Does God Depend On His People To Be Obedient?
Q: Does God depend on His people’s obedience in order to accomplish His purposes?
A: I’m uncomfortable with using the phrase, “God depends on His people to be obedient,” although I suppose you could make some argument for it. I would phrase it like this: God uses the obedience of His people to advance His kingdom. God is God. If His people are disobedient, He can accomplish His purpose some other way. But I do believe that there are things that God leaves undone until His people will be obedient and work with Him. And it’s not that God has to. God doesn’t have to rely on the obedience of His people at all. God is God; He can do whatever He wants. But there are times when, in God’s providence, He says, “I’m going to wait until My people are obedient on this point before I work in this area.”
It’s better to be obedient than disobedient. If you have a choice between obedience and disobedience, pick obedience. It’s better. I love the statement that the prophet Samuel made to Israel’s first king, Saul, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” We want to do a lot of religious things, sometimes to cover up for our lack of obedience, don’t we? But simply obeying God is very powerful. Sacrifice is what you do when you’ve been disobedient, to cover over the disobedience. People may assume that obedience is hard or a burden, but in fact, obedience is compliance with God’s will, which is ultimately the best way for us.
Obedience may be difficult in the immediate, in the short run, but it’s always better in the long run. It’s always the easiest option from a long-range perspective, because it means we don’t have to bear the consequences of those sins. Do yourself a favor. Obey God. We kind of act like we’re doing God a huge favor with our obedience. I think God just kind of smiles and shakes His head in heaven, thinking “Dude, this is for you.” It’s a reflection of His love.