The Obedience of Faith

I began studying the letter Paul wrote the Colossian Church yesterday. Though my first reading and subsequent study, dealt only with the first eight verses, which would be considered merely the greeting of the letter, I have already learned something new and vital to my understanding of the life of a Christian in respect to faith.

My newfound knowledge came in the area of the word faith.  In verse three, Paul is telling the Colossians how he thanks God for them, whenever he prays for them. He then explains why he thanks God for them, saying in verse four, it is “because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints.”

In my study I learned that the Greek word used for faith is pistis, which is derived from the Greek word peithō. A deeper study of the Greek word peithō tells us that one of the meanings it carries is to obey. So, when we define faith, we find that it involves a belief that the object of our faith is something that we can have so much confidence in, that we are compelled to obey its source. And what is the primary source of our faith? It is Jesus who we place our faith in. Thus, our faith, as defined in the scriptures, demands our obedience to the object of our faith. In simple terms, we are to have such a strong confidence in Jesus, that we are led to believe that what He says to us, is true and we can rest confidently in obedience to Him. We are to obey what Jesus has said to us.

The very reason that Paul opens his letter by telling the church at Colossae that he thanks God for them, is because they are obedient to Christ’s call on their lives and that is demonstrated to all by their love for each other. Remember that in the New Testament, every single Christian is called a saint. When Paul says they love the saints, he is speaking of the love they have for their brothers and sisters in Christ. Every single person who has entered into the family of God by their faith in Jesus, is called to love their fellow saints in the faith. 1 John 3:14 gives us the litmus test for true faith in Christ saying that “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.”

If we do not love our brothers and sisters in Christ, then our profession of faith is a farce and a lie. Unless that love exists, we are not Christians. This confirms the idea of faith demanding obedience to Jesus.

As I pondered this thought over the course of my day, the Holy Spirit began to work on me. By evening I had moved on to other thoughts and had as usual, went back to the everyday things of life. But at 3:00 a.m. this morning, I woke up with a bit of a headache. As someone who stumbles through with the struggles of what the shrinks call bi-polar manic depression, I often cannot sleep. What happens is my brain won’t turn off. It’s sort of a sensory overload, I guess, and it can be quite frustrating, as it just becomes impossible to rest.

So, here I am awake in the early hours of the morning. But rather than fight the battle to go back to sleep, this morning I could hear that quiet voice of God speaking. First of all, I took a few minutes in prayer just to praise and thank God for the blessings of my life. Then I simply let God speak and what I am hearing this morning is Jesus preaching the sermon we all know and call the Sermon on the Mount. As the Holy Spirit brought that sermon back to my mind, I began to ask myself questions. Questions that center on my faith. This morning I am sharing those questions with those of you reading this. The questions are to be answered in the context of faith, meaning that I am to obey my Lord, Jesus, for that is what saying I have placed my faith in Him means. It means I trust Him so much that I am willing to do the things He calls me to do. My prayer for each of you is that you will take some time to open your Bible and answer some of these questions in your own heart.

For me, this morning, my questions come straight from what we call the Beatitudes.

Am I poor in spirit? Do I mourn? Am I gentle? Do I hunger and thirst for righteousness? Am I merciful? Am I pure in heart? Am I a peacemaker? Have I been persecuted for the sake of righteousness? Have people insulted and persecuted me, saying false, evil things against me because of Jesus?

Those are powerful questions that honestly, bring strong conviction to my heart. I don’t think I can say yes to most of those questions, so in them I have a lot of soul searching to do.

The reward for living the life that Jesus describes there, which goes completely counter to the culture we live in, is that we will be blessed. Blessed here brings the connotation of happiness. Look at the rewards of such a life.

Matthew 5:3-12
 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.”

Even in the early morning, when my eyes are fuzzy and my brain tired, I can see clearly the power and blessings of an obedient life of faith.

How about you?

I hope and pray your faith and my faith will reveal itself to each other and, to the unsaved world, so that Christ will be glorified, and His love will be on display for all to see.

I’m tired now. But having spent time this morning in God’s Word, causes me to simply rest in Jesus. I hope you also will do the same.