We saw last time that if we are heirs of Christ we are R.O.Y.A.L. And we looked at the first characteristic, that of being Reliant.
This week let us look at the second characteristic.
O. We are to be OBEDIENT.
The Christian’s life is to be marked by obedience. Obedience has always been a key factor in relationship with God. Back in Deuteronomy 6:1-2, Moses told the people, “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.” Again to the people of Israel, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendents, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may life in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them” (Deut. 30:19-20)
Obedience wasn’t just for the Old Testament folks. It’s for us today as well. See the passages in Matthew and Luke I just mentioned. Also in his first letter, Peter says this in his greeting, “to those…who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood…” (1:1-2). And John writes, “This is the commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another (we’ll get to this on later), just as He commands us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in Him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” (1 John 3:23-24).
And in some of Jesus’ final words to His disciples before His ascension, He tells them this, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe (that is, to heed and obey) all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20).
Obedience to God and what He has commanded is an essential characteristic of a life that is lived in Christ. Obedience can be hard, though. Paul writes in Romans 7:14-25 about the inner struggle we often face as Christians. Often we know what is right and what it is we are to do, and yet we do not do it. We still live in this earthly flesh, and there is a war in us between our fleshly nature and the Spirit who lives in us. Paul ends that passage though with this word: “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:24-25). So we have this struggle within us. There are also those circumstances that call for us to make a decision, where we have to determine what it is that God wants us to do (such as “Should I marry this person?” “Should I go to seminary?” “Is God calling me into vocational ministry?” – those sort of questions.) This is where the third characteristic comes into play, which we'll look at in the next post.
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