Articles
To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice #2
To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice
part 2 Jesus and obedience
In our day we have lived with the religious teaching of 'faith only' for hundreds of years. When people speak of obedience it generally is to contrast it with 'faith'. To dare to mention obedience often brings the accusation of teaching "salvation by works". It is interesting to look at the concept of obedience in the life of Jesus.
Jesus set his standard to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4, quoting from Deut. 8:3). He could say that 'my food is to do the will of Him who sent me and accomplish his work" (John 4:34). He told the apostles that "I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father..." (John 14:31).
When faced with the imminence of the cross, He would pray: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39). He was obedient unto death (Phil. 2:8). In light of this the Hebrew writer wrote of Him: "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him…" (Hebrews 5:8-9).
Jesus taught his disciples to believe on him and trust in him. He also taught that “if you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). In verse 21 He says: "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me..." (John 14:21). He then tells Judas: "Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word..." (John 14:23). In the next verse he states: "Whoever does not love me does not keep my words" (John 14:24). At the end of the sermon on the Mount, Jesus contrasts the man who 'hears these words of mine and does them' and the man who "hears these words of mine and does not do them' (Matt. 7:24-27). The first man is a wise man and the latter man is a fool. Jesus used this same illustration of doing or not doing in Luke 6:47-49.
Jesus is the savior - the savior of all those who obey Him (Heb. 5:8-9). He is also King of King and Lord of Lords with all authority in Heaven and on earth (Rev. 17:14 and Matt. 28:18). He himself asked: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?" (Luke 6:46).
How does a godly man respond to God's commandment? What does the life of a man of pure religion look like? What do you see when you observe a man that loves Jesus? When a man trusts Jesus with all of his mind, how does he react to the commandments of Jesus?
As in 1 Samuel, the contrast is not between trusting God and obeying God. When the problem of disobedience does arise in our lives, God has provided for our forgiveness thru the blood of Jesus. God has conditioned such forgiveness upon certain things. Without trusting that Jesus is the Son of God one cannot be forgiven (John 8:24). However salvation by forgiveness was also conditioned upon our confessing our faith in Jesus: "with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10). God has commanded "all men everywhere to repent" (2Pet. 3:9). Peter coupled such repentance with the command to "be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). The conditions on becoming a child of God are the same as being forgiven for sins.
After one believes and is baptized he can, like Simon the sorcerer, fall into the bond of iniquity. On that occasion Simon the sorcerer was instructed to "Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you" (Acts 8:22). John, in writing to believers, warned that they still could sin (1John 2:1-2). He then states that the children of God would still have "an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." He further states that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins" (vs. 2). However, he had previously stated a condition for such forgiveness by writing: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Jesus himself also said that if a person will not forgive others then God would not forgive him. Volumes seem to have been written trying to avoid the force of this statement. All the twisting and turning of scripture however will not make it to mean otherwise. There are conditions to be forgiven.
