Last week, I shared how I grew up seeing Christianity through the lens of legalistic morality. Be a good little boy. Try harder. God hates sin, and as a sinner, you're in big trouble. There was nothing attractive about that distorted view of who God is and how He works, and I resisted it.
It wasn't until I found myself sitting in a prison cell that I began to understand just how wrong that approach was. I discovered that salvation wasn't something I could earn by trying harder or becoming a better person. It was a gift made possible by what Jesus had already done for me. As Ephesians 2:8–9 explains, we are saved by grace through faith, not by our own works.
That realization changed everything about my standing before God. But it did not instantly change everything about my approach to sin.
I've now been a Christian for nearly thirty years, and the hard truth is that for much of that time, I continued to go through periodic seasons of disobedience. I knew what I believed. I understood the gospel. Yet too often, I still chose to live the way I wanted to live. Somewhere along the way, I had fallen into another dangerous misunderstanding of grace. If my salvation wasn't dependent on my ability to obey, perhaps obedience wasn't quite as important as I once thought.
I wouldn't have said that out loud, but looking back, my actions often suggested it.
And I learned the hard way just how wrong that thinking was. My choices brought painful consequences into my life and, worse, into the lives of people I loved. I was forgiven, but forgiveness didn't erase the damage my sin had caused.
That's something we need to understand about grace. Grace removes the condemnation of sin for those who are in Christ, but it does not remove the destructive nature of sin itself.
Consider the familiar account of the woman caught in adultery in John 8. The religious leaders brought her before Jesus, citing the Law of Moses and demanding to know what should be done with her. But their real motivation wasn't concern for righteousness or the woman's well-being. Scripture tells us they were trying to trap Jesus.
These were the same religious leaders who had built an entire system around outward obedience and religious performance. They were quick to identify sin in others, but they had completely missed the heart of God's grace.
Jesus saw right through them.
Rather than joining their condemnation, He challenged their self-righteousness: "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7). One by one, her accusers walked away.
But here's what I find so remarkable about what happened next. Jesus didn't simply tell the woman that everything was fine, that her sin didn't matter, or that she should go on living however she pleased.
Instead, He said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more" (John 8:11).
Think about the significance of those words. Jesus extended mercy without minimizing sin. He didn't demand that she clean up her life before showing her compassion. But neither did He suggest that grace made obedience unnecessary.
And why would He? Sin is destructive. Jesus knew that the very behavior He was calling this woman to leave behind was contrary to the life God intended for her.
This is something I wish I had understood much earlier in my Christian life. God's commandments aren't arbitrary rules designed to make our lives miserable. They're instructions from a loving Father who knows what's best for us.
In Deuteronomy 10:12–13, Moses reminds the Israelites that God calls them to walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him, and keep His commandments. And then he adds three incredibly important words: "For your good."
For your good!
God doesn't need our obedience. We need His wisdom. He created us, knows us better than we know ourselves, and understands the consequences of living outside His design. When He calls us to turn away from sin, He's not trying to deprive us of something good. He's protecting us from something destructive.
Of course, that doesn't mean obedience guarantees an easy life. Following Jesus often requires sacrifice and can bring suffering of its own. But God's ways are always good, even when they're difficult.
The apostle Paul makes this connection beautifully in Titus 2:11–12. He explains that God's grace not only brings salvation but also trains us to renounce ungodliness and live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.
In other words, grace doesn't simply save us from the penalty of sin. It teaches us to turn away from the very things that were destroying us.
It has taken me decades to begin understanding this. My salvation happened in an instant, but learning to surrender my will to God has been a much longer journey. And it's a journey I'm still on.
I used to think obedience was about trying harder to earn God's approval. Then, for too long, I lived as though grace somehow made obedience less important. Both approaches missed the point.
We don't obey to earn God's grace. We obey because His grace has opened our eyes to the goodness of His ways.
As we learned last week, God goes first. And the only fitting response is to trust Him enough to follow.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the gift of Your grace and for loving me long before I ever deserved it. Forgive me for the times I've tried to earn Your acceptance through my own efforts, and for the times I've taken Your grace for granted by choosing my own way over Yours.
Help me recognize that Your commands are not burdens meant to restrict me, but loving instructions given for my good. Open my eyes to the destructive nature of sin and give me a heart that desires to walk in obedience – not out of fear or obligation, but because I trust You and know that Your ways are best. Continue Your work of transforming my heart, teaching me to surrender more fully to You each day.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Daily Scripture Readings
Monday – Ephesians 2:1–10
Salvation is God's gift, not something we earn through good works. Yet we are created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Tuesday – Romans 6:1–14
God's grace is not a license to continue in sin. Instead, it frees us from sin's power and calls us to a new way of living.
Wednesday – John 8:1–11
Jesus extends mercy to a woman caught in adultery without minimizing her sin, calling her to leave her old life behind.
Thursday – Deuteronomy 10:12–22
God calls us to walk in His ways and keep His commandments, not to earn His love, but because His ways are for our good.
Friday – Titus 2:11–14
The same grace that brings salvation also teaches us to turn away from ungodliness and live according to God's ways.
Saturday – John 14:15–24
Jesus connects love with obedience, reminding us that following His commands is a response to our love for Him.
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