Finality of our Obedience
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
(Heb 11:8,17)
Obedience is to conform or heed a command or authority. Which is also to subject oneself, voluntary action or to become subordinate to another.
These days where there is a widespread of antinomianism (teaching that Christians are free from obeying the moral law of God by virtue of grace) or ‘cheap grace’ as Dietrich Bonheoffer put it; we need to come back to the truth of obedience to God’s commandments. Jesus warns us in Matt 24:12 that lawlessness will abound in the end times. Therefore it shouldn’t surprise us as Christians that the cheap grace gospel is spreading like wild fire in churches that uphold prosperity rather than the clarion call to holiness in order to be distinct from the world. Confusion about justification of the sinner is confused with the pilgrimage of sanctification; a journey any true obedient believer in Christ will have to take.
1. What does faith and believe in God require?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
(Jas 2:21-24)
Why was Abraham mentioned instead of Abram? Wasn’t it an ‘Abram’ that left Ur of the Chaldeans in Gen 12? Abram means ‘exalted father’ whereas Abraham means ‘father of multitudes’. From man’s perspective it was an exalted father that left the comforts of his homeland but God saw a potential of multiplication of a man’s life in His hands. Man look for exaltation but God looks for multiplication in His divine purposes. We need to see things from God’s perspective to understand posterity because it concerns the long term blessings and even to generations down the road. Currently there is a heightened focus of prosperity which involves the ‘now’ more than posterity. We can end up having spiritual short sightedness if we don’t see from God’s perspective. As Jesus saw the potential in young boy’s 2 fishes and 5 dry barley loaves (the poor eat barley loaves, while the rich had wheat during Jesus’ days. Never say we can only give unto Jesus out of abundance only, give Him out of our little!) of feeding the multitude with abundant of left over’s. Note that it was multiplied for others whereas the prosperity gospel preaches multiplication for self. God is more interested in multiplying us and the things (time, money, talents, etc) we gladly place in His hands than bringing up covetous children.
So it was an obedient Abraham that God saw leaving his homeland. What else truly reflects the Christ-like character of selflessness? Because Jesus said ‘thy will be done’ in his prayer in Gethsemane. Jesus also taught us to pray ‘your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven’. When Jesus made the requirement that if anyone will come after Him, we have to deny self; this means that we have to give up our will to be obedient. The opposite of obedience is to be self-willed.
Many Christians if not all Christians would like to be God’s friend as was Abraham, but the criteria is ‘perfecting’ or completing our faith by obeying. Please leave the sentimentality that God is our friend and start walking the journey of obedience first. That could account for the frivolity that we have in Christianity today for ‘familiarity breeds contempt. Let there be a sense of reverence and honor for the Almighty God. True obedience is inward reverence, not just outward expression.
2. Who is it that obeys?
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
(John 14:15)
True obedience has to be founded in love. In any love relationship we want to find out what the object of our love has in their hearts. For example, in a courting between and young man and a young woman, it could be red roses or chocolates or just sitting down and talking that pleases the other party. We would obviously avoid things that would cause hurt, discomfort or dislike in the other party. In order to please the other we would have to find out what is in the person’s heart first then completing it by the action.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
(1Jn 5:3)
If we desire to respond to our love of God, we will gladly do so by our obedience. In Gen 29:20, after having been cheated of 7 years and having to slave (the word ‘work’ in this verse carry connotation of being a bond-servant of Laban) for another 7 years for his beloved Rachel, was but a few days. Oh, how we need to come back to this place of love relationship with our Lord that involves pleasing Him first for it should bring us joy in doing so rather than finding it a chore.
3. God’s divine order
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
(Eph 6:1-4)
God’s divine order is the secret to family unity in these days of divorces (even in churches) and breakdown of relationship between parents and children. This commandment teaches us to honor our parents whom we can see, like wise we will be able to honor our Father who we can’t see physically. The promise to children would be live long, beyond living long is to live a fulfilled life without regrets. Jesus died at 33 and many great men and women died young like Jim Elliot who died at the age of 28. The man that wrote ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose’ didn’t die before his time, but lived to the fullest of God’s timeline for him. The mission to the Auca Indians in Ecuador didn’t end abruptly but had long lasting fruit in that indigenous people group. Surely Jim Elliot didn’t die an untimely death but lived to the fullest of God’s plan. Jesus lived and died and cried out that it was finished on the cross and we are now recipients of that blessing of salvation. Again we see God’s sovereign hand at work in multiplying to bless generations down the road.
For parents, the Apostle warns us not to provoke our children to wrath. Today we see many children growing up angry. This is clearly reflected in their music, dressing and lifestyle. Dear parents, in order not to push our children down this road of destruction, we have to be parents that are ‘in the Lord’. Parents must come under the Lord-ship of Jesus Christ. Parents have to show the example of submission and obedience to their Lord. Children are not blind to see if their parents live double-lives. Parents can’t afford to live as hypocrites before their children. There are always the pairs of eyes staring at their parents in observation on how they respond to life.
5. What does obedience bring us to?
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
(Heb 11:17)
Obedience will finally be put to the ultimate test. Are God’s promises and blessings more important than the Giver? The Isaac’s that God will try us are not necessary bad but could be the best of God’s blessings and promises.
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
(Gen 22:1-5)
Abraham left the 2 young men behind because the test of obedience is going beyond alone. There is such sacredness in God’s testing that it should not be publicized but only witnessed by God and not man. The number 2 speaks of division as in creation started on the second day (Gen 1:6). In the incident of the first bringing back of the ark to Jerusalem in 2 Sam 6, there were 2 men, Uzzah which means ‘strength’ and Ahio which means ‘brotherly or good intentions’. In the finality of our obedience God wants us to leave our strength and all that we are within ourselves; and good intentions behind to face the test. Stripped of these two would mean we are brought to the end of ourselves. And test of obedience will in the end bring us to this stage. Is it about God or is it about us?
On the third day (in Hos 6:2 the third day is the day of raising up or resurrection as with Jonah and Jesus) the test of obedience took place. The test of obedience would determine if we will live before God or before man. Are we to live for men to see or for God to see?
All this is a reflection of Luke 9:23, when confronted with our cross. It’s the end of ourselves and starting the journey that Christ liveth in me (Gal 2:20).
……for now I know …….
(Gen 22:12)
God wants to know if we will obey Him to the end. The word ‘know’ is the same word used in Gen 4:1 when Adam knew Eve to conceive a child, this knowing is in deepening intimacy that produces fruit or multiplication. At this time of history the sealing of the deep intimate friendship between God and Abraham to multiply the latter’s seed and bring generational blessings. In other occasions it mentions that God spoke to Abraham, but in this incident God spoke to Abraham out of heaven. It seems that at this crucial time of the test of obedience Heaven and Earth would meet. We should not be afraid of such test of obedience because it brings Heaven down into our lives. Ever wondered why many of us don’t have the reality of Heaven in our Christian pilgrimage?
Finality of obedience brings us to the place like Abraham is unquestionable obedience and complete trust in God’s divine purposes to break us as broke bread (multiply) and feed (generational blessings). This kind of obedience changes our status to being a friend of God.
