God’s People are Motivated to Obey Jesus in 3 Different Ways
Affection-Based Obedience: Obedience that flows from experiencing Jesus’ affection for us and giving it back to Him. It is the strongest, deepest, and most consistent obedience. Why? Because a person moved by strong love will endure anything for love.
Duty-Based Obedience: Our commitment to obedience even if we do not feel God’s presence. God’s Word requires that we obey God without feeling inspired to do so.
Fear-Based Obedience: Obedience motivated by the fear of negative consequences. It is biblical to appeal to shame and fear to motivate people. Scripture actually does have many do’s and don’ts such as do not commit adultery, steal, slander, etc. We know that God will use His rod because He loves us too much to leave us in compromise (Heb. 12:5-11).
- Mike Bickle
"And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live." - Deuteronomy 30:6 ESV
"And now I will show you a superior way to live that is beyond comparison [The way of love]!" - 1 Corinthians 12:31b TPT ~ "And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one of the choicest graces and the highest of them all: unselfish love]." - 1 Corinthians 12:31b TPT
"For Christ’s love compels us..." - 2 Corinthians 5:14a ESV
"For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." - Philippians 2:13 NIV ~ "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." - Philippians 2:13 NLT
What is Affection-Based Obedience?
"I refer to 'affection-based obedience' as the strongest type of obedience because it flows from experiencing Jesus’ affection. It is the most consistent obedience because people moved by love will endure anything for love. It is stronger than 'duty-based obedience.'” - Mike Bickle
"Obedience that is born out of the revelation of His deep affection for us always produces the strongest commitment. By contrast, many Christian leaders have attempted to use fear and shame as a motivation for obedience. As a result, a number of followers of Jesus have lived with a silent dread, believing that God the Father doesn’t love them and that He’s always looking for ways to expose their faults, weaknesses, and struggles." - S.J. Hill
"I believe that people who fall in love with the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit and have a revelation of God’s grace will not want to live in sin. Because they have experienced the joy of being fully accepted and loved, they’ll want to forsake lesser lovers for the supreme Lover of their hearts. They won’t want to hurt or grieve Him (see Psalm 51:4). Even in our natural relationships, we don’t want to do things that would hurt the ones we love. Our motivation for pleasing them is our love for them, just as our love for our Heavenly Father should be the motivations for pleasing Him.
I believe that when the Church becomes lovesick through a revelation of the Father’s love, we will see the Church emerge in all the power and glory God intended it to have. Believers will be brought out of their boredom and lukewarmness and awakened to fervent love and dedication!" -S. J. Hill
"Affection-based obedience is an entirely different thing. Affections are unique to human beings... [We] have been given the dignity of possessing burning desire and affectionate love. God gave us this nobility so we might voluntarily choose Him in love with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength. A life characterized by affection-based obedience is a life in which a person knows that he or she is so loved by God, and so loves God in return, that obedience is the only reasonable response to anything God wishes. For the sake of love, they give everything and find no sacrifice too great. This is what God intends for all of us. As we view ourselves and position our hearts in the spiritual identity of voluntary lovers [who are motivated to affection-based obedience and lovesick holiness], rather than timid or manipulated workers, something powerful begins to be awakened. This truly is who we are." - Mike Bickle
"I began to pray, God, 'I just want to live in your presence 24/7. I don't want to live outside of Your presence and I don't want to do anything without Your presence upon it. God I want to make my life after one thing: I want to know Your manifested presence and to make Your manifested presence known to my generation... Without being still we can't know the manifest presence of God... Work less enjoy God more..." - Joseph Ma
SERMON: Affection-Based Obedience (start at minute 3:43)
Joseph Ma - long talk but he ends up sharing how he came into affection-based obedience