THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH               

Gary Giddings – Broken Arrow, OK

OBEDIENCE isn’t a word that we usually like to hear because we tend to do what we want to do, instead of listening to someone else. But we have found that the only way to live and be blessed by God is by OBEYING Him.

In Acts 17, the philosophers of Athens urged the Apostle Paul to tell them about the “new doctrine” he proclaimed in the marketplace. He was ready to declare the Good News to them because “his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry” (v.16). The Apostle Paul spoke of the God of creation, the One who is “Lord of heaven and earth,” and that all people are His offspring. Then he declared the truth that many didn’t like to hear: “God … commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (vs. 30-31).

We don’t like to be told what to do because we are born with the Old Nature which is self-centered and stubborn. But God in His love and grace towards us, commands us (charges us, declares to us) to repent, to change the way we think and do things. We need to do this because JUDGMENT is coming. Jesus will come and JUDGE the world, ready or not! But the Good News is that when we put our trust in Jesus and receive Him as Savior, all our sins are under the blood. We don’t fear JUDGMENT because we have obeyed the Gospel call and have received God’s forgiveness and peace. The Book of Romans is the grand presentation of the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it begins and finishes with OBEDIENCE.

Romans 1:5  “By whom [Jesus] we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name.” From the Amplified (2015) “… to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name’s sake among all the gentiles.” Yes, it is wonderful to accept Jesus as Savior, which is the most important decision that we’ll ever make. But there is more! It is an act of obedience to accept Jesus as SAVIOR, and then it is a continuing act of obedience to accept Jesus as LORD. A disciple of Jesus is one who continually obeys Him, not just from time to time. 

Who reigns on the throne of your heart? Is it you or Jesus? It is important that we let Jesus rule and reign over us, otherwise we are just living carnal lives, acting according to our own will (which the world does constantly). We praise God for everyone who receives Jesus as Savior, but we praise God even more for those who LIVE FOR JESUS, not just for SELF.

Romans 16:25-27 “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.”

Not all faith is good faith. We can put our faith in the things of this world and in the institutions of man. But this always leads to disappointment. But when we OBEDIENTLY put our faith in God, this is where life begins! The more that we believe God, the more that we will be able to be OBEDIENT. God has given us the ability to respond to His Word, and so we all have this responsibility to handle His Word correctly. When we put all of our faith in God (all of our heart, soul, and might), this is OBEDIENCE that we will never regret, for it has eternal rewards.

Why is OBEDIENCE important to God? There’s something about putting our faith in Him that pleases Him. God delights in those who CHOOSE to be with Him, who CHOOSE to have a relationship with Him instead of living for themselves. Those who don’t want God won’t be forced to be with Him, so God will grant them their evil desire to be left alone, to be without Him. Question: God showed His love for us by giving us His only begotten Son. Jesus showed His love for us when He laid down His life for us. How do we show our love to God? We show our love by OBEDIENCE.

Consider what Jesus said … John 14:21-24  “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  John 15:9-10  “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 

What are God’s commands to us now? The 10 Commandments? All of the commands that God gave to Israel in the Old Testament? Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:37-40). Love is the answer to all of God’s commands. Where do we get this love?

1 John 4:19  “We love him, because he first loved us.”

God’s love is unselfish, self-sacrificing care and concern. But human love is limited and conditional. It was God that got the ball rolling in the first place; it is with God’s love that we can love Him and love others. In John 15:11, Jesus said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

The Apostle Paul said, “Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law … Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:8-10). The Apostle John also told us what commands God wants us to OBEY … 1 John 3:23-24  “And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment. And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.”

We are called into a relationship of love that goes beyond all human love. We have this wonderful opportunity for Jesus to ABIDE (continue, dwell, remain) in us and for us to ABIDE (continue, dwell, remain) in Him. John 15:4-5  “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  

Everything we do must be in OBEDIENCE to God, or else it will come to nothing. We don’t want to spin our wheels in vain, so we are learning to LET GOD have His way in everything we say or do. This takes discipline!

From the chorus of the song, “Trust and Obey”

Trust and obey – For there’s no other way,

To be happy in Jesus – But to trust and obey.