That obedience is essential to the salvation of the soul is a foregone conclusion in scripture.  Anyone with a sliver of Bible knowledge knows that one cannot go to heaven without living in obedience to God.

Hebrews 5:8-9 (ESV)
⁸ Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. ⁹ And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,   

For whom is Jesus the source of eternal salvation?  We do not have to wonder about it because the Spirit tells us in Hebrews 5:9—it is for those who obey Him.

This does not eradicate grace, nor does it make faith unnecessary as some suppose.  In the end, we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).  However, the only faith that saves is an obedient faith, or as James says, a faith that works (James 2:24-26).

While obedience is essential, it has something in common with faith.  Just like not all faith saves, so it is with obedience—it does not all save.  We can obey God robotically, and it will not be pleasing to Him.  God has always demanded that service comes from the heart (John 4:24; Romans 12:2).

A person might obey God just to fulfill a written command, like checking items off a list.  Attendance. √ Lord’s Supper √.  Giving √.  In this person’s mind, it does not matter how he lives the rest of his life, as long as he can check off all the boxes.  The Jews lived like that in Old Testament times, obeying the outward regulations of the law, all the while openly sinning against God.  How did God respond to them?  Isaiah shares it with us.

Isaiah 1:10-11 (ESV)
¹⁰ Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! ¹¹ “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.

Even though it was God who commanded the people to offer those sacrifices, He grew tired of them because they were coming from people who only served Him hypocritically, revealing that their hearts were not right with God while they attempted to worship Him.

We must not only obey God, but we must do so with the right attitudes and for the right reasons, some of which will be demonstrated by the life that we live.  A good question to ask yourselves is, “Why do you obey God?”  The correct answer to this question will say a lot about your overall service to God.  The right answer should be because of your love and respect for Him.  That should always be our primary motive for doing what God commands us to do.

Some obey God primarily because they do not want to go to hell.  That is a good reason, but not the best reason, and it should never be the primary reason.  Obviously, we should all fear hell and want to avoid it at all costs.  The Bible describes it as a horrific place on purpose.  God wants people to know what a terrible place it is going to be.  Why else would the Spirit move men to describe it as a lake of fire, outer darkness, and weeping and gnashing of teeth?

Still, God desires our love and loyalty more than our fear.  If we have a sincere love for God because of all that He has done and what He continues to do for us, obedience is a natural expression of our affection for Him.  That kind of obedience endures all things.  While fear has a way of losing its intensity over time, love breeds loyalty and commitment as long as the love lasts.

John put it best.  “18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:18-19). 

Think about all that God has done for you, beginning with the giving of His one and only Son.  Let that be the primary reason why you obey Him in all things.  If a little fear adds extra motivation for keeping God’s Word, so be it.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.