God and continue to do whatever we feel like doing, we merely confirm our own slavery to sin. Without God, we are unable to choose not to sin. And the reality is that sin is UGLY. It brings death and destruction, not the glamorous lifestyle that the media portrays as so desirable. It brings a profound emptiness, which is really loneliness, because we are separated from God our Father. We were made to be in a relationship with Him.

Jesus enables us to have that relationship, and His sinless life and death pays the price for all our rebellious living. We are not saved by obedience. Why, then, is it important? Well, a key proof of whether we've really understood God's grace is in our response to it. If we've genuinely understood that we were a slave to a sin, and Jesus set us free, then why would we choose to go back to it? Our eyes have been opened to see our ugly passions for what they really are. God's grace teaches us to say 'no' to them.

Secondly, if we really love Jesus, we will seek to imitate Him and obey His commands. You cannot really love someone if you disregard what they say. So obedience in response to grace is not trying to win our salvation, but expressing our love for Jesus and faith that what He tells us to do is right.

Thirdly, Jesus was self-controlled, upright and godly- so that's our aim too. We should be 'eager to do what is good' (14) because Jesus 'gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own.' (14) We love Jesus because He redeemed us- why would we want to do wicked things? It's illogical, we are His very own- we belong to Him, so real appreciation of our status will be proved by how we act.

It isn't easy, though. Naturally we are 'foolish, disobedience, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.' (3) But we love Jesus because He saved us from that through His mercy (5). And through Jesus we receive the Holy Spirit (6), who gives us the strength (if we pray and depend on Him) to fight sin.

We are heirs of eternal life (7) and have an amazing future with Jesus to look forward to. But how ashamed will we be if we continue to live lives of disobedience to Him? True love for Him understands His holiness and the way He has made us holy, and shows itself in our obedience to Him.