0381. Obedience to His Word

Obedience to His Word

"He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me" (Joh_14:21).

We have before us a precious proof of salvation. Obeying Christ does not bring salvation, but obeying Christ is a token of salvation. Jesus said: "If a man love Me, he will keep My Word." Christ also said: "He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings."

Illustration: We were preaching on one occasion to a large group of soldiers from the Third Georgia regiment. In the midst of our discourse, we turned to the colonel, who was present, and we asked: "Colonel, what is the highest reach in the life of a soldier?" Without a moment’s hesitation, the officer replied: "OBEDIENCE." "And does obedience excel courage?" we asked. He answered: "A brave, but disobedient, soldier will bring havoc to the ranks."

The very essence of sin is summed up in these words: "We have turned every one to his own way." "Sin is the transgression (going across) of the Law." It is "my way."

Salvation is bringing us back into fellowship and into harmony with God. The highest work of grace is the perfecting of obedience.

A child of God may not perfectly obey his Lord, but a child of God will have no greater ambition than to obey Him.

Jesus Christ did always the things that pleased the Father. In the volume of the Book it was written of Him: "Lo I come, I delight to do Thy will, O God."

The child of God possesses the mind of Christ. We too will seek to stand "perfect and complete in all the will of God."

An evident token of perdition is the spirit of lawlessness and of disobedience that holds the unregenerate. They will not have this man to rule over them. They are called, "the sons of disobedience."

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR