Ignoring The Obvious

Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?  May it never be.  Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience, resulting in righteousness? Romans 6:15-16

Obey – What is the name for a Christian who doesn’t obey the Word of God?  No, it’s not “carnal.”  Louis Sperry Chaffer made up that moniker about sixty years ago.  The apostles had a different name for a person who claims Christ as Lord but has no outward signs of transformation.  They called this person a liar!  If that seems too harsh for you, it’s time for you to re-read the Scriptures.  Faith without works isn’t immature or deficient.  It’s dead!  It’s as good as being in the grave.  Paul uses another metaphor of the same thing – slavery.  If you want to know the truth about someone’s claim to be a follower of the way, examine his behavior.  You’ll know right away whose slave he is.  It’s obvious, isn’t it?

You’ll notice something else about Paul’s use of the slave metaphor.  I don’t stop being a slave just because I become a Christian.  Being under grace does not remove the need for obedience.  I am not free to follow my own heart.  Grace redeems me from the consequences of sin in order that I may become an obedient slave.  