Aspects of Obedience, Part 3: Positive Obedience

Positive Obedience

Once we have learned to refrain from disobedience and to walk in the light, we are ready for active, positive obedience.

Start out by learning to recognize the positive commands in Scripture. They are almost always expressed in superlatives. For example:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4).

Because the positive commands are so all-encompassing, it is easy for us to think of them as ideals rather than realistic requirements. So the next thing to do is accept them as they are. The Bible does not qualify them, and we do not have the freedom to qualify them either.

God provides several wonderful means of obeying these commands. The first is the death of Christ. We all know that Jesus died so we could be forgiven. Few of us realize that He died so we could be obedient. See Romans 6 for an explanation of the efficacy of the Cross in accomplishing obedience.

The second means of obedience is the fruit of the Spirit which God gives us when we receive Christ (Galatians 5:22-23). The fruit of the Spirit is also commanded in these passages:

• Love: Matthew 5:44
• Joy: Philippians 4:4
• Peace: Colossians 3:15
• Patience: 1 Timothy 6:11
• Kindness: Ephesians 4:32
• Goodness: Psalm 34:14
• Faithfulness: 1 Corinthians 4:2
• Gentleness: 2 Timothy 2:25
• Self-control: 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

The third means of obedience is the prayers of others for us. Colossians 1:9-10, Philippians 1:9, and Ephesians 3:14 are all examples of praying in the will of God for believers’ obedience. Wouldn’t you like to wake up in the morning “filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, pleasing God in every way and bearing fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:9-10), all because someone prayed this for you?

The fourth means of obedience is using our will, but not willpower. It is as effortless as the first three.

"To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me" (Colossians 1:29).

Although Paul labors and struggles, he does it with God’s energy. Paul also says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness" (Colossians 2:6-7).

The three important words in this passage are as, received, and continue. As you received Christ Jesus as Lord. How did we receive Him? By grace through faith, not by our own goodness or by trying hard to receive Him. If we are to continue just like we started, then we are to live by faith, not by trying. The obedient life is like being born again continually. Grace and faith alone are the way we live in the kingdom.

The book of Galatians was written to people who were trying to be good after they had trusted Christ for salvation. Paul called them foolish. Trusting and trying are opposites. We cannot do them both at the same time. One of the common expressions I hear from Christians after they have fallen is, “But I tried.” That is the reason they fell. They tried.

The positive, obedient, Christian life is based on 1) the death of Christ, 2) the fruit of the Spirit, 3) the prayers of others, and 4) choosing to obey by trusting, not by trying. God’s standards are high, but His provision is just as high. His work takes the effort out of obedience.