For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;
-Romans 2:12-13 NKJV
Westerners are guilty of constant compartmentalism. We have the strong tendency to put different beliefs and practices into separate little boxes and then keep them from interacting with one another. This has become particularly true throughout our churches today. Our standard for evaluating spiritual maturity has become based almost entirely on knowledge of God and not on obedience to God. The result is a belief system that is very frequently incompatible with the way that we live our lives.
The clear teaching of scripture, as revealed here in Romans, is that obedience is the key. This theme is carried throughout the Gospels and expressed very eloquently as well in the book of James. Knowledge of God is a good thing, especially when it fuels a greater passion for God; but without action on that knowledge, it is ultimately dead.
It is time to take a stand together as followers of Christ and actually follow our master. The life of Jesus and the actions He commands call for a holiness and purity that runs totally counter to much of the church culture we have embraced. Learning to let go, and obey the commands of scripture in simple obedience is the real beginning of a journey in Christ.
Over the next few weeks I will try to highlight some of the most consistent commands of scripture that we are all commanded to obey. Will you embark with me on a journey of radical obedience?
thetonedeafbard 