[1] True
[2] "Obligated" is either a poor or wrong word choice, Christians are "obligated" to be as holy as God; spells LAW. Now to say something of the effect, "the power of Christ constrains me", then that would a way to express sanctification without that sense of putting God's gospel on your shoulders while appreciating what we would do naturally, which is sin -sinners sin. Now I would commend your added rightly understood details in the above with "gain or maintain."🙂
This too may help you keep answers in a clear manner. Christians honor and responds to God's promises with faith. Christians honor and respond to God's laws out of loving gratitude.
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Colossians 1:23
if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
1 John 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning.
If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
I think that you are confusing obedience with law. The
if condition obligates us. We can't commit to a Christian life and not be obligated to live the life. Being obligated is not following the law, it is what is needed to be the Christian God wants us to be. As you pointed out Ephesians 2:10 that we have works to do that God has ordained that we do them. Are we not obligated to do them because we are walking in he salvation? Not to become saved or maintain our salvation.
[3] Which is nothing but the law, just so we are all on the same page.
[4] & [5] I see what you are saying, but the analogy like most if not all, isn't w/out problems. Consider the life long Christian with dementia who has become intolerable and hateful. Their salvation isn't predicated on how well the recall faith and not sin and choose love. Being a Christian isn't based on what we do, but our identity in Christ. As far as what goes hand in hand with being identified as a Christian; a lifestyle of repentance and faith. Neither of which are works and both are gifts. God is the author and cause of both. He works repentance in your heart with His law and the Holy Spirit and then His gift faith (abiding confidence in the one Who made the promise fulfills the promise) clings to Him and rests confidently and securely in His rescue. Is it right to understand Christians should meditate on God's law. Surely it is. In fact we are to uphold, obey, keep, guard, but in no way do we ever tie "obligation" to do so. In gratitude yes, we love because he first loved us. Love is another work for works. Attaching "obligation" blurrs the Christian identity with works or commits the same errors of Roman Catholicism in conflating the two.
Nice post, thank you!
Nic🙂
The Christian with dementia is not our problem as it is completely out of our control. Have faith in God (See Genesis 18:25) The gift is salvation. Once we are saved the time to work is upon us. God didn't say living in salvation would be without works. Ephesians 2:10, after salvation is given, it is stated that there are works that God wants us to do. And again these works are not to become saved or maintain our salvation, but living the Christian life. Obligation is the correct term, it is a stronger term than commitment, but they carry the same meaning and essence.
Genesis 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee:
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?