Photo by Ben White on unsplash.com
By Mike Chaffin
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 1:6
Disobedience leads to every deadly sin and vice we commit. It is only natural that obedience is the virtue we can possess to defeat disobedience in our lives. There is a Greek word for obey in the New Testament which means “to trust.” Holman’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines biblical obedience as “to hear God’s Word and act accordingly.” Therefore, obedience to God is to hear the Word. Then, we must trust in Him, submit, and surrender to God and his Word. Saying it is easy, the how can be hard. But we have a way and the Word lights that path.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19
Jesus’ sinless life and obedience to go to the cross and die for our sins gives us the way. When we accept His sacrifice and ask Him into our life we receive forgiveness, His righteousness, and the Holy Spirit living in us to aid in learning obedience. Paul’s great illustration about our ‘before Christ’ lives and our ‘after Christ’ conversion gets to the point.
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? Romans 6:16
Over and over God calls His people to be obedient. Although not the first instance of God’s call to obedience this verse in Deuteronomy outlines what obedience was and still is today,
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, Deuteronomy 10:12
Disobedience cast Israel into captivity and Jeremiah reminded the people what God said would turn that situation around,
but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. Jeremiah 7:23
God hasn’t changed and his command of obedience hasn’t either. Jesus outlined what obedience looks like in the beatitudes. To posses the traits in the beatitudes that receive God’s blessing, obedience must come first. Obedient people do what God wills. They do the work commanded and, in the process, receive blessing from God.
Jesus said this in Luke,
But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28
Sometimes being obedient means hardship. The beatitudes show us obedience isn’t always easy as we all know from experience. However, even when the world turns against us, obedience has its reward.
Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. Luke 6:22-23
Obedience to the message isn’t an option. Alone we have no chance. Without Jesus living in us we can’t do it. We can, through the power of the Holy Spirit, stay in the path by staying in the light of His Word.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your clear command to stay obedient to your Word and will. Help me to always be obedient even in the face of hardship and opposition. I struggle daily with these decisions, Lord. Help me to remain singularly focused on you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
