{"id":59774,"date":"2008-03-07T20:48:00","date_gmt":"2008-03-08T02:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=59774"},"modified":"2023-03-07T20:51:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T02:51:36","slug":"the-soul-of-obedience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-soul-of-obedience\/","title":{"rendered":"The Soul of Obedience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tRobert Turner
\nvia Gospel Power, Vol. 14, No. 14, April 8, 2007.\n
\nRemember the old story about the man who was going on a journey, and asked his son to lay out the farm according to his instructions? \u00a0Corn was to be planted in this field, beans in that, the garden here, a shed built there. \u00a0The boy put the corn where his father wanted it, and the beans where the father said. \u00a0But he changed places for the shed and the garden. When his father returned and objected to his son’s disobedience, the boy argued he had done half of what his father ordered; but the father said, “No, you did nothing in obedience. \u00a0It is obvious that you only put the corn and beans where you did because you thought they should go there.”\nWe might well ask ourselves the question, “Why do we live as we do?” \u00a0Is it out of respect for God and His Laws, or are we simply following a pattern of mores that we approve of and which represents no higher authority than our own traditions? The motive for obedience is an aspect of the law that has been somewhat ignored.\nIn Paul’s arguments on law versus faith (Romans and Galatians), he certainly does not rule out law. \u00a0He says faith establishes law (Romans 3:31); and he says the law is “holy, just and good<\/em>” (Romans 7:12). \u00a0Its weakness was by virtue of its subjects men (Romans 8:3); but even then, it served to bring them unto Christ — aware of their need for mercy and forgiveness (Galatians 3:24).\n

One can not accept the existence of God and ignore the expression of His Will; and acknowledge the relation to submitting to His hand (Romans 1:20,21; 9:20,21). \u00a0There is a close correlation between keeping the commands of God and abiding in God, and He in us (John 14:23; I John 2:3-6).<\/p>\nChrist is the “author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him<\/em>” (Hebrews 5:9), and saving faith is an obedient faith (James 2:24) “which worketh by love<\/em>” (Galatians 5:6). \u00a0The principle here is not that of law meritoriously obeyed (which would demand perfection) but because obedience from the heart demonstrates our attitude toward Him who made and gave the law. How else could the breaking of one law make a man “guilty of all<\/em>“? \u00a0James explains, “He that said, Do not commit adultery said also, Do not kill<\/em>” (James 2:10-12; 4:10,11). \u00a0To select from all God said those parts we approve and are willing to obey, assumes a position above that of God. \u00a0It is to imagine ourselves as judges of the law, hence of God, instead of realizing we are subject to and are judged by the law, hence by God. \u00a0Without the proper attitude toward God, no obedience (?) is acceptable to Him.\nSome have suggested these Bible-approved motives for obedience: fear of punishment, appreciation of our position as clay to Potter, and varying degrees of love for God. \u00a0Paul says “the love of Christ\u00a0<\/em>[our recognition of His love for us]\u00a0constrains us<\/em>” (II Corinthians 5:14). \u00a0However you list them, they start with faith “that God is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him<\/em>” (Hebrews 11:6). \u00a0Perhaps we are failing to elicit more obedience to God because we do not work hard enough at preparing the soil or stirring proper motives.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robert Turner via Gospel Power, Vol. 14, No. 14, April 8, 2007. Remember the old story about the man who was going on a journey, and asked his son to lay out the farm according to his instructions? \u00a0Corn was to be planted in this field, beans in that, the garden here, a shed built…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-59774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-obedience"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":91877,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/on-making-the-fathers-will-preeminent\/","url_meta":{"origin":59774,"position":0},"title":"On Making the Father’s Will Preeminent","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Garry Henry WordPoints.com \"I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me\" (John 5:30). Doing the will of His Father was the ultimate, overriding priority\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58403,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/oh-daddy-i-forgot\/","url_meta":{"origin":59774,"position":1},"title":"Oh, Daddy, I Forgot!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 24, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gary W. Holladay, Sr. At sunset, I was quite tired from transplanting a cherry tree in the front yard of my corner lot; but I still needed to tie it down to protect it from the wind. As I pounded stakes into the ground, I heard the gleeful squeals\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/bicycle.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":27487,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/obedience-to-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":59774,"position":2},"title":"Obedience to God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Paul Southern via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 10, August 1952. The subject of obedience is an important theme that should engage the thought of every responsible person. Rebellion against constituted authority seems to be a trait inherent with mankind. On every hand, we witness infractions of constitutional, statutory,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60541,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/two-young-men-baptized\/","url_meta":{"origin":59774,"position":3},"title":"Two Young Men Baptized","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 29, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mike Willis I recently conducted a meeting in which two young men were baptized on Thursday night prior to the services beginning. It was the highlight of a good meeting. On Friday night when the meeting came to a close, as the father of the two young men came\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92217,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jesus-understands\/","url_meta":{"origin":59774,"position":4},"title":"Jesus Understands","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bill Boyd The Church of All Nations stands on the west slope of the Mount of Olives. It is said to be built over the very stone where Jesus fell on his face and prayed. Just outside of the church, in the courtyard, is a grove of ancient olive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3929,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-jesus-always-have-all-authority\/","url_meta":{"origin":59774,"position":5},"title":"Did Jesus always have all authority?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In Matthew's 28:18, why was all authority given to Jesus? Did he not have all authority already? And in I Corinthians it says that He will give all authority back to his Father. Please explain this to me. 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