Obedience is NOT part of the gospel.
And there it is. The lie that we have swallowed hook line and sinker.
On the last day, when it is time for each one of us to give account for what has been entrusted to us in this life, what do we find according to scripture? Do we see Jesus telling people who have disobeyed the gospel call to be doers of the word and not hearers only that it is all ok? Will Jesus wink at us and our willful sins and say
"C'mon in anyway, you said that one prayer fifty years ago that makes your life of full disobedience a moot point" ?
And shall He then turn to the non-religious disobedient one and say "Depart from me, ALL ye that work iniquity" and then cast them into everlasting hell? Have we forgotten that our Jesus has told us that to whom much is given, much is required? We are about to get a reminder, and praise God, with it will be the secret we have missed as to HOW to insure that we do what God desires of us. We are about to be shown the truth of the new nature and that it must be PUT ON.
Who do we think these people are who were shocked and rejected on the last day?? Nominal Christians? Those from denominations other than our own? Those who never spoke in tongues? These people cast out demons, guys. They did many wonderful works...in their own minds at least.
But in the end, righteous judgment will reign. God will see the thoughts and intents of each of our hearts. Those who did the will of God, and even those who wanted to but knew not how, they all entered into the glory of heaven. Those who disobeyed, who remained religious and yet were as Jesus called them,
whitewashed tombs, all prettied up outwardly but rulers over themselves still inwardly, found to their shock and horror that obedience DID have much to do with the gospel.
The difference between the two covenants is NOT that obedience is not desired or required in the new. It is that under the old covenant, the law, true obedience was impossible. Our natures were disobedient ones! We could not truly obey no matter how dedicated we were or how hard we tried to do what was right. But praise the Lord, under the new covenant though, the pathway to our becoming fully obedient to the leadings of the Lord, to our walking as a true friend of the Lord, is made available to the hungry humble ones by way of faith alone. He wants to impart to us brand new obedient natures, where we not only want to do His will, but actually DO IT.
Do we think God gives us the Holy Sprit so He can hear us speak in tongues or perform miracles or speak prophecies? No. He gives us the indwelling Spirit and His spiritual gifts
for the perfecting of the saints... to make us holy, obedient children, where walking as living sacrifices is not viewed as extremism.
In truth, the early church lived this out and turned the entire world upside down in one generation. The devil trued through Ananias and Saphira to infiltrate the purity of the church and we know how that turned out. Let each one of us know this though. Before our Lord comes back for His bride, we will have the blinders removed from our eyes and discover that the joy of our salvation is found only when we finally fully surrender to let Him rule over us in ALL things. Savior AND Lord. Those who want to claim the blood but who have no desire to obey Him in love will find to their horror that God sees through our smokescreens of excuses and will ask us
"Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do, or even want to do those things I command you?"
Currently, we cringe when we hear that.
Legalism, we cry!
How can we truly be free if we have to be servants ? We are sons, not servant! And it is that blindness that has infected us, that has hardened our hearts, that has caused us to be seen as nothing more than religious hypocrites to the world we were sent to lead to Christ.
But God will not let his glorious name be blasphemed by His own people much longer. If our lives are not demonstrating what God can do to change our rebellious disobedient selves into love filled obedient children, bond servants who LOVE to obey their Lord, then it is time for tears, not our defending the indefensible position that obedience is not part of the gospel.
In truth, obedience is the very purpose of the gospel, the HOW to our being made holy, and yet as of now, how few there are who see it.... and few less who want it. But.....not for long.
God said
"I shall yet be inquired of by the house of Israel to DO IT FOR THEM."
Our path will soon lead us into the valley of decision, where each one of us will ultimately choose whom we will serve.....Him or us. We cannot serve both. Either our faith must die, or our old self nature must be hated and denied. There simply is no way around it.
Blessings,
Gids
