A study of the Scriptures reveals that God created man to be in a relationship with Him, a relationship of love and trust (1 John 4:19), so He gave us free will: the choice to love Him in return or not; and the measuring stick of that love that we choose to demonstrate to Him is our obedience.
The choice of disobedience
The book of Genesis tells us the story of the world’s creation: how God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them; and how he formed man and then woman in his image. He named the man Adam, and his wife was called Eve. Because he loved them and wanted their well-being, he placed them in the Garden of Eden, where they lacked nothing, suffered nothing, and were given authority and a mandate to rule over all creation. But most importantly, in Eden, they could live in perfect harmony with God.
Indeed, God took pleasure in spending time with men, in building with them this relationship of love and trust. The latter were subject to only one restriction: that of not eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2.16-17). But, Adam and Eve, seduced by the serpent, gave in to the temptation to become “like God” and disobeyed him by eating the forbidden fruit.
The choice of disobedience had disastrous consequences for Adam and Eve: sin (which in turn led to emotional wounds, illness, oppression, etc.) and death both physical and spiritual. Moreover, this curse was unfortunately not buried with them: it spread to all humanity. Thus, all men, no matter the era in which they were born, were subjected to the law of sin and death because of the disobedience of one man.
Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed upon all men because all have sinned Romans 5.12
The consequences of choosing disobedience are therefore radical and final. And we would all have been lost if it had not been for the obedience of one man, the one the Bible calls “the second Adam”: Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
The choice of obedience
God, in his immense and eternal love for us, had prepared a plan for our salvation even before the first man sinned against him. Now for this plan to be realized, and for us all to receive the gift of grace, which is salvation and the happiness of being reconciled with God in paradise for eternity, the only Son of God needed to choose obedience. Jesus had to voluntarily come down from heaven to live as a man among men; he had to teach them the ways that please God; he had to undergo the same trials as us, be subjected to the same temptations, but without ever sinning; but above all, he had to agree to give his life for men, to die an atrocious, unjust and dishonorable death at the hands of those very people he had come to save. His cross was very heavy to bear, and his pain (and very often his solitude) was undoubtedly unbearable. And yet, the Bible tells us that Jesus succeeded in his mission: “He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of a cross” (Phil 2:7-8). This is why he remains our model par excellence forever.
Through Christ’s obedience, God saves, forgives, redeems, and declares righteous all men who believe in Him. Through Christ’s obedience, God’s perfect plan was fulfilled. Through Christ’s obedience, the devil and his demons were defeated. Through Christ’s obedience, you have been freed from the bondage of sin, you no longer have Adam’s DNA, but God’s DNA, for you are now His child!
This is what hangs in the balance when the Bible speaks to us about obedience. The choice to obey God is, in many cases, a choice between life and death. Choose life so that you may live.
Obey God Every Day of Your Life
Choosing to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior is irrevocably the most important decision of your entire life, and we are thrilled that you have chosen life. However, it is far from the only choice you will make until the Lord calls you home. We all make choices every day of our lives, even multiple times a day. And each of these choices in your daily life is an invitation to surrender your own will to submit to God’s will.
The Importance of Obedience in Our Relationship with God
· We align ourselves with His perfect plan for us (Rom. 8:28); · We deepen our intimacy with Him and He leads us to be like Him (John 14:21); · Our ways please Him and He grants us His favor (John 15:7); · We ensure that we are good and faithful servants, useful to the Church and rewarded in heaven (Matt. 25:23); · We remain covered by grace, His mercy and His protection (Prov. 2:7-8).
Why does God want us to obey him?
1. Because he is our Father, Lord and Master.
God wants our love for Him to be true, genuine, and sincere. To obey Him is to show Him that we trust Him and know that as Father, He wants the best for us; as Lord, He knows what is best for us; and as Master, He has the power to accomplish His purposes for us.
2. To prove our love to him
Every time we obey God, He feels loved and this shows that we are grateful to Him. Consequently, our ability to obey determines the love we have for God.
3. Because he will give us eternal life and bless us
When we obey God, He is proud of us, and He blesses us, which guarantees us eternal life with Him. It is important to view obedience to God as a joy, not a constraint.
