Belief and Obedience

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. -John 3.36

As Jesus concludes His conversation with Nicodemus, He issues this statement about belief and obedience. Believing in Jesus is the key to eternal life, but in order to receive that life, Jesus must be obeyed. It is not enough to simply acknowledge that Jesus exists, had good moral teachings, and loved people. The teachings of Jesus must be obeyed for His promised blessings to be inherited.

This is not a faith and works thing, works don't bring about salvation, but they are the result of a genuine faith transformation. Some of Jesus' final words to His disciples are recorded in Matthew 28, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt 28.19-20). Jesus instructs His followers to make disciples, those who believe and follow, to obey all of His teachings.

Obedience is the natural overflow of true belief. To see the life given through belief, Jesus must be obeyed. Without obedience to Christ, we have the wrath of God. It is not enough to believe that Jesus was real, that does not get you to heaven. Belief in Jesus means obedience to Jesus, and it is this obedience that brings us into eternal life.

Tertullian said, "When we come to believe, we have no desire to believe anything else; for we begin by believing that there is nothing else which we have to believe." When we come to faith in Christ, we commit to obey Him, because it is by the act of believing we say there is nothing else worth following.

To inherit the life promised in Christ, Jesus must be believed in and obeyed.

TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!