Feeling shame vs true guilt

Shame and guilt are often confused with each other. For us to advance as God desires, we must distinguish between shameful feelings and the actual guilt of not pursuing God as we were designed and called to. The former addresses our feeling the latter our conduct, actions, and obedience.

For a child of God, shame -- or guilt feelings if you prefer -- is a totally useless disposition. Nothing good comes of it. It obscures the grace of God and holds us back from pursuing God sincerely and earnestly. It is an attempt to atone for our own sins -- by wallowing in feelings of shame and self-pity -- when Christ has already atoned for our actual guilt completely and fully. It is a form of self-salvation and dishonors the work of Christ and the salvation he has already fully obtained and provided for us.

Admission of actual failure and real guilt on the other hand -- in contrast to guilt feelings i.e. shame -- is a very necessary and productive exercise. It is the essence of repentance. It is not until we fully recognize and acknowledge our true faults and shortcomings that we see the importance and value of turning from them and looking to Christ. Lack of genuine admission and confession of faults and failures -- actual guilt -- prevents us from pursuing God earnestly and appreciating his work on our behalf.

We usually think shame or guilt feelings are repentance when it's just the opposite. True recognition of guilt - i.e. harmful behavior -- and turning from it is repentance, not feelings of shame and guilt. 

We can be guilty without shame

God knows we're broken. When we mess up, it's no surprise to him. Nor is there scorn or rejection by him. He has no expectations of our being what we are not, nor does he want us to pretend to be something we aren't. After all, it was while we were in our state of rebellion, He did what we necessary to restore our relationship with him i.e. He died for us. He didn't do this because of our perfections, but because of our imperfections. Neither does he need us to be a certain way to fulfill something lacking within Himself. He owns all things, sustains all things, and already has all things. He needs nothing. 

We often think if we beat ourselves up enough, this will somehow reduce the fallout from our bad choices. God may be merciful, but there are always real consequences for our disobedience. However, consequences are not lessened by feelings of self-condemnation and shame. We can not use shame to barter with God. If we are in Christ, there is nothing to barter for. Christ already did our "bartering" for us on the cross. It is now finished. There is nothing else to barter about.

If we are in Christ, we are God's child and already have his total, nonstop love and commitment to our highest good. In fact, the very reason consequences are often not lessened, is so we might learn from the pain of our disobedience, i.e. for our good. Condemning ourselves does not somehow lessen the actual consequences. God allows us to experience the consequences of poor choices to get us to turn from those poor choices. 

So when we do fail, what should we do? We should understand that the failure has already been atoned for and to move forward, rejecting any and all feelings of shame and condemnation. There is no more actual condemnation for us who are in Christ and therefore neither the need to beat ourselves up by wallowing in self-pity and condemnation.

We should move forward fully acknowledging our failure (a fact, not a feeling), recognizing it is a violation of our design and God's desire for us (because he loves us) and therefore harmful to us and others as well as dishonoring to God. 

This isn't an issue of God being mad at us or rejecting us; in Christ, he does neither...ever! It simply means there are always natural and real consequences for our poor choices that are harmful and destructive. Not just to ourselves but others; as well as dishonoring to God. We should avoid them for these reasons alone, not to relieve guilt and shame. And when we understand the true harm of unfaithful behavior, these are enough to make us want to turn away from it. 

How much of your activity ("righteous" behavior) is merely an attempt to "appease" God, ease guilt feelings and reduce shame? We need to identify when and where we are doing so and stop! It is dishonoring to the work of Christ and channels our energies in a non-productive direction. It is what scripture refers to as "dead works." It is a subtle means of trying to earn God's love back. Stop doing it! It's an insult to Christ, to God and his love for you in Christ. 

Instead, we need to honestly and bravely look at our faults and failures squarely in the face, knowing they are totally and absolutely covered by the blood of Christ while at the same time knowing they also hinder us from drawing near to God. We must turn away from them (repent) and accept the love Christ already secured for us so our life might more fully reflect the beauty of the love and grace of God, bringing him greater honor.

"...For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate? Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

The answer?

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (i.e. guilt and shame)..." - Rom 7:14-8:2

2Co 7:10  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation -- not legally but practically i.e. freedom from destructive behavior -- without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 

I John 1:9 and confession of sin

This verse may be one of the most misquoted, misunderstood, and misapplied verses in the New Testament. Why? I believe it in part is because of the lingering effect of the teaching on confession by the Roman Catholic Church. 

