If you and I choose to sin and do not repent and confess it to God it’s like carrying around a heavy weight. ... //christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/talk fifty-three three tests of.htm, Obedience: Its Place in Holy Scripture. A doer. He has lived, and is living without a Saviour. The circumstances of your life have been ordered by Him. He has been an encouragement and an example of godly living to me since the days when we were both young faculty members at Bethel College in St. Paul (John was teaching New Testament and I taught systematic theology.) The Bible often tells us that God blesses and rewards obedience. ... 1:27), worthy of the saints (Romans 16:2), worthy of God (1 Thess. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” – John 17:3 ” I have called you friends.” – John 15:15 ” You are my friends if you do what I command.” – John 15:14 “God’s call is for you to be His loyal friend, for whatever purpose He has for your life.” He has been determined not to feel or acknowledge his need of a Saviour. His word; reason; conscience; Providential dealings; the warning voice of a pastor, or of a stranger; the influences of the Spirit of God,—all these are in the same direction and all tend to the same end—to call men to embrace the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. Can any one on any other supposition than this explain how it was that Saul of Tarsus, that Augustine, that Luther, that Bunyan, that John Newton were converted? He offered him freely in obedience to God's command. Jesus Says Salvation Initiates And Continues By Repentance From Sin and Obedience Besides Faith; Paul Says This is Heresy. If you understand what you are learning from the Bible and you see the need to change your life, God is beginning to work with you. He made you what you are in mental endowment. No matter who you are and no matter what position you are in, no one is exempted in obeying God’s commandments. Can any mere philosopher explain how it was that John Howard, an English gentleman of affluence, was led to conceive and execute the purpose of spending his life in breathing the pestilential air of the dungeons of Europe, that he might relieve the sufferings of the prisoners? The Bible often tells us that God blesses and rewards obedience. . Sometimes when we’re waiting to hear from God, we might wonder if we’ve missed His answer. If you see a need to obey His Commandments at the same time that you see how hard it is for you to do so, God is working with you. To a great extent it would render useless the faculty of reason, designed to aid us in investigating truth; it would take away the stimulus to human effort in the search after what is right; it would render man indolent and unconcerned until the voice should come with a distinct announcement of the will of God; it would destroy not a few of the motives which now prompt us to action; it would be a departure from the great principles on which men are governed in other things than religion; it would materially affect the whole subject of moral government, and make the progress of the world dependent rather on supernatural impulses than on settled and regular laws. Let Him fight your battles. It is not given to him to be a revelation, nor to supersede the necessity of a revelation, for it communicates no new truth. There are two ways in which men close life; two classes of reflections which occur on the bed of death. Obedience is generally distinguished from compliance, which is behavior influenced by peers, and from conformity, which is behavior intended to match that of the majority.Depending on context, obedience can be seen as moral, immoral, or amoral. The conversion of Paul also demonstrates that the preaching of the word is God’s chosen method for the communication of the gospel of salvation (1 Cor. We see Francis’ desire to do great things, heroic things; his generosity to all; and his courtesy to everyone he met. In its proper place, reason is as true to its Maker as was the voice which addressed Isaiah in the temple, or the "vision" which appeared to Saul of Tarsus. Instructions are clear about giving thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18), avoiding sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and doing good (1 Peter 2:15) for example. (1.) There is, secondly, the rational nature which God has given us,—in like manner, within its proper limits, furnishing a safe intimation of the will of God. Obedience to the commandments makes it possible for God to provide the help we need as we seek to accomplish difficult tasks. Eerdman's Bible Dictionary states, "True 'hearing,' or obedience, involves the physical hearing that inspires the hearer, and a belief or trust that in turn motivates the hearer to act in accordance with the speaker's desires." It is easy for one disposed to do his duty to go forward: for he yields to all that urges him on; and reason, and conscience, and truth, and God's Spirit, have no sharp "goads " with which to pierce and penetrate his soul. The Apostle Paul says, 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Tadios Msipa, a student of CLI, experienced his own command from the Lord. lv. And He calls you—alike by Scripture, by your reason, by your conscience, by the events of His Providence, by heavenly influences,—to consecrate all you have to His service and to the good of man. Following the commandments step wise won't do. It is an arrangement to which the world owes all its religion, and no small part of the restraints of virtue and law, and of the promptings of humanity. He orchestrates the events of Moses early and middle years in order to prepare him for an incredible mission. Paul continued his ... /.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 49 pauls last letter.htm, The Obedience of Christ. of our office; and no power, in virtue of the office, to impart grace to the souL But, regarding the ministry as an appointment of God, and as a wise arrangement for bringing His truth before the minds of men, we believe that it is designed as a means of keeping up a communication between God and the world, and as a method of expressing the Divine will, not only in respect to abstract truth, but to the duty of individual men; as an arrangement intended to convey the calls and the warnings of the Creator to the world; and as in fact one of the most important means by which He addresses the children of men. Before his conversion, Paul was a dedicated adherent to the Jewish faith. Is it impossible for God now so to communicate His will to the soul of an individual that he shall be in no danger of error as to what he should do? When in obedience to His commission, the minister of religion brings before a man truth, undoubted truth,—when he presents it in such a form as to be adapted to the particular circumstances, to the time of life, to the state of mind, to the peculiar temptations of that man, to the enquiries which are awakened in his soul from other sources in regard to truth and duty,—we know not why this should not be regarded