The Christian Life is an Act of Love, not Fear

A Word of Truth #032  

The sign said, “Hell is smokin’ and God ain’t jokin’!” While it is true that God describes the misery of eternal damnation as a fire that cannot be quenched (Mark 9:42ff), and God does not consider sin a joke; nevertheless obedience to God that is motivated by fear is not the obedience God desires.

A certain amount of obedience can be accomplished by threats and fear, but true service is born out of love. As a parent, would you prefer that your children respect, honor, and obey you because they love you, or because they are afraid of you?

The apostle Paul wrote, “…the life I now live…I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). When we as Christians seek to live lives that are pleasing to God we do so not to earn a reward or to avoid punishment. Rather, such obedience flows from faith in Christ; and is an expression of thankful love to God who gives us our salvation from sin and countless other blessings!

The “Headship” Principle Suggest “Christ-Like” Leadership

A Word of Truth #033  

The “headship” principle found in the Bible makes many people in our day uncomfortable. But what does God mean when He says concerning marriage, “The husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church”? We can say immediately, that God is not implying that men are better in His eyes than women. The Bible very clearly points out that both men and women were originally created in God’s image (cf. Genesis 1:27); they both have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (cf. Romans 3:23); and they both have been redeemed through Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 3:24).

The “headship” principle suggests that husbands are to provide their wives with “Christ-like” leadership within marriage. Even as Christ only does that which is good and beneficial for His Church, so the words and actions of husbands are always to have this goal—to do what is good and beneficial for their wives and their marriages.