Obedience – Old Testament and New

Isaiah 1:19 (NKJV)
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;

Probably one of the most-often used words when talking about receiving good things from God is the word “obedience.” Basically, it means if you do what God says to do, you will get what He wants you to have. And, that is certainly true. But, it is also a word that causes some people to draw back – simply because man, saved or unsaved, struggles with the issue of submission, the underlying foundation of obedience.

The definition of obedience according to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is, “compliance with a command, prohibition or known law… .” That sums up pretty accurately what was expected of people in the Old Testament – required obedience. Time and again, God said, “Thou shall or Thou shall not,” or “If you diligently obey the Voice of the Lord,” followed by commands or prohibitions that the people were told to observe. Isaiah 1:19 is a perfect example: IF you are willing and obedient, {then} you shall eat the good of the land. In the Old Testament, obedience was a root from which the blessings of God came to pass.

Part of the “good news” of the Gospel of GRACE is that New Testament obedience has taken on a new dimension. Obedience is no longer a “root.” It is now a “fruit” of righteousness. Righteousness means “right-standing with God.” Because of the obedience of Christ (He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we would be made the righteousness of God – II Cor 5:21) the obedience issue is settled from Heaven’s perspective. Believers no longer have to be obedient to receive from God. The obedience of Jesus settled the necessity of our obedience being a requirement for being right with God. That’s why 2 Cor. 10:5 admonishes us to focus on Christ’s obedience.

It is not that obedience is no longer required. It has now become “responsive obedience” (Phil.2:12-13, the Message Bible). Obedience is no longer something we do in our own strength. Jesus’ obedience on the Cross opened the door for us to be led by Holy Spirit into the obedience God requires. That takes us from “trying” to be obedient to “trusting” that we can be obedient by God’s GRACE. That, in turn, removes the reluctance many believers have when it comes to being obedient – the fear of not being able to get it/do it right. In the New Testament, obedient children are described in Peter 1:13,14 (Young’s Literal Translation) as those who “hope perfectly upon the GRACE that is being brought to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The greater our revelation of Jesus Christ, the greater the GRACE that flows in our lives. The greater our dependence upon GRACE, the more obedient we become in God’s eyes! 

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV)
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

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