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Romans Commentary Chapters 1-8  /  Romans 8:14-18 Our Adoption as Children of God  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 5
Chrysostom’s picture of Israel includes immediate, visible punishments (stoning, flogging, maiming) that kept people under control; what does the loss of “immediate rewards and punishments” do to Christian obedience today, and how might it reveal whether we obey from love or from something else (habit, social pressure, identity)?
Another way to ask: Since Christians don’t usually see instant rewards or punishments, how does that affect obedience today? How can it show whether you obey from love or from habit, pressure, or identity?

Direct Answer The transcript implies that without immediate visible rewards and punishments, Christian obedience is exposed: we obey either because we genuinely love God and delight in His commands, or because of lesser motivators that fade when pressure changes. The delay of consequences tests whether our obedience is truly love-driven.

Support from Transcript:

  • Chrysostom says Israelites were controlled by “immediate rewards and punishments… close at hand,” like “a daily ration given to domestic servants.”
  • Punishments were “right before their eyes”: “stoned to death, flogged, fined, and even maimed.”
  • In contrast, Christians “do not obey God out of fear of such punishments, but out of love.”
  • The transcript defines love-driven obedience: “If we love God, we keep His commandments… because we know it pleases Him.”
  • It adds delight, not dread: the godly person’s “delight is in the law of the Lord,” and Christians should not see commands as “dreadful thou shalt nots.”
Discussion Follow-ups When external incentives disappear (community approval, reputation), what remains that actually moves you to obedience?

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