The quote above in no way means to infer that obedience is unnecessary. It is why we obey that needs examining; if we make lists of things to do that will make us feel worthwhile, if we strive for an appearance of Godliness rather than an expression of love for God, then we may appear to be obedient but God sees our hearts. He will find us out if our obedience springs from any motivation other than love for Him.
The purpose of obedience isn't for the sake of our own righteousness; Jesus purchased righteousness for us and it is ours as a free gift, through belief. The purpose of obedience isn't even primarily so that we can help God's Kingdom along. God allows us to flow with His purposes because He wants to share eternal reward with us, but do we really believe that He couldn't accomplish His will without us?
Our obedience shows our love for Him. Doing God's will must grow out of our love for Him, and our love springs from lifting our eyes to Jesus. When we gain even a partial understanding of what He has done for us, humbled adoration fuels our desire to obey. The sequence a truly obedient heart must follow is this: lift your eyes to Jesus, respond with praise for all He has done, and then out of the outflow of gratitude and love, hurry forward to do His will.
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If you love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15 NIV
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