It is also partially due to our inclination to be our own god and savior. Our desire to earn our own salvation and God's love by "doing penance" and our aversion to admitting we need only God's solution to our rebellion. This also feeds into misunderstanding this verse and may likely play an even bigger role in our misunderstanding.

In considering this question of confession, we must ask and answer whether Christ's forgiveness is based on the work of Christ or on some work we must do in addition to that, such as confession of sins.

The proper interpretation of this verse can be resolved with sound hermeneutics. 

Instead of extracting the true meaning of this verse (exegesis) we tend to read into it what we believe it means (eisegesis) beforehand. To clearly understand this verse we must understand the context of this entire letter and the immediate context of the verses before and after as well as all of scripture.

John opens the book by talking about Jesus. Who he is and John's firsthand experience of seeing, hearing, touching, and living with Christ while he was on earth.

The Word of Life

1Jn 1:1  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — 2  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us — 3  that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4  And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 

We can see from the opening John's desire in writing this letter is so his readers would come to know Jesus in the same way John does, " ...so that you too may have fellowship with us..." and "so that our joy may be complete..."

John not only desires that his readers are sure of their salvation but that John is also sure of their salvation and finds joy and assurance in knowing and having fellowship with them. In short, his desire is to help his readers be sure they truly know Christ and how they can be sure.

He also restates this objective in the conclusion near the end of the book...

1Jn 5:13  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 

When you read everything in between these opening and closing statements, John repeatedly gives ways one can know if they are true believers or not. There are several "if...then" scenarios John lists throughout the book indicating what a true believer looks like, how we can know if we are a believer, and what to do if we are not.

1Jn_2:4  Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,

1Jn_2:5  but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:

1Jn_2:6  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1Jn_2:9  Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

1Jn_2:10  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

1Jn_2:11  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1Jn_2:17  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

1Jn_2:23  No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

1Jn_3:7  Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

1Jn_3:8  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

1Jn_3:10  By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

1Jn_3:14  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

1Jn_3:24  Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

1Jn_4:6  We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

1Jn_4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

1Jn_4:15  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

1Jn_4:16  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1Jn_4:18  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.

1Jn_4:21  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1Jn_5:1  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

1Jn_5:10  Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

1Jn_5:12  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The point is this letter is not only for believers. In fact, as already mentioned in significant part, it is seeking to help his readers determine whether they are true believers or not and how they can know for sure i.e. he's also addressing potential unbelievers who might be reading this.

So given this context, what exactly is 1 Jn 1:9 telling us?

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

This is one of several "if...then" scenarios John gives in the opening part of his letter in the hope of passing on to them his first-hand experience of Christ so they too might know if they are true believers. He gives some preliminary scenarios on how to do so i.e. if we say or do (see list below) e.g. confess our sins, then this is what it says about us and what we need to do about it. 

1Jn_1:6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1Jn_1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

1Jn_1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn_1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1Jn_1:10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We will come back to these verses later.

After going through this introduction John lays out the basis for our forgiveness in I John 2:1 which clearly says the work of Christ alone is how and why we are forgiven.  Nothing can add to or take away from this work.

1Jn 2:1  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2  He (alone) is the propitiation for our sins...

Propitiation is simply another word for atonement.

G2434  ἱλασμός  hilasmos  hil-as-mos'

atonement, that is, (concretely) an expiator: - propitiation.

atonement:

1.     Satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends.

2.     Theology. the doctrine concerning the reconciliation of God and humankind, especially as accomplished through the life, suffering, and death of Christ.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/atonement

Note 2:1-2 is right on the heels of verse 1:9, explaining why God is "just and right" in forgiving those who acknowledge (confess) they sin/are sinners i.e. the basis of our forgiveness is the work of Christ, not our confession.

You will also note, unlike the opening section, he starts out chapter 2 calling his readers "little children" suggesting what he's about to say is for those who know they are genuine believers. Whereas the first chapter, he's clearly attempting to convince those who are not believers why they should be, how they may not be, and some ways to help if they aren't and reassure them if they are. 

