Born Free: 16 Principles to Help You Be FreeSample

Principle 15: Obedience Flows from Freedom

Power principle number fifteen: Obedience flows from freedom, not freedom from obedience. “For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God” (Galatians 2:19). “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:21).

A lot of people say, “If you teach that stuff, people are going to go and sin, so teach them to be obedient.” Well, I have to teach them to be free before they can be obedient. Most of us have it backward. We think that, if we are obedient enough and kind enough, and loving enough, then we will be free. That is not true. It works the other way around.

For many years I was sure that God was a policeman. And understanding that he was a loving policeman didn’t help very much. So, as a recalcitrant child, I worked very hard at pleasing God. I learned to pray regularly (even if it didn’t mean anything), to read the Bible (even if I didn’t remember what I read), and, every day in every way, to be a good person—kind, loving, gracious, compassionate, involved, and pure.

The problem was that I was not a good person and, no matter how hard I tried, I had to take off the false face every night and look in the mirror. Finally, I was faced (one can act for only so long) with two alternatives: give it up and leave the policeman, accepting whatever punishment was due me; or go to him to see if I could be “fixed.”

I went to him, and do you know what happened? He hugged me and told me that he had been waiting for me to come. He didn’t bring up my sin or my punishment. He just loved me. He told me that my failure was meant to bring me to him so that he could love me.

My response to that kind of incredible love has been the only source of growth and obedience in my life. Growth and obedience, for me, have never happened any other way. While I’m still not good . . . I’m better. While I still don’t love him or others as I ought to love . . . I love more than I did. While I haven’t manifested all the “fruit of the Spirit” that I ought to manifest . . . you should have seen me before!

Paul put it best: “For the love of Christ controls us . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:14 NASB).