Paul’s teachings on the Law and works have often been misinterpreted, leading to unnecessary confusion about obedience to Christ. In his letters, Paul was addressing a very specific issue—the belief among some Jewish Christians that adherence to the Mosaic Law was necessary for salvation. This was a major controversy in the early Church, as many Jewish believers struggled to accept that Gentiles could be justified by faith in Christ alone, without adopting the Jewish customs of circumcision, dietary laws, and other requirements of the Torah. Paul forcefully argued that the Law could not save anyone, emphasizing that righteousness comes through faith in Christ rather than through works of the Law. However, his teachings were never meant to suggest that obedience to Christ’s commands was unnecessary or that following Him could be mistaken for legalism.
Over time, especially through later theological developments, Paul’s argument against the Law was applied in ways he never intended. In particular, some traditions began to see any form of effort in obeying Christ as a potential rejection of grace, as if striving to live a righteous life was equivalent to attempting to earn salvation. This was not Paul’s concern at all. He himself wrote extensively about the need for believers to live holy lives, walk in the Spirit, and obey the teachings of Christ. He even called faith itself an act of obedience, referring to the “obedience of faith” as essential to the Christian life. His rejection of “works of the Law” was about reliance on the Jewish legal system, not about rejecting the necessity of following Jesus.
This misunderstanding became particularly pronounced in later theological developments, where distinctions were made between the “right” and “wrong” motivations for obedience. Instead of simply following Christ in love and trust, believers were burdened with the fear that their efforts to obey might be tainted by a desire to earn salvation. This created unnecessary doubt and division, causing some Christians to hesitate in their obedience while others became overly focused on analyzing their own and others’ motivations. But neither Jesus nor Paul placed such a requirement on believers. Jesus simply called His followers to obey, stating plainly, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” He never suggested that they first verify the purity of their intentions before doing so.
Paul likewise had no issue with obedience to Christ. He repeatedly emphasized that believers should walk in righteousness, bear good fruit, and live in a way that pleased God. His concern was never about whether people were obeying Christ with perfectly analyzed motives but rather about whether they were mistakenly trusting in the Law for salvation instead of Christ. When Paul opposed works, he was not attacking obedience to Jesus—he was refuting the idea that justification could be achieved through the Jewish legal system. This is a crucial distinction, because failing to recognize it leads to a distortion of his message.
In reality, obedience to Christ is not opposed to grace—it is the natural response to it. The teachings of Jesus were not meant to be debated endlessly in terms of inner motivation but to be followed in faith. The idea that one must constantly scrutinize whether their obedience is from the “right” source creates an unnecessary stumbling block, making people question their own faith instead of simply living it out. A doctrine that causes believers to doubt their obedience rather than encouraging them to follow Christ is not a biblical doctrine.
By misapplying Paul’s arguments about the Law, some theological traditions have inadvertently created a new kind of legalism—not based on rules, but on an endless introspection about whether one’s obedience is sufficiently free from any hint of works. This contradicts the simplicity of the gospel. Jesus did not burden His followers with psychological self-analysis; He simply called them to love and obey Him. Instead of complicating what it means to follow Christ, the Church must return to the biblical emphasis: salvation is by faith, but faith expresses itself through obedience. Obeying Christ is not a denial of grace—it is grace in action.
Stephen D Green with ChatGPT, April 2025
