The Importance of Obedience to Salvation
When
we speak of salvation, many of us think first of the epistle of Paul to the
Romans, as this is the fullest explanation of righteousness in Christ. If there
is any place in the Bible where we might find out about obedience in relation
to salvation, this is where we should look. But in fact that is not what I did.
I did a search on the word obedience in the KJV, and found that the word
obedience occurs in the book of Romans more often than in any other book of the
Bible: five times in all. Paul develops this wonderful theme simply, so it can
be remembered, like the five fingers on the hand.
The
theme of obedience folds the epistle to the Romans in a loving clasp from the
very first words down to the very end. ”Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of
God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of
David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with
power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith
among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus
Christ.” Romans 1:1-6.
Paul begins with obedience to the
faith. This is the very first step, and this is where many go wrong, right from
the beginning. They separate obedience and faith, as though they were
separable, or even mutually exclusive. The Gospel according to Paul will have
none of that. He does not teach obedience on one hand and faith on the other.
He teaches obedience of faith. The world has a church and a faith, and much to
say about believing in Jesus. But this is a vain belief, for it is faith alone.
The faith that Paul knows is the obedience of faith.
What is the obedience of faith that Paul speaks about? He
does not define it directly, but he gives us a strong hint. The obedience of faith
among all nations for the name of Christ was his act and willingness to step
out as an apostle to give the call of Christ. The thumb, the first point of
salvation, is not something that we have to do or believe. It is something done
for us and to us. It is the call that we receive from Christ. Obedience of
faith represents first of all the call of Christ.
From the very beginning of Christ's ministry as described
in the Gospels, we find Christ making this the first step of salvation. He
calls one disciple after another. The obedience of faith is not that we keep
the commandments or search or try to find salvation. It is hearing the call of
Christ.
Righteousness by Obedience
”For as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be
made righteous.” Romans 5:19.
Preachers as well as congregations tend to focus on what
human beings must do. Because they realize that keeping the law cannot save,
they often fail to acknowledge that righteousness comes by obedience. All who
are put right with God are put right by obedience and by nothing else. They are
put right by the obedience of Christ, which is perfect and full. This is the
second step in the plan of salvation, in Paul's five step presentation of
obedience.
Ellen White puts it clearly as follows. ”The moment the
sinner believes in Christ, he stands in the sight of God uncondemned; for the
righteousness of Christ is his: Christ's perfect obedience is imputed to him.”
Fundaments of Christian Education, page 429.
While there is every reason to reject the concept of
complete depravity or original sin, Paul expresses a logical balance here. Sin
and death entered the world by the act of one person. No matter how well we
keep the law today, we are still faced by the fact of death through no fault of
our own. Therefore, it is only right and just that the remedy come in the same
way as the problem: through the action of one man on behalf of all others.
There is a logical foundation for the obedience needed in our salvation from
sin and death not be our own, but that of another.
Obedience unto
Righteousness
”For sin shall not have
dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then?
shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye
are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye
have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being
then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Romans
6:14-18.
The vision of the dying, resurrecting, ascending,
interceding, and atoning Christ transforms the human character. Love awakens
the desire to be the faithful servant of obedience, where once was only service
to sin.
Ellen White clearly describes this experience. ”The
gospel of the New Testament is not the Old Testament standard lowered to meet
the sinner and save him in his sins. God requires of all His subjects
obedience, entire obedience to all His commandments. He demands now as ever
perfect righteousness as the only title to heaven. Christ is our hope and our
refuge. His righteousness is imputed only to the obedient. Let us accept it
through faith, that the Father shall find in us no sin. But those who have
trampled on the holy law will have no right to claim that righteousness. O that
we might view the immensity of the plan of salvation as obedient children to all
God's requirements, believing that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ,
our atoning sacrifice!” Review and Herald, Sept. 21, 1886.
None need be discouraged by the high level of the
standard. The measure of the sacrifice is the guarantee of the power of God to
save to the utermost. The repentant receive the blessing of Christ's
righteousness which bears fruit in obedience to the commandments. It is Satan
who says that the commandments are beyond keeping. Ellen White notes that ”all
who break God's commandments are sustaining Satan's claim that the law is
unjust, and cannot be obeyed. Thus they second the deceptions of the great
adversary, and cast dishonor upon God.” How many preachers, even in
Sabbath-keeping churches, preach that very claim from week to week!
It was more common in years past to hear from the pulpit,
that the ”love of Christ constraineth us. We obey the commandments for the love
of God and His Christ, who offer us such great salvation.” Now the message
seems so often to be that because God loves and saves us anyway, we can disobey
Him as much as we like.
But Paul's concept of justification is a different one.
True justification bears fruit in obedience to the commandments.
Unity by Obedience
”Now I beseech you, brethren,
mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye
have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus
Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the
hearts of the simple. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet
I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And
the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
Romans 16:17-20.
The fourth step in Paul's study of obedience is unity in
doctrine. This may come as a surprise, but it is in fact very logical. It is
not really differences in outlook, logical thought, or temperament that create
divisions, even doctrinal divisions. Those are in fact created by simple
disobedience, the desire to rebel against God's clear word. The spirit of
obedience does in fact bring doctrinal unity.
Despite all of the arguments that people give for not
observing the Sabbath of the commandment, it all comes down to whether or not
there is a spirit of obedience. All of the references to shadows, the
commandments nailed to the cross, the claims of freedom in Christ, that Jesus
is our Sabbath, are motivated by the simple desire not to keep the Sabbath. If
those who made those claims had approached the question with the desire to
obey, they would have read the texts with a different intention. They would
have read them hoping to find justification for Sabbath observance rather than
an excuse to disobey. And so it is with every question of doctrinal division.
Some of them are unimportant matter that are raised to the attention merely in
order to distracgt the mind from our duty towards God and our fellow human
beings.
Full Circle:
Obedience of Faith
”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 for ever. Amen.” Romans 16:25-27.
Paul closes the book of Romans, as he opened it, with
nearly identical words. He returns to the theme of obedience of faith. But this
time, obedience of faith is not the call of Christ. Instead of the beginning,
the call, we find the end, the goal. Obedience of faith is now, at the fifth
step, the ”power to stablish you.” At the end, as at the beginning, it is not a
human achievement, but something God does. It is the power of God that
establishes us. From beginning to end, the obedience of faith is the act of God
in human lives.
The obedience that appears in the individual life of the
believer, in acts done according to the commandments, is surrounded, hedged and
protected by the beginning and ending steps, acts of divine grace. The double
arms of divine love surround the human act of obedience. Christ unseen stands
behind the child at his letters, puts both arms around him, and guides with his
own hand the clumsy had clutching the pen. The result is a response to the
Decalogue, that sweet love letter filled with promises from God. The result is
a life that is a love letter to God.
The call of Christ leads to Christ's obedience being
given to the believer by grace. The realization of that gift of love constrains
the believer to obedience to the law of God by the power of grace. Such
obedience results in doctrinal unity and lack of divisions among believers. The
end of it all is that the power of God establishes us in the Gospel. And that
is the importance of obedience to salvation from beginning to end.
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Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; 9) and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10) Then Jesus said to him, " Begone, Satan! for it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" 