In the first chapter, he points out that acknowledging we (everyone in general) are sinners i.e. recognizing our sin, is the basis for entry into Christ's forgiveness. This is what 1:9 is clearly telling us. It is not the basis for the ongoing forgiveness of a believer. Again, that is addressed in the following chapter in 2:1-2 (it is also hinted at in 1:7 which we will look at more closely later).

Is confession important

On the matter of confession in general, it is not whether there is value in confessing/ acknowledging/repenting of our sins. Of course, there is. This passage is our proof. We are also encouraged in James 5:16 to confess our sins to one another. However, outside this passage, we don't see anywhere in the NT (and or even in the OT ) that we are told to confess our sins to God to obtain ongoing forgiveness as some suggest this passage teaches. This may be a shock to some. If so, I encourage you to dig into the rest of scripture and see for yourself.

The question is what does God base the forgiveness of our ongoing sins on; the work of Christ or our "confession of sins?" Using 1 John 1:9 to suggest our sins are not forgiven as God's children until confessed to God, not only does not fit the *context of I John itself but the entirety of scripture.

As true believers, we must acknowledge our sins i.e. clearly admitting when and where we commit them and turn from them in order to participate in and experience all God has for us so we might advance in our walk with God, but not in order to be forgiven. Admitting where we blow it is for our benefit and that of others, not for God's. He's already entirely forgiven us (for sin's past, present, and future) in Christ because all that is necessary to do so, has already been done by Christ, not us. 

Verbal consent or true repentance

True confession (actually it would be more correct to say true repentance) includes not simply admitting we sin but a full turning away from it, not merely verbally acknowledging (i.e. confessing) our sin. If there is no turning away (repentance) we are not truly recognizing our sin for what it is i.e. not really confessing it. Turning away from sin (i.e. rebellious distrust of God) is the point of true "confession" by a believer. Forgiveness is not.

Simple verbal admission of sin is actually harmful if we believe it's the grounds for our forgiveness or the goal of our confession. The goal of confession in this approach becomes forgiveness only. Once we have confessed, mission accomplished...our sins are now forgiven (or so we are told). Nothing else needs to be done. This allows us to not truly address our disobedience and turn away (repent) from it (but actually an excuse to avoid it) since our obedience is not the goal of this kind of confession, only forgiveness is... or so we think. In a roundabout way, it actually makes light of the destructiveness of sin. It's not a big deal when we sin. We can simply confess it and it's taken care of. 

True confession (repentance) for the believer is turning away from sin, not just admitting we have sinned. For the unbeliever, however, admitting they are sinners who have sinned is an absolute prerequisite to receiving forgiveness. Hence John's comments in 1:8-9.

1Jn_1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we do, we are promised he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Why? Because in 2:1-2 we are told Christ is the basis of that forgiveness. Confession is merely the means by which forgiveness comes to the unbeliever, not the cause of it, even for the unbeliever. 

We have further confirmation of this in Verses 7 - 10. These are scenarios addressing whether we are a believer or nonbelievers. The point is he is giving hypothetical examples of what needs to happen if a particular problem presents itself. John tells us if we claim to be a believer but do certain things, we simply are not a believer. 

1Jn_1:6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1Jn_1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Walking in the light (vs 7) is clearly a reference to believers in contrast to unbelievers who walk in darkness (vs 6). Note that confession plays no role in the blood of Jesus cleansing those who walk in the light from sin. It is ongoing merely by virtue of them being (walking) "in the light" i.e. being a true believer. This simply means they are believers in contrast to an unbeliever. In fact, this is the only reference to a believer in these opening "if/then" scenarios. But only to make a point of contrast to the unbeliever. 

If we walk in disobedience to Christ (walk in darkness) we are not truly believers (we lie) but if we are a believer, our walk will be characterized by the faithful pursuit of God (walking in the light). We will also love being with other believers (i.e. "...have fellowship with one another..."). And since forgiveness is based on the blood of Christ, it covers whatever sins we do commit ("...the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us [present continuous action in the Greek] from all sin..."). Being a Christian doesn't mean we are sinless/perfect, it means we are forgiven ("it is finished" and not because of our efforts...including "confessing our sins"). Because of this forgiveness, love, and acceptance in Christ, we desire and seek to be faithful.

1Jn_1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn_1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we think we do not have a sin issue, we are deceived. However, if we admit (confess) that we do, he is faithful to forgive our sins because of the work of Christ on our behalf (vs 2:1), not our work of confession.

