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Obedience in the Christian Life
“there is no road to faith or discipleship, no other road-only obedience to the call of Jesus.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer The Cost of Discipleship (pg 58)
Obedience in the Christian Life
In the New Testament, the obedience of Christ stands in contrast to the disobedience of Adam.
The disobedience of Adam brought death, but the perfect obedience of Christ brought grace, righteousness, and life ().[1]
“there is no road to faith or discipleship, no other road-only obedience to the call of Jesus.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer The Cost of Discipleship (pg 58)
Obedience- The whole of biblical theology centers on divine revelation and receptive human response: God speaks his word; we hear and must obey.[1]
Presupposition- As good Protestants we affirm a central truth like sola fide, but have not articulated what it means to live a obedient Spirit filled Christian life.
[1] Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995).
Intro- Now that we did a brief overview of obedience, we will now do a brief survey of theological thought on obedience.
When formulating believes we are most importantly thinking in terms of sola scriptura.
If after the examination of scripture draws us to new truths, or something that no other Christian has found then that should make us pause.
This is where Historical Christian thought is useful.
1. Historical thought on Obedience
a. Ante-Nicaean
i. Clement of Rome (1st Century)
1. “We are justified by our works, and not our words.”
(Ante Nicene Fathers, Volume 1)
a.
These words echoe of James that an obedient Christian is one who obeys.
It is interesting that Clement unities our justification with our works.
ii.
Ploycarp (69-156 A.D.)
1. "He who raised him (Jesus) up from the dead will raise us up also - if we do his will, and walk in his commandments, and love what he loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness."
(Ante Nicene Fathers, Volume 1, pg.33)
b.
Augustine (354-430 A.D.)- “Departure from God would be no vice unless in a nature whose property it was to abide in God.” (De Civitate Dei)
i. God is righteousness itself therefore obedience to God’s will is the criterion for righteousness for all His creatures.
Augustine takes this to more to the criteria as to our righteousness.
It is our duty to do the will of God because it is our deepest will too.[2]
1.
What is the definition of duty, and why is it the duty of Christians to do God’s will?
2. Duty- a task or action that someone is required to perform, or a moral or legal obligation
ii.
Those who are disobedient are rebelling against the commands of his own nature.
c.
Aquinas (1225-74 A.D.)
i.
Not a special virtue in which all good deeds which have a special reason of praise.
1.
This is a distinction between obedience and good works
ii.
“Obedience, like every virtue requires the will to be prompt towards its proper object, but not towards that which is repugnant to it.”
(Suma Theologiciae: Obedience)
d.
Calvin (1509-1564 A.D.)
i. “When God designs to forgive us, he changes our hearts and turns us to obedience by His Spirit.”[3]
ii.
Calvin uses hyperbole in Institutes of the Christian Religion “” this [grace] restrains itself [the soul] from sinning, not out of dread of punishment alone; but because it loves and reveres God as Father. . . .
Even if there were no hell, it would still shudder at offending him.”
1.
What is Calvin’s point here?
a. Calvin believe in hell, his main point that we are not simply motivated out of the fear of going to hell.
The motivating factor in our obedience isn’t just that we fear hell: it’s that we’re justified by Christ’s death in our place and are adopted as beloved children of God in Christ.
It’s grace-driven obedience rather than Law-driven striving.
It’s obedience that looks at God’s Law with delight rather than dread because Christ has obeyed the Law in our place and has taken its penalty in our place.
e.
The Carnal Christian Controversy
i. ;
ii.
Modern theological construct to accommodate those who made a ‘decision’ for Christ, but whose lives were not changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
For all intents and purposes they were living like the world lives.
At a later time they would then become spiritual people and be obedient to the will of God.
📷
iii.
John MacArthur The Gospel According to Jesus
1. “The gospel in vogue today holds forth a false hope to sinners.
It promises them that they can have eternal life yet continue to live in rebellion against God.” (p.
19)
Trans- Now that we have briefly looked at some Christian historical thought let us turn to the use of obedience in the OT.
2. OT use of Obedience
a. Hebrew- šāma; to hear, to obey
i. (, ; ; ; )
b. Examples of individuals whose relationship with God are exemplified in faithful obedience.
i. Noah ()
1.
As a result of Noah’s obedience God saved him and his family.
2. God makes a covenant with Noah to never again flood the earth.
ii.
Abraham ()
1.
His faith & obedience is so unwavering that he is willing to sacrifice the only evidence of the promise that God has given to him.
2. God made a covenant with Abraham and gave him a great blessing
iii.
What are some lessons we can learn from obedient people in the OT?
c. Disobedient individuals
i. Saul (, ) “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams”
ii.
“The biblical motif of obedience conveys nothing short of total surrender to the will of God.”[4]
d.
Promises and blessing for the obedient
i.
1.
First he says, “See, I have set the land before you.”
What the esv translates as “set” the niv translates as “given,” though the more literal “set” may be more appropriate here.
The nasb translates the expression as, “I have placed the land before you.”
It’s there for the taking, but the people have to go in and take it.
So God continues, “Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers.”
The generation that was given this command refused to obey God and did not take hold of the promise.
Therefore, only their children entered the promised land.
Earl Kalland explains, “The promise … was irrevocable, but the fulfillment in time and personnel was contingent on the people’s obedience to the Lord’s directives to enter, conquer, and take possession of the land.”[5]
Trans- This of course only touches on a little of what the OT has to say.
It is clear that obedience in the OT was active listening then doing what God commanded.
There were promises and blessing attached for those who were obedient, and condemnation and curses for the disobedient.
Now as NT Christians let us examine the NT use of obedience.
3. NT use of Obedience
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