Have you ever read through the whole Bible chronologically just to get a feel for the over-arching story of God? If so, you may have noticed the same phrase which stood out to me this time around.
In my read-through for 2016, I was struck by the New Testament theme of “Obey the gospel.”
Nowhere did I read, “Accept Jesus as your Savior.” Nowhere did I see an invitation to “ask Jesus into your heart.” No, the call of the gospel is to die to the old, selfish way of life and rise to an entirely new life in Christ.
How do we do this? By means of obedience.
Please hear me out before your “legalism” trigger goes off.
It bothers me — nay, troubles me deeply — that the Church has reacted against rule-keeping to the point where we no longer talk about obeying the commands of Jesus.
Jesus said:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” — John 14:15
Real faith is more than just accepting an offer for forgiveness. That’s the starting point, but it’s our obedience to Christ that demonstrates a changed life.
However, we’ve allowed pop psychology to worm its way into our thinking. We’ve bought the notion that Christianity is a self-improvement plan, the ultimate 12-step program, a way to feel better about ourselves and to fulfill our potential.
So we advertise a gospel that is really only half the story.
We talk about a Savior who has mercy on us and died so our sins could be forgiven. This is wonderful news — but there’s another dimension to it!
Jesus doesn’t just forgive us. He empowers us to live a different life. A holy life. A life that spreads the fragrance of his beautiful name in the earth.
God’s goal for us is not to make us comfortable and happy, but rather to transform us into the image of Christ (see Romans 12:2 and Corinthians 3:18).
Going back to my New Testament reading, I’ve placed our theme in italics here:
- Romans 10:16 refers to the importance of preaching the gospel, and says, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel…”
- 2 Thes. 1:8 refers to the second coming of Christ and God’s judgment on “…those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
- I Peter 4:17 refers to God’s judgment beginning with believers, and “…if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
That’s just a smattering of references to this idea, but do you sense the seriousness of the apostles on this topic? They’re telling us that some people will not obey the gospel — and that’s bad.
Did you catch the wording? It’s not that some will not “accept” the gospel. It’s that they won’t obey it.
One comedian describes how, as a boy, he would whine endlessly about a toy he wanted until his mom relented — whereupon all his pleading and grousing quickly turned into a flippant, “Thanks, Babe!” as he ran out to play.
Too often, we demonstrate a “Thanks, Babe!” attitude towards the Lord Jesus. Problem is, we can be guilty of inviting unbelievers into a flippant, shallow faith — a faith that fails to produce change.
Paul writes this to the believers in Corinth so they will follow up on their promise to send a generous gift to another church:
“…others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ… —2 Corinthians 9:13
Wow! I want obedience to accompany my confession of faith. I don’t want to be a “Thanks, Babe” kind of believer.
You?
Suzanne, can I say AMEN loud enough??!! I want to reblog your post on my blog if that’s okay, giving full credit to you, of course. I’m in the process of writing a Bible study to go with my new book, Brokenness to Beauty, and the emphasis is exactly what yours is: obey the Word! That is how we experience transformation, growth into maturity, and in the process we get hope and comfort from God in our struggles. What you said in this article, my husband and I have been saying (and trying to live out) for many years. Thank God for your clear voice on this topic! May it resound far and wide!
Absoluly, Jacqueline, post away! And thanks to you and your husband for your faithfulness in following Jesus by means of obeying his word, as well as for articulating that message to others.
This is the very theme I have been pondering lately. Fun how God keeps popping things in front of our eyes for a reason. 😉
It is! This has been on my mind for a while, and I’m seeing it other places, too. I believe God wants us to understand a holistic gospel. 🙂
Thanks, Jacqueline, for re-posting this! I appreciate your writing, too.