1Jn_1:10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

If we deny we have a sin issue, this is evidence we do not know him at all. Being aware of our sin is actually evidence we know him. Again this is one of several "markers" given by John to help his readers know if they are true believers or not.

As you look closely at the context of chapter 1 it becomes clear he is appealing primarily to nonbelievers in these early verses.

Based on the context of the book of John, the common explanation that ongoing forgiveness of the believer requires our confession simply doesn't fit the context of the book and is an example of poor hermeneutics. We also know from the rest of scripture that all our sins, past, present, and future were nailed to the cross and we are now clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ. Nothing we do or don't do can add to or take away from our absolute and perfect righteousness and forgiveness earned for us by Christ and assigned to us by His Father.

_____________________________________________________

Maturity

Maturity is marked by a tension of increasing awareness...

* Of the total extent of our brokenness i.e. our persistent tendency to try and be our own god and make life work without the only true God. 

* That we make a very poor god and cannot make life work, as it should, without Him. 

While at the same time becoming increasingly aware...

* That God's love for us has nothing to do with our brokenness - or our "goodness" - and everything to do with Christ being broken ¹for us and His goodness being fully credited to us, resulting in our being perfectly accepted and embraced by God, which moves us to love, trust in and pursue Him more faithfully. 

The more we see what He has done for us, the more we love him and the greater our trust grows in His directions (commands) for us. As Christ said, "if you love me you will keep my commandments..." And how do we come to love, trust, and obey Him? When we see that He loved us first before we ever had any love for him.

In fact, we can not admit the full extent of our brokenness until we see the full extent of God's solution - his absolute and perfect forgiveness, acceptance, and love for us in Christ regardless of our obedience. The more we see God's remedy, the more we can "own" - admit - our brokenness without it ²crushing us emotionally. To see the full extent of our brokenness without a firm grasp of God's grace and forgiveness in spite of it, would affect us so deeply we would not be able to function e.g. emotionally and possibly even literally. We would likely want to crawl into a hole and die. 

Our awareness of this gap between our brokenness and God's complete remedy for it - His total acceptance of us in spite of it - increases as we mature. Or to say it another way this increasing awareness is the mark of increasing maturity. 

The greatest indication of maturity is not our perfection but the growing awareness of our imperfection and God's total remedy for it. "Our righteousness" - feigned maturity - isn't our strength, our humble recognition of Christ's righteousness imparted to us and our lack of perfection is. 

For a discussion on whether believers can ever be depressed click here. 

For a discussion on where we derive strength for self-denial click here.

________________________________________________________________

¹completely removing the legal consequences of it and then fully assigning His perfect and complete goodness to us. It is ours. This is what it means to be "in Christ" i.e. to have his right standing with God fully assigned (credited) to us and the full consequences of our violating His design born by Christ.

²to fully admit our weaknesses we must first feel safe to do so, knowing our admission will not result in God's rejection of us. If we don't feel safe, we won't own up to how broken we are. And if we don't own it, we won't turn away and be freed from it. This is the essence of repentance. 

For more on owning our brokenness click here.

 

For a discussion on repentance, click here.

An anatomy of motivation

There are two overall but opposite approaches we observe in scripture regarding our motivation to obedience. All underlying forms of motivation fall under these two. They are...

·        positive motivation

·        negative motivation

There seems to be an indication that at a minimum we are to be moved initially on the path of obedience by the negative (which results in a positive outcome). As we mature the positive elements of our motivation become increasingly greater and the preferred (and ultimate/highest) form of motivation. However, since the negative appears to be where scripture starts we will look at this first.  

Pro 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (wisdom, true understanding). We could say it's the foundation on which all other knowledge and true wisdom is built. It is the starting point (though not the ending) for living obediently.

Why? Because any true movement towards God must start with the recognition that he is the God of great glory/worth and that all things come from him and belong to him. Therefore we answer to him on how we conduct our lives. If we act contrary to who he is and how he designed us, there are always consequences. In short, we are to respect (fear) he is God; he sets the boundaries of how things operate, we do not. 

But how does God use fear? As we dig further into the context of Prov 1 we see consequences for living contrary to God's will, direction, commands, address the meaning and basis for this fear.

