“…through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations. Romans 1:5
What an encouragement it is when we witness obedience to the Lord. We experienced this at Shefan’s baptism last Sunday evening. It impressed upon me again how faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His commands are inseparable.
But often times we tend to major on people obediently coming to faith (and so we should) but tend to have a ‘hands off’ approach to their ongoing, faithful obedience. It seems that we are content to get them into the kingdom and then back off, settling for their passive, neutral and sometimes carnal lifestyle.
Our mission is to make disciples. Making disciples is more than preaching salvation faith. It is also “teaching them to observe all that I [Jesus] have commanded you. (Matt. 28:18-20). All believers must learn what it means to obey the Lord. True faith In Jesus Christ will follow a path of obedience. But true faith must be nurtured, encouraged, edified, built up so obedience will flow. We are all involved in this - so who are you discipling? Who have you got in your sights ‘to bring about the obedience of faith’ for God’s glory? Please note what John MacArthur has on this subject:
What does it mean to believe in Christ? It means more than accepting and affirming the truth of who He is – God in human flesh – and believing what He says. Real faith results in obedience… True faith is never seen as passive – it is always obedient.