Christians who are taught to act morally primarily to escape punishment or to win self-respect and salvation are learning to be moral to serve themselves.
They are not loving God for Himself.
They are not obeying him simply because of his greatness and because he has done so much for them in Christ. Rather, they are using God to get the things they want.
Question for Reflection
- What is your motivation for obedience?
Resources
Timothy Keller, Center Church, 67.
Christianity Matters 
I’m one of those Christians who sometimes does the right thing for the right reason and sometimes does the right thing for the wrong reason. I often obey God simply because He loves me and I love Him. Other times I obey because I know it’s the right thing to do even though it’s not really what I want to do. Then there are the times I simply don’t follow His will. I hope I’ll stick to the right thing for the right reason more and more each day I’m breathing.
I think we all struggle with that. That is when we have to remind ourselves of the right reason.