5) Obedience and the Law
Is obedience the fruit or the root of salvation? What is the role of the law? Discover that works are the result of faith — and that the law is a mirror, not a ladder to heaven.
If salvation is by faith and not by works, then what are obedience, the law, and good works for? Can we simply ignore them? This is one of the most important — and most misunderstood — questions of the Christian life.
In this lesson, we will see that obedience, law, and works have a fundamental role. But it is not what many think. The order makes all the difference.
Obedience: Fruit, Not Root
Many people live the Christian life upside down: they try to obey to be accepted by God. The Bible teaches the opposite.
What is the correct motivation for obedience according to Jesus?
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Answer: Love — 'If ye love me, keep my commandments'
John 14:15: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
Jesus’ order is revealing: first love, then obedience. Not “obey so that I may love you.” But “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Love comes first. Obedience is the natural response of one who loves. It is fruit, not root.
How does the Bible describe the relationship between love and the law?
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Answer: Love is the fulfilling of the law
Romans 13:10: "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
Paul makes a surprising statement: “Love is the fulfilling of the law.” When we love, we fulfill the law naturally — without forced effort, without a list of rules. And adds that “his commandments are not grievous.” For those who love, obeying is not a burden. It is a pleasure.
“True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of God and His law.” — Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 97, par. 3.
The Law: Mirror, Not Ladder
If obedience is the fruit of love, what then is the function of the law? Why did God give the commandments?
What is the function of the law according to Paul?
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Answer: To reveal sin — by the law is the knowledge of sin
Romans 3:20: "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
The law is like a mirror: it shows the dirt, but doesn’t clean it. It shows the sin, but doesn’t remove it. says that Paul would not have known sin if the law had not said “thou shalt not covet.” The law has a revealing function — it shows us our need for a Savior.
Whom does James compare the person who hears the word and does not do it to?
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Answer: To someone who looks in a mirror and immediately forgets what he was like
James 1:23-25: "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."
James uses the image of the mirror: a person looks at themselves, sees how they are, and goes away. The law shows who we are. But notice — James calls the law the “perfect law of liberty” (). The law is not a prison. Seen correctly, it’s a guide to a free life.
Does faith void the law?
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Answer: God forbid — we establish (confirm) the law through faith
Romans 3:31: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
Paul anticipates the objection and answers firmly: faith doesn’t void the law. On the contrary, it establishes the law. When we live by faith and love, we fulfill the law more authentically than any legalistic effort ever could.
“God’s law is the mirror presenting a complete reflection of the man as he is, and holding up before him the correct likeness.” — Ellen G. White, Faith and Works, p. 31, par. 4.
Works: Result, Not Cause
If we are saved by faith, are works useless? Not at all. But we need to understand the correct order.
For what were we created in Christ, according to Ephesians?
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Answer: Unto good works which God hath before ordained
Ephesians 2:10: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Notice the sequence in : we are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” Works are the purpose of the new creation — not the cause of it. God saves us, and then enables us to live according to His will.
How did Jesus explain the relationship between the tree and the fruits?
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Answer: Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit naturally
Matthew 7:16-17: "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit."
A good tree produces good fruits. It’s not the fruit that makes the tree good — it’s the good tree that naturally generates good fruits. lists these fruits: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Note that it says “fruit of the Spirit” — not “fruit of human effort.”
Faith without works is...
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Answer: Dead — as the body without the spirit is dead
James 2:26: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
James doesn’t contradict Paul. He completes him. Faith without works is not faith — it’s theory. Works without faith are not obedience — they are legalism. Together, faith and works form a coherent whole: we believe, and because we believe, we live accordingly.
“Works will never save us; it is the merit of Christ that will avail in our behalf.” — Ellen G. White, Faith and Works, p. 48, par. 3.
What Now?
Obedience springs from one who has already been accepted in Christ, instead of being the basis of our acceptance before God. The law functions as a mirror that reveals our need for Christ, and not as a ladder to heaven. Thus, works arise as the natural fruit of faith, far from being the cause of salvation.
God’s invitation was never “obey to be saved.” In Christ, we receive the grace that makes us children of God; now we are called to live as His children.
My Decision
I understand that obedience is the fruit of love, not the basis of my acceptance before God. I accept that the law reveals to me my need for Christ and that good works are the natural result of a life of faith. I desire to obey God out of love, not out of fear.