There is a direct relationship between faith and obedience; faith is manifested only in obedience--there is no such thing as disobedient faith. Our faith is not perfect or faultless, but genuine faith is sincere and unfeigned ("The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith," says 1 Tim. 1:5). No one has perfect faith or perfect obedience and perfectionism is a false doctrine. We never reach a point of sinless perfection (of sins intentional, or no)t. "...He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Heb. 5:9).
The Holy Spirit has been given to all who obey Him (cf. Acts 5:32). Dietrich Bonhoeffer had a famous saying that is now an axiom: "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." We are saved through the obedience of our faith that is a gift of God. ("...He greatly helped those who by grace had believed," says Acts 18:27).
There is no such thing as a brand of Christian called "disobedient Christian," though Christians can disobey, sin, and fall short; but they have a desire and longing within to obey in their spirit. "For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ...For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ...For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being" (Rom. 7:15-22). In other words, we all fall short of our ideals and can't live up to our own standards--thank God for grace.
There is also no such thing as a carnal Christian having an excuse ("It's okay, pastor, I'm a carnal Christian") when caught in a sin. He must repent and if he belongs to the Lord he will be disciplined ("For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives," says Heb. 12:6). Christians don't get away with sin and are not happy out of fellowship with the Lord. The exhortation to all believers is to "trust and obey" and the song goes: "For there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
The acid test or the litmus test of the believer is his obedience and they are correlated in Heb. 3:18-19 as follows: "And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." True faith is manifested or demonstrated by obedience only. "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22). Soli Deo Gloria!
The Holy Spirit has been given to all who obey Him (cf. Acts 5:32). Dietrich Bonhoeffer had a famous saying that is now an axiom: "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." We are saved through the obedience of our faith that is a gift of God. ("...He greatly helped those who by grace had believed," says Acts 18:27).
There is no such thing as a brand of Christian called "disobedient Christian," though Christians can disobey, sin, and fall short; but they have a desire and longing within to obey in their spirit. "For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ...For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ...For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being" (Rom. 7:15-22). In other words, we all fall short of our ideals and can't live up to our own standards--thank God for grace.
There is also no such thing as a carnal Christian having an excuse ("It's okay, pastor, I'm a carnal Christian") when caught in a sin. He must repent and if he belongs to the Lord he will be disciplined ("For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives," says Heb. 12:6). Christians don't get away with sin and are not happy out of fellowship with the Lord. The exhortation to all believers is to "trust and obey" and the song goes: "For there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
The acid test or the litmus test of the believer is his obedience and they are correlated in Heb. 3:18-19 as follows: "And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." True faith is manifested or demonstrated by obedience only. "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22). Soli Deo Gloria!
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