The danger I find in this kind of motivation is that I when I seek for the root of it I find it in “fear,” rather than love. The response that comes from a “fear” of consequences can so easily slide into “works,” to keep God happy – which actually keep us trapped in our fear, which is an element of Thielicke’s warning. I don’t leap over my own shadow, my shadow is blasted away by the briliaance of my risen Saviour.

John Piper’s comments appear profopund, but honestly I don’t agree with his notion that human satisfaction – even if it is in God – is a source of God being glorified in us. God is glorified in us because of who He is, regardless of whether we’re satisfied or not. I guess there’s a need to define what Piper means by “satisfied.” In all honesty I can’t say that I am “satisfied with God” all of the time – sometimes what He expects creates great dissatisfaction in me and for me. He is still glorified.

I find that Sin is the result of a loss of focus, when my eyes are not fixed upon Christ – when my body, soul and/or spirit finds another focus I’m in trouble. When I am not centrally focussed on God I make excuses for my behaviour. The reality is that we are all tempted, and our response ought to be to do the right thing – but not from a motivation of fear because we might get fried like Ananias and Sapphira. Our motivation is based in the fact that we are already made holy and righteous in Christ, and because our eyes are fixed on Him and we are in awe of Him, caught up in His love, we live out our lives as the holy and righteous people, He has made us to be in Him. When our eyes are not fixed on Him we are open to fail. The actions may look the same the motivation is completely opposite – one is the motivation of fear, the other is the motivation of love.

“Glory” is the capacity to see things as they truly are – so God is glorified in me when I live as I was truly created to be… when I see myself as He says I am, not when I see myself as I think I am or others say I am, but genuinely authentically have an understanding of who I am in Christ. God is glorified and my response is to be focussed on Him.

King David was an adulterer and murderer, yet is described as a man after God’s heart – why? Because His focus was so easily reoriented onto God. When Adam was confronted with His sin his first response was to make an excuse… it’s the pattern of humanity “everybody is a victim!” When the prophet Nathan confronted David with his sin, his first response was to confess “I have sinned against the Lord.” He made no excuses, he accepted responsibility and he received forgiveness. there is not the fear of consequence in David’s response, but the acceptance of his responsibility as a child of God.

Whipping people with warnings didn’t work in the Old Testament, why continue with it? God so loved the world that he sent His Son for you and I – receive His love and respond in kind. With that thought in mind read chapter 8 of Romans and be blessed…

the ramblings of a celtic son…