To say it another way, there is a good way to live and a way that is harmful. To ignore this basic reality has consequences. To respect this is to have a healthy fear of acting contrary to God's expressed (spoken) will and our design. Ultimately this is a respect for God and that there are consequences for violating his design/will/word.  

There are consequences because we live in a world of design and purpose. We see evidence of this daily in simple things like, stop breathing and you die. Cut off your arm and you bleed to death and so on. 

Just as there are physical consequences for violating God's design, there are spiritual and moral consequences as well. To go contrary to these basic realities is to violate ours and the world's design. The reality of what is. 

The spiritual, emotional, and psychological world have a design that is equally consistent and predictable. 

And there is design simply because there is a designer. So living contrary to our design is indirectly living contrary to the will of the Designer. To respect or fear this reality is wise and ultimately a respect/fear of God i.e. the fear of the Lord (the designer of all things) is the beginning of knowledge.

Solomon goes on to lay out why we should follow God's instruction and if we do not what the consequences will be e.g. terror, calamity, distress, and anguish in verse 27. Destruction, dread, and disaster in verse 32 and 33.  All of this based on not recognizing truth and not choosing "the fear of the LORD" in verse 29. Whereas on the flip side verse 33 also promises security and ease if we follow his instructions/direction/will.

It's worth noting that LORD -- in all caps -- meaning self-sufficient one. (The word in the original is YHWH, also translated Jehovah). He is the "I AM" who needs no one. We need him.

Pro 1:27  when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.

Pro 1:28  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Pro 1:29  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

Pro 1:30  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

Pro 1:31  therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

Pro 1:32  For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

Pro 1:33  but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."

Click here to see the entire chapter.

So again, we can see from the above passage, a central element of fear is knowing there are consequences for violating God's design/will. We also see this in Heb 11:7 

"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."

Noah built the ark because he feared he and his household would drown if they did not i.e. he respected (had faith in) God's warning. Him taking action on God's warning was an indictment on the rest of mankind for not taking action, hence their ridicule of Noah's efforts. 

This was opposite of the disposition of Adam and Eve. They did not heed warning that they would die if they ate from the forbidden tree. They did not fear God.

The role of trust/faith

This foundational motive is acting out of respect (fear) for God. To say it another way, if God says it, don't question it; it's true. A key element of this fear is trust. If we don't believe/trust the one that warns us of harm, we will not heed their warning. If Noah didn't believe God was someone of his word he wouldn't have built the ark.

If Adam and eve had feared and trusted God they would not have eaten from the forbidden tree.

And in reality, many "obey" this truth on a regular basis whether they believe in God or not. We have simply learned (come to recognize/believe/trust) that if you go contrary to certain "baked in" rules you will incur harm to yourself or others i.e. if we violate certain principles and step over certain boundaries we suffer harm. So we don't necessarily have to trust God, we trust violating or not pursuing a certain "law" will always result in the same negative outcome.  Things operate in such a manner its hard not to recognize there is design even if we don't acknowledge the Designer. To use a biblical expression, we have come to recognize we reap what we sow. This too is why I think this fear is the beginning of knowledge since even unbelievers recognize this on some basic level.  

Until higher motivations are developed we act by faith out of respect for God or at least "belief" and respect (fear) for the consequences of acting contrary to the design we see all around us and in us.

This is an action that is often absent any feelings (except the fear itself) or affections for God, but simply acting out of respectful or reverential trust that to go contrary to design causes harm/pain, etc. 

If all we have is trust and there is no felt love and affections for God then we are still to act and will still experience the consequences of not acting - or the benefits of acting - regardless of how we feel. Obedient faith is not contingent on feelings but on confidence in the faithful character of God (or at least his law if we are believers or observable "laws of nature" if we are not).

So what must we believe about God in order to act?

What exactly is it we respect regarding God? That he is all-wise, powerful (He can and does what he says) and loving, in his being and the directions he gives us. Because he is, he knows there are negative consequences for going contrary to his loving design that is harmful to us. 

*Sometimes God in his mercy suspends the normal consequences of violating his design. When does this occur? When we truly and genuinely see the foolishness of going contrary to his design before the full consequences occur. The desired outcome of the consequences (i.e. repentance) has already occurred so that the full consequences are no longer needed. God's goal is not punishment, but repentance -- to change our course to a path of alignment with our design which is also in alignment with His will.