as in fact a method by which God Himself addresses that man, as really as Saul of Tarsus was addressed from heaven. on the ocean,—in a foreign land,—in a hospital, far away from home and friends, from mother, sister, daughter, pastor,—in a Christian sanctuary which may be casually attended,—the voice of a stranger may be heard; and shall it be deemed extravagant to believe that the feet of the stranger may have been guided in order that he might speak to that soul about the way of salvation? Paul's main salvation verses at odds with Jesus are well-known:. We sustain no peculiar relation to God. Salem Media Group. It prompts us to do that which ought to be done, when interest would seem to lead in another direction, when the decisions of reason would be too slow, or when passion would drive us on to vice and ruin; and, when we have done that which is right, it expresses approbation in a manner which we cannot but regard as the voice of God Himself. In the voice which comes to men from the Bible, from reason, from conscience, from the events of Providence, from the pulpit, from the stranger, and from the influences of the Holy Spirit, there is, in this respect, no uncertain sound; no ambiguity. Life then becomes a warfare,—a warfare more fierce and dreadful than is that of the man of God against "principalities, and powers, and spiritual wickedness," for the sinner has to fight his way down to ruin,—at war with the Bible; at war with his reason; at war with his conscience; at war with God's Providences; at war with the Spirit of God; at war with his pastor; at war with his best friends; a warfare never to cease until he achieves a disastrous victory over all that is generous and noble in his own nature,—a victory in hell! 5: When you are obedient, you’re trusting God to be God. And yet Paul, in writing to Philemon to try to get him to take back Onesimus, who had been converted under Paul’s ministry in prison, he says, “Though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you” (Philemon 8–9). "Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision. A planner. No man in reference to this can make a mistake as to the will of God; no man can take a single additional step in the course of iniquity without. 16—18.). What was Anannias' reaction? 1:21). Read Acts 9:1-22. Hebrews 5:8–9, “Although he was a son” — although Jesus was the Son of God — “he learned obedience” — catch that phrase — “he learned obedience through what he suffered. So it is with the various appeals of God. 5 Lessons We Can Learn From Abraham. Obedience to God is living God's Word because you want to and enjoy being filled with the love of Jesus. Millions bowed in obedience to his mandates ... /.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 48 paul before nero.htm, Christianity in Individuals. Let’s hit rewind and see what God can teach us. By the revelations of His word; the dictates of reason; the voice of conscience; the events of providence; the preaching of the gospel; casual appeals; the influences of the Spirit.—What does God enjoin on us? There are, fourthly, the events of Divine Providence; often among the clearest methods by which God communicates His will to men. For myself, when I die, I desire the former of these. S ometimes we agree that God's idea will work with the people He has selected, but the time is just not quite right for us. Here we learn that God wonderfully multiplies our simple acts of faith and obedience. The renewed mind takes seriously the needs that you see in the world and the ones that move you most deeply. He made you what you are in mental endowment. He speaks of what God had wrought to make the Gentiles obedient.' A lie is something that is simply not true. So a man in one pursuit in life finds his plans blasted, sees some unexpected obstacle always in his way, encounters obstructions thrown across his path which he can neither anticipate nor remove; and he may find in these things an intimation that he is in a wrong path as clear as was that in the case of Saul the persecutor when he was arrested by the Saviour on his way to Damascus. If children cannot obey their parents, how can they learn obedience to anyone else, including God? The place which you occupy in the world, morally, intellectually, socially, has been assigned by Him. Scenes and Incidents in the Life of the Apostle Paul, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. We can obey our heavenly Father if we: ... be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. Obedience of Anannias. Copyright © 2020, Bible Study Tools. He keeps you. (And if that sounds awkward, trust us: he knows.) communicate His will to the soul of an individual that he shall be in no danger of error as to what he should do? ... V. KNOWLEDGE AND OBEDIENCE. of determining at once the question of duty, would render in a great measure useless the faculties with which He has endowed us, and would change almost entirely the order of things now existing on the earth. It is impossible, in respect to this, to misinterpret the Divine will. By simply hearing God’s voice and doing His will, Abraham produced something for the glory of God and for the blessing of millions - look up and compare Genesis 12:2 and 22:18. To a great extent it would render useless the faculty of reason, designed to aid us in investigating truth; it would take away the stimulus to human effort in the search after what is right; it would render man indolent and unconcerned until the voice should come with a distinct announcement of the will of God; it would destroy not a few of the motives which now prompt us to action; it would be a departure from the great principles on which men are governed in other things than religion; it would materially affect the whole subject of moral government, and make the progress of the world dependent rather on supernatural impulses than on settled and regular laws. - Acts 5:29 "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance" - 1 Peter 1:14 "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. Notice the words of verse 22. prompting us to duty; starting some thought of what is wise, and right, and just, and good; inclining us to thoughtfulness, to meditation, to prayer; making the soul dissatisfied with its present course, and drawing it along in the path of duty, benevolence, and peace. The sparrow falls not to the ground without God; and the minutest events in a man's life are under His direction. And He calls you—alike by Scripture, by your reason, by your conscience, by the events of His Providence, by heavenly influences,—to consecrate all you have to His service and to the good of man. He pledged to bless the patriarch and make his name great. When you choose to obey the Lord, he will bless you. Is it possible for us in our own case to obtain an answer to the question which Saul of Tarsus asked with so much sincerity and solemnity respecting himself: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" He promised to make Abram a great nation. . 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