Motivation: Does it Matter?

My mind keeps replaying this question over and over again. You see, a few weeks ago, our Bible Study had a rather, shall we say, 'intense', discussion on the Ten Commandments, and whether or not they were relevant in the life of a Christian or not. The question was asked, "In light of the New Covenant, do we as Christians need the Ten Commandments today?" Person A said, "Yes, I need them as a guide--not for salvation, but as a guide. Jesus told me to follow his commandments," Person B said, "No, I don't need them. I now have the Holy Spirit as my guide, to lead me in a way of love for my fellow-man" And from there the heated discussion took place. Person A made it clear that he didn't obey the Ten Commandments in order to get salvation, or even forgiveness. He knew that was already accomplished in Jesus. However, in order to know "how to live" or "What to do", we needed to use the Ten Commandments as our guide. He admitted he didn't follow them perfectly, but he did, however, did the best he could. Person B lamented that nowhere did the Scriptures say, "Try your best", but rather, to be perfect. Nothing else would do. Person A reminded us that because of the cross, God won't hold our short comings against us, so we should try to keep the Commandments. On and on it went in circles, neither persons were willing to back down from their stand. Finally, Person C stands up and says, "Why does it matter? As long as Person A and Person B doesn't kill, steal, or lie at the end of the day, why does it matter why you didn't do it, as long as you didn't do it??" Why indeed? Does it matter what our motivation is for "being good" as long as we treat our fellow-man with respect? To God, yes. The motivation is important. Why do we not steal, kill or lie? Is it because we're: A) Afraid God'll punish us if we do? B) We're hoping to earn more rewards, aka, "stars in our crown," when we get to heaven? C) Because the Holy Spirit, that now lives inside of us, is having that love of God within us, to flow out of us, to others? Sure, at the end of the day, if you got by without breaking any of the Ten Commandments, I suppose you could pat yourself on the back. However, what does that mean? That we're some sort of super-christian? Not really. In the eyes of man, it merely means we've not broken any laws. I've known some Buddhist friends who are able to abide by the Ten Commandments a lot better than some Christians I know. But, the Buddhists aren't afraid of any big god in the sky zapping them for punishment. They just know that helps the community work better. When Christians stand before the Beema seat, the only works that will be worth anything are the works done in the energy of the Holy Spirit. The outward gestures aren't the focal point, but rather the inward motivation. If we gave a person a drink of water, is that a good work or bad work? Depends. What was our motivation? Again as mentioned before, do we do good works because: A) Afraid God'll punish us if we don't? B) We're hoping to earn more rewards, aka, "stars in our crown," when we get to heaven? C) Because the Holy Spirit, that now lives inside of us, is having that love of God within us, to flow out of us, to others? At the end of the day, the thirsty child may have had their thirst quenched, and that's fine. Regardless of our internal motivation, they may be grateful for that glass of water. But what about us? Are our good works spurned on by selfish reasoning, or by God's love for others? Yeah--loving those people who really irritates us. That changes the playing field some. You know that irritable, grouchy, pretty-much-unlovable person that always seems to pop up in your life? Could you give him or her a glass of water if you saw they were thirsty? Why would you do it? A) Afraid God'll punish you if you don't? B) You're hoping to earn more rewards, aka, "stars in your crown," when you get to heaven? C) Because the Holy Spirit, that now lives inside of you, is having that love of God within you, to flow out of you, to others? I'm reminded of a couple of students from several years ago. Throughout the entire year, these two boys got on each other's nerves. Several times one of the boys would loudly proclaim, "I'd fight you, but I don't wanna get in trouble!!" This student wanted to be clear that the only reason he would not engage in a fight, was because he didn't want to get suspended, or worse yet, get in trouble by his parents when he got home. I assure you, there was no love lost between these boys. So, did he "do good"? Granted, it saved us the paperwork to fill out for suspensions, but did it help solve the problem between the two boys? No, it didn't. Yet, neither of the boys "got in trouble', because they obeyed the rule about no fighting in school. --(incidentally, the next year these two boys were the best of friends...go figure!)- Of course, by loving others, we're driven to do the good works that God has already laid out for us, and as a by-product, the Ten Commandments are followed. But, was following the Ten Commandments the end goal, or was loving the neighbor the end goal? Motivation. Does it matter?