More than fear

However, for a believer, there are additional, higher elements to obedience (aligning ourselves with God's design); the positive ones I alluded to in the beginning.

I say higher because the fear of consequences primarily involves saving our own neck. These other and higher motivations, however, involve the benefit of another i.e. the focus isn't self but God and his creatures/creation.

What are these higher motivations? They are love and a desire to honor God.

I propose that honor is the greatest, best, highest and ultimate motivation. It is the most mature kind of motivation as it's solely focused on the benefit of another instead of our own. It will even move us to sacrifice our own benefit for another. And that in great part because we come to see all we ¹have and are, comes from the one we desire to honor and He rewards those who seek and trust Him.  

And in fact, we draw our truest sense of value from displaying the value of another i.e. God, the most valuable and honorable of all. So our honoring God actually does benefit us, but not as an exclusively isolated benefit and therefore the primary focus of our efforts. It is tied to the benefit of others and only comes about as the fruit of focusing on honoring another. 

It is the place we come to when we are so certain he only has our best interests at heart (only allows things that are for us not against us) we no longer need to concern ourselves with our best interest. We are so trusting of God's love, goodness, wisdom, and ability to bring about what is best (not necessarily easiest, most comfortable or most reasonable [to us anyway]), we only desire his honor (a place I do not consistently live in, by the way, but see more and more as a part of my motivation). 

In short, we are so convinced he's working in our best interest, we no longer give thought to it or feel the need to insure it ourselves because He insures it. We are convinced God "has our back" and there is no need to concern ourselves with our own welfare.

We may relate to God solely out of respect in the beginning but as we mature our affections for God grow as our awareness of the full extent of God's love for us increases. This results in ever increasing trust in God. As our relationship matures and we see more and more the greatness of God and His love for us, this blossoms ultimately into honor/respect for God springing out of these affections of love and delight (pleasure) in God.

To come to the place we are moved by God to obedience (faithfulness) out of this ultimate higher motivation of a desire to honor God goes as follows...

* a strong desire to honor God (our highest and best end and the ultimate end where God seeks to bring us), 

* out of deep love and trust in and for him, 

* because of a clear understanding of his sacrificial love for us, 

* demonstrated in giving us his son Jesus i.e. we love him because he first loved us.

When someone sees us as we truly are in all our brokenness and still:

·        Does for us what is required of us and from us (because of who God is and this is who we were created to be), ...totally providing the remedy for our brokenness (because we have not and can not do it ourselves), how can we not love them (Him) in return?

·        Pursues, receives and embraces us fully, how can we not trust them?

·       Treats us with great value and honor, how can we not value and honor Him in return?

The more we understand Gods great and personal love for us in and through Christ, the more we trust him and are moved to faithfully follow his directions i.e. obey.

(But lack of affections does not mean you should not act. We act by faith anyway if only out of fear/reverence for God.

When we act by faith without any feelings we also act in the confidence that this both honors God and is in our best interest)

Stated simply, the primary motives for obedience after and beyond fear and pointing to the ultimate motivation of honor are 

* love

* trust

* honor

So the lists of all forms of motivation started from the most basic to the highest are:

* fear

* love

* trust

* honor

Whether we are mature followers of Christ or new followers, all of these come into play. But as we mature it appears we move and more to honor as the dominant motivation and the one we ultimately should seek. 

But what about hope?

From scripture, we get the sense that hope is not so much a motivator as it is a sustainer i.e. something that keeps us from giving up on faithfulness (obedience). Hope seems to go hand in hand with faith, but is not itself faith but more about the objective of that faith i.e. that thing we believe we will obtain but do not yet have. So you could say it's a support to or element of our faithful obedience more than a cause of it. 

Hope is more confidence that what is promised to happen, will actually happen. Sure hope is confidence in an objective certainty that is not yet a subjective experience or reality. 

Heb 11:1

(AMP)  NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. 

(DRB)  Now, faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not. 

(ERV)  Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. 

(ESV)  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

(GNB)  To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. 

(KJV)  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

___________________________________________Footnotes:

¹not only did God create us and give us all things, he also took human form and stepped into this broken, pain-filled world and embraced the pain so we could one day be freed from it. To know this truly causes us to desire to honor him fully.