Obedience out of Faith

Romans 1:3-4
...concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,
4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name’s sake,
:6 and whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ

In Paul’s introduction to the book of Romans he speaks of Jesus
being declared the Son of God with power as a result of the resurrection from the dead.

In reading this passage Father, the words, “obedience of faith” stood out to me.

The thought that came to me immediately was that obedience comes out of real, living faith not morality. Morality is a good and right thing. But a person can have morality without faith in Your Son, Jesus. There are many people who live what they consider moral lives and have a religion that teaches that their morality is enough to satisfy their god.

500 years before Christ, a man in India named Siddhartha, thought that he found the life’s secret to happiness. He “taught his followers that they should be honest, make peace with their enemies, and avoid violence (even to animals and insects). He became known as the Buddha.” (taken from Story of the World)

In China, at the same time, a man named Confucius, seeing war and turmoil all around him, came to believe that even the poorest Chinese could have peace and happiness.
He became a wise teacher of the Chinese, teaching them to respect authority, to believe in obedience, kindness, and many other good and moral things. (Story of the World)

Morality definitely gives a person a better life. But what a difference when our faith in a Living God, who is victorious over death, is the central focus of our behavior. When we choose to live out of an intimacy with the Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, we learn to have the confidence in His love and care for us based on what He has done and not on our own good life. No human being can ever be perfect enough in their behavior to satisfy a Holy God (Rom 3:23).

Jesus’ death and resurrection and His life in us through the Holy Spirit is what gives us true peace, joy, and happiness in this journey on earth. As a believer in the Risen Christ, we have received the grace, which pours forth out of its deep well within us, to bring about obedience.
He alone is worthy of glory and praise.