| “because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statues, and My laws.” Genesis 26:5 Living obediently to God can be daunting for many Christians because they might not know where to start. Afterall, the Bible contains a lot of commandments, laws, and restrictions for Christian living. Abraham lived obediently to God, and this was without: the Law of Moses, Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament), the Prophets, and the New Testament letters and Gospels. Yet here we have this beautiful statement in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, “…Abraham obeyed Me…”. Progressive Revelation is a term that refers to the fact that God progressively revealed Himself to His people over time, but at all times, God revealed enough of Himself for people to be held accountable according to what was revealed to them. Adam and Eve were held accountable to the very first rule, “do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil”, and when they disobeyed, they were held accountable to what God had revealed to them. Abraham was justified through faith by his obedience to what God had commanded him to do, leaving his homeland and going to the land of Canaan (Genesis 12). He was also justified through faith when he obediently laid out his son, Isaac, on the altar to slay him as a sacrifice to God, believing that God would somehow raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11). The Israelites were given by God the Ten Commandments and the entire Law of Moses so that they would understand what it means to be “holy” as the LORD is holy, while the animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins were a shadow of the Lamb of God who would eventually come and be the final sacrifice for sins for all time. The apostles and followers of The Way in the New Testament church were given the full revelation of the teachings of Jesus and the Gospel that were in accordance with the Law and the Prophets, as they were all about Jesus. If anyone were to sway or depart from the teachings of the New Testament church, they would be considered anathema (cursed) for going after a different gospel (Galatians 1). Where do I start as a Christian? I start wherever I can with whatever I know! I have my entire life to be able to dive deeper into God’s Word, but if I lack in obedience to what I already know, then what good is it to gain more knowledge? It would only condemn me more! For any Christian that is struggling with knowing where to begin in living in obedience to God, my suggestion is to simply start with what you know. If you know you are struggling with an addiction; deal with that. If you know that you are struggling in your role in your marriage, deal with that. If you know you have anger issues, deal with that. If you feel lost as a parent, deal with that. Romans 2:14-15 says, “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law…they show the work of the Law written on their hearts…” God has given every human being a general understanding of good and evil, but only Christians can understand the complete revelation of good and evil as described in the Ten Commandments and the fulfillment of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. If you only know a little bit of the Bible, then be obedient to the little that you know, all the while pursuing a greater and deeper understanding of God’s Word. James 1:22 says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, not merely hearers who delude themselves” Christian, go and live in obedience according to what you already know God wants from you, and then continue to grow in your understanding of God’s grace and holiness through His Word so that you can increase in your obedience to the Him who loves you and gave His only Son for you. Grace and peace to you, Pastor Corwin |
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