K145. How do we see obedience?

“Too often, we say we are defeated by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated. We are simply disobedient .. " -- Jerry Bridges 
Sleep well, brother Jerry, with obedience : https://plus.google.com/+DavidKowalski/posts/Gnv2fhcE54B

Obedience is a fruit of those who will be resurrected
Yes, Jesus died that we can become obedient to God, that we may sleep; and not die. Hence, obedience to all the words of God or all that God commanded us to do is not a boasting or self-effort in the eyes of God.
1. To the Israelites or God's chosen people, it was a privilege
2. To the hyper-grace preachers, it is a boasting and man's effort (Exo 24:7-8)
3. But to us, it is grace and faith
1Jn 3:4 KJV  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Rom 1:4-6 KJV  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:  (5)  By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:  (6)  Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
Hence, sin is disobedience and lawlessness; but, faith is obedience under the grace of God.

If we preach obedience as obedience, people will obey; otherwise ..
Now back to the question: How do we see obedience?
If we see obedience or preach obedience as a boasting or a man's effort, do you think that we will still obey? No, many of us will just want to believe or just think of it and confess it without doing anything. Some may even think of obedience to God's law as the curse of the law. But, if we see obedience as grace and faith, we will not only obey, we love to obey.
So, do we want the believers to obey or not to obey? If we want the believers to obey God, we preach obedience as grace and faith; but, if we want to the believers to do otherwise, we preach obedience as boasting or self-effort. This is the reason why we will never see common ground with those preachers (especially the hyper grace preachers) who preach obedience as boasting of self-effort or bondage of the law using their wrong interpretation with the following Bible verses:
Exo 24:7-8 KJV  And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.  (8)  And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.
Hyper grace preachers claim that the Israelites received the law because of their boasting; not because of their privilege to become God's people under the blood covenant. Some of them now turn back and say that we have misunderstood them because they preached obedience too. They insist that they told many people to obey God. But they forgot that they had argued vehemently that there is no more law too. When there is no more law, do you think that obedience has any meaning at all? If we are not under any law of God, we are still under sin.
a. Under the old covenant, the Israelites were under the law of Moses or blood covenant to do all the law which was given by (through) Moses, but now
b. Under the new covenant, we are under the law of Christ or blood covenant to do all the law which is given by (through) Jesus - this is known as grace and truth:
Joh 1:16-17 KJV  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.  (17)  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

'Grace for grace' is 'God's goodness will comes one after another'
Notice why John wrote in Joh 1:16 "grace for grace .." ? I think it can mean "grace after grace .." too. The law of Moses was a type of grace, a gift, a favour, a blessing, a privilege .. etc. But, when the 'grace and truth' of Jesus Christ came, it is 'grace for grace' or it is 'God's goodness comes one after another'. 'Grace for grace' is God's goodness comes now and it surpasses all the past favour, prosperity, or blessing which God had given to the Israelites. It is 'grace for grace' because grace is now greater as it is given through the death of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. However, it does not mean that there is no more law to keep. Notice that Moses sprinkled the blood on the Israelites and gave them the commandment to do all the law of God in Exo 24:7-8? Likewise, after the shedding of His blood, Jesus gave His disciples the commandment to do all that He has commanded them too:
Mat 28:17-20 KJV  And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.  (18)  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  (19)  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  (20)  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
In fact, this has already been confirmed by God Himself that we must hear and keep ALL that He commanded us to do:
Mat 17:5 KJV  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

God will always tell us to do all or more; not less
The Spirit of God and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ will always tell us to do more as we delight in His law:
Rom 7:22 KJV  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man ..
Rom 8:2-3 KJV For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  (3)  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh ..
Hence, when we are saved by grace, it does not mean that we are saved to be under no more law or to do no more law; it means that we are saved to be under the law of Christ to do all the law of Christ. Notice whenever God makes a covenant with men, He will always tell men to do ALL or keep ALL His commandments:
Jos 1:8 KJV  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Exo 19:7-8 KJV  And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.  (8)  And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
The principles still apply even in the law and doctrine of Christ:
Mat 28:19-20 KJV  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  (20)  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Php 4:13 KJV  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
In fact, Jesus does not want us to stop at the level of doing 'all things'; He wants us to go beyond the commandment or written boundaries of what we can keep - for example the Ten Commandments. He wants us to keep beyond what is written by the letters or boundaries of the law; in another words, He wants us to keep the law of the Spirit which has no boundaries and it is understood only by those who have the Spirit:
Mat 5:27-28 KJV  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:  (28)  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Mat 22:35-40 KJV  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,  (36)  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  (37)  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  (38)  This is the first and great commandment.  (39)  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  (40)  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (The lawyer hoped to do only the law to love God; but Jesus disappointed him by saying that he need to love God and men, including the poor, the widow, and the neighbour).
Rom 8:1-5 KJV  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  (3)  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  (4)  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (5)  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
2Co 3:6-9 KJV  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.  (7)  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:  (8)  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?  (9)  For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
This is another reason why hyper grace people dread to preach too much about the law of God, the Ten Commandments, or the law of Christ (Probably they hope to do only one law - ie. the law of 'grace' or the law of effortless 'metanoia').

God will not only tell us to do more; but do it better
We should delight in the word, the principle, the law, and the doctrine of God; not in the 'effortless' law or doctrine of the false prophets. When we say we truly delight in the law of God, we will do more and do it better; not just do it hypocritically or confess it verbally. This principle or law is confirmed consistently throughout all the words and teaching of Jesus Christ too:
Mat 5:27-47 KJV  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:  (28)  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.  (29)  And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell .. .. (42) Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.  (43)  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  (44)  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;  (45)  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  (46)  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  (47)  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?  (48)  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
False prophets will twist it and tell you to think otherwise or do otherwise as they will take out a Bible verse eg. Mat 5:29 and lie to you that it is impossible for you to keep any law of God, and therefore, it is not the will of God for you to do any law.

We are not saved by obedience; but without obedience we cannot be saved
Of course, we can preach and stress that we are not saved by obedience; we are saved by grace. We are not saved by obedience, by good works, by law, by doctrine, by love, by the Bible, or even by the Holy Spirit; but, we can certainly say that we are saved:
a. to have obedience,
b. to have good works,
c. to have the law of God,
d. to have sound doctrine,
e. to have the love of God,
f. to have the good words of God,
g. and to have the Holy Spirit
What if we see someone living without the proof or the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Can we say that he is not saved? Yes, of course. That's exactly what Jesus told us in Mat 7:15-23. By the fruit of the Holy Spirit in him or by his bad fruit or false doctrine, we can tell if he is saved or not saved. Similarly, if we see someone living without the proof or the fruit of obedience, good works, law of God, sound doctrine, love of God .. etc, we can say that he is not saved too.
Rom 7:22-23 KJV  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  (23)  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
1Th 4:1-3 KJV  Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.  (2)  For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.  (3)  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication ..
2Ti 2:4 KJV  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Heb 11:6 KJV  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hence, false prophets will never want us to please God; they will preach anything, any doctrine, any effortless philosophy, any lawlessness, or any 'hyper-grace' which does not please God.

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