Most people lack a biblical understanding of what obedience means under the covenant of grace. Some take it to mean knuckling under to someone else’s orders or instructions. Others define it as changing one’s behavior to follow the rules, but doing so unwillingly. Jesus’ finished works radically redefined what it means to obey, so that we now can have clarity and understanding in this area.

The world still lives with an old-covenant mindset about obeying. Under the law, God required strict obedience to a long list of inflexible regulations and requirements. An “if-then” expectation was in place; if the people obeyed perfectly, only then would they be blessed. Whoever kept all the law but missed on even one point was guilty of breaking all the commandments.

The law was perfect and reflected God’s morality; however, it had no wiggle room and was too perfect for imperfect man to keep. This all changed when God replaced it with grace. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. By Him, everyone who believes is justified from all things they couldn’t be justified from under the law.

God now measures obedience by faith, not by works. When the people saw Jesus doing miracles and asked Him what to do to work the works of God, Jesus answered that the work of God is to believe in the one whom He sent. This spares us from unnecessary empty works and gives us rest from them. Faith is so critical under the new covenant that God sees unbelief as disobedience. 

When God was leading the Israelites through the wilderness, their refusal to obey kept them from entering into the rest He’d promised them. He equated their unbelief with disobedience. For us today, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to all who believe. Simple faith is now what matters most to God.

Prayer:

Lord, we no longer have to work hard or perform perfectly to be considered obedient. We can now simply rest in Your love and grace and receive Your blessings by faith. This is a vast improvement from the law; thank You for making the change. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Scriptures:

Deuteronomy 28:1-13

James 2:10

John 1:17

Acts 13:39, NKJV

John 6:28, 29

Hebrews 3:18, 19

Romans 10:4