Do we have to Obey in order to be Saved?

[Chris]

 The modern church says no; the ancient church says yes, but alas, what is obedience? You would think men and women who call themselves Christian would at least investigate whether or not salvation is dependent on obedience, but many do not. The Bible is pretty clear that we must obey in order to have salvation (John 3:36 for one). In that verse, it is pretty clear that faith is obedience. But not all who claim to have faith really have faith. They do not have the faith that leads them to repentance unto life. So we preach repentance to all, whether or not they claim to be Christians, saved, churchgoers or teetotalers.

This still leads back to the question, “What is obedience?” All of church history can be summed up as an answer to that question. Every sect, denomination, heresy and hypocrisy can be linked to that question. It seems that no one can quite agree on what it means to obey God the Father, Jesus, or even the law.

Let’s look at some of the opinions of what it means to obey Christ: 1) Going to church every Sunday; 2) Going to church every Saturday; 3) Giving money to a church; 4) Not eating certain kinds of food; 5) Not drinking certain kinds of beverages; 6) Eating the Lord’s Supper; 7) Attending Mass; 8) Saying liturgies; 9) Going on cruises/missions 10) Promoting self-esteem… blah, blah, blah. We have heard it all when we preach on the streets. And yet, not many are willing to proclaim Jesus Christ as the only way to God. This is rank disobedience for sure!

We see certain kinds of behavior that accompany this lack of faith. The same ones who go to church faithfully are unfaithful to their spouses. The same ones who practice 7th Day Adventism are greedy. The same ones who never miss Mass are adulterers, fornicators, homosexuals, drunkards, thieves and the like. These ones are not going to heaven, but to hell, says the Bible. Trying to make up for their disobedience by conforming to some church rules only makes their spot in hell a little hotter.

With the disobedience that refuses to confess Jesus as Christ before men comes the condemnation of Christ, who says that he will in turn deny that man before his Father. That means no salvation without confession. It takes faith to confess Jesus before men. We can go on “missionary trips” and spend our time relaxing and taking in the foreign sites and culture, kidding ourselves we are witnessing for Christ. This is the Casual Chapel approach: Witnessing without words from the Word. This is tantamount to blasphemy. Instead of being ashamed of their lack of faith, these not only feel no shame but pride themselves in their worldliness, and topping that, condemn those who preach the gospel without shame. We must ask ourselves the question, “What is obedience that saves?” If we don’t, we will be captured, along with them, by the cunning and craftiness of those who work for the devil.

Chris

[Rebeldon]

Chris, I read your post “How to preach the gospel without converting a soul…”  I thought it was very good and worth sharing.  Thanks! 

As for obedience, I think the standard knee-jerk reaction against any teaching that says obedience is necessary for salvation is because people primarily think of salvation in terms of regeneration, conversion (faith & repentance) or justification.  Plus, they might not have any obedience and the thought scares them to death.  They read Romans 4:5 and say, “See, I don’t need any works to be saved”, not realizing that Paul is only speaking about the basis of being legally justified before God.  If you claim that obedience is necessary for salvation as a meritorious cause, then the knee-jerk criticism is valid.  We cannot attain the perfect righteousness that is necessary to be justified before God.  If we could, the work of Christ is meaningless.  However, salvation is more than regeneration, conversion and justification.  We are also sanctified.
 
"Faith alone justifies, but justifying faith is not alone. Good works though they are not the causes of salvation, yet they are the evidences. Faith must not be built upon works, but works must be built upon faith" - Thomas Watson

Although we are justified as being “right with God” by faith alone, our obedience justifies us in the sense that it proves our faith (James  2:24).  The same Paul, who wrote Romans 4:5 also wrote about the “obedience of faith”
(Romans 1:5, 16:26).  He said that he became an apostle to "bring about the obedience of faith".

2 Peter 1:3-11:
 
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

We are born again by the work of the Spirit alone, making us able and willing to believe; justified by faith alone; and empowered by the Spirit to bear the fruit of the Spirit as evidence of our faith--all so that we may have entrance into the “everlasting kingdom of our Lord”.

1 Corinthans 5:10:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”