Living a Godly life isn’t easy. It means we can’t conform to the ways of the world and must be obedient. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible has a lot to say about obedience. In the story of the “Ten Commandments” we are able to give credence to the wrath of God when His directives are ignored by man’s disobedience.
Deuteronomy 11:26–28 sums it up like this: "Obey and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be cursed."
I’d say that’s pretty straight forward!
Even though God appeared to Moses as a burning bush in the story of the Ten Commandments, He doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to defining obedience. In fact, He’s very clear about His decree.
In the New Testament, our Lord and Savior “Jesus Christ” set the example for us to follow. He’s our pillar of stability and the foundation upon which each of us should mold our spiritual existence, so that our flesh is not merely a container in which our spirit resides, but a component that God can use.
If we expand our thinking beyond mortal comprehension and cleanse ourselves of worldly desire, we can escape mortal oppression and excel toward spiritual understanding. Leaving behind the old and awakening to the new. Scripture supports this statement;
Galatians 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Ephesians 4:22-24
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
The moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, transformation begins. There is no stay of execution; the old will die and the new will live. In the same way that a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, we too are transformed into a new creation. Our spiritual impulses become magnified and our mortal desires fade from worldly infusion. Our new creation excels in truth and holiness, rejoicing in the fullness of God’s expansion. As we bathe in unconditional love and embrace the fullness of His abundance, our understanding becomes more defined than ever before.
Living a life in the image of perception, is not the same as living a life in the image of God. Attending Church, bible studies, weekly fellowships, and giving your time to local and worldly outreach services, is truly a great work. However, it means absolutely nothing if we are deficient in our relationship to God. What’s more important to you? “Being a great pillar of the community” or “A servant unto the world?” Is it not better for a man to go from “Rags to riches” than “Riches to ashes?” The greatest reward that we will ever “enjoy” is our personal relationship with God.
Biblical awareness is vital to the institution of our partnership with God. We gain nothing through human consumption, but consume everything through spiritual indulgence. Just as the heart supplies blood to the body, obedience supplies truth to the spirit.
Romans 5:19 tells a story of how one man disobeyed God’s instruction and led many to sin. Yet, Paul also reminds us, that through the obedience of one man, many will be made righteous.
In Romans 12:1 Paul makes a plea. He says we should give our bodies to God, because of all He has done for us. Our bodies should become a living and holy sacrifice, the kind He would find acceptable. For this is the way that we should truly worship God.
As we read this passage for ourselves, notice how there’s a condition tied to Paul’s statement. “Our bodies should become a living and holy sacrifice, the kind He would find acceptable.” To be “holy” means that we are, first of all, “set apart for honorable use.” Whereas we were “once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures . . . God our Savior . . . saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by peeling away the many layers of this world and restoring life unto each of us. (Titus 3:3-5 and Corinthians 6:11).
Let’s use the following analogy: Let’s suppose God/Jesus were a lifeguard and you fell into the water. Now let’s assume you couldn’t swim and you’re drowning. You’re sinking deep into the dark water beneath, gasping for air as you ingest water into your lungs. Conscious awareness begins go fade and your life starts to pass. Then “boom” out of nowhere, you experience a sudden thrust of being pulled up from the depths of darkness, clinging onto what seems to be nothing more than an unconscious dream. All of a sudden your body goes into convulsions expelling the water from your lungs. Slowly the light begins to fill your eyes as you gasp for air between the violent convulsions of spewing water. As your sight returns ever so subtle, a shadow forms as your ears give way to the sound of a soft voice saying; “I have you, you’re going to be alright!” As your vision becomes clear and your eyes able to focus……… standing before you, is the Savior of your life………… Jesus Christ.
In the analogy above; Disobedience is the parallel to drowning, and Obedience; is the correlation to life.
Obedience is the core essence of God’s reflection and a profile of how we should be living our daily lives. The value of God within each of us brings forth unity in all that we do, and our relationship with God provides security in times of adversity.
God is the creator of all things established in “TRUTH.” He cannot be Disobedient unto His own Word. “Truth” is the self expression of God’s character. Therefore only the “TRUTH” resides in all that He does. When we are disobedient to His Word, we deprive ourselves of the “Truth” by living outside “Godly Obedience.”
Many can interpret the bible and understand its implications, but only a few will conform to the “TRUTH” of Obedience and seek further instruction. The Bible provides a clear example of this when Jesus condemned the religious leaders. He told the crowds and his disciples, that the experts of the law and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. Therefore pay attention to what they say, and do it! “But do not do what they do,” for they do not practice what they teach. (Matt 23: 1-3)
John 15: 1-2 Jesus says;
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
If we confess to give our lives to Christ, Obedience becomes the measure of our commitment. Relationships cannot exist in the absence of love, nor can we “Truly” merge with Christ in the absence of Obedience. Salvation without Obedience is like a house without a foundation.
Obedience is the “Base” and Christ is the “Truth” a Christian should build their life upon this foundation of understanding. Some may say, “Now, wait a minute! I thought that faith, not obedience, is the foundation of the Christian life.” After all, we are saved by grace through faith apart from works (Eph. 2:8, 9). The one who believes in Jesus has eternal life (John 3:16). So how can you say that obedience is foundational?
The answer centers on the nature of saving faith. Saving faith inevitably and necessarily results in a life of holiness and good deeds. Many who quote Ephesians 2:8-9; that we are saved by grace through faith, and not as a result of works. They fail to go on to quote verse 10: which says;
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Just as those who quote John 3:16 fail to go on, to quote John 3:36, which states, “He who believes the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Only a fool would dare to quote scripture for the sake of an argument, as God’s Word is hidden from no one. His Word is the very foundation of everlasting life, and should never be taken lightly by anyone. It is better to reach for His wisdom, than to die in our own.
If the requirements of getting into heaven were to lead a sinless and perfect life, heaven would be a mighty empty place. Jesus wasn’t teaching perfection; He is perfection. He came to fulfill the law; (Matthew 5:17-20).
Within every step and action that Jesus took, He was Obedient to the Word of “Truth” He did not exercise the will of mortal flesh, but remained Obedient to the Spirit of His Father. He remained in the “Truth” and demonstrated Obedience within the holiness of that “Truth.”
Jesus taught by example to establish the “Truth of Obedience” within each of us. I’m not saying that we have to be sinless and perfect; (Although it would be nice) if that were the requirement of getting into heaven, not a single soul would be there.
No one perfectly loves his neighbor as himself. The apostle John tells us, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Therefore Jesus is not teaching that we must achieve sinless perfection in order to enter His kingdom. Rather, He is teaching what James later underscored in his epistle, that faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 26). Genuine faith is not simply an intellectual agreement, genuine faith submits to the lordship of Jesus, resulting in a life of progressive holiness and Obedience.
Here are three reasons why Obedience to God is not optional: first, because it is the true test of professing Christ (Luke; 6:46); second, because it is the foundation that will withstand the tests of time and eternity (Luke; 6:47-48); and thirdly, because those who do not obey Christ, face sudden and final destruction (Luke; 6:49).
Every relationship should be built on the foundation of truth. Not because we chose God, but because He chose us, way before He laid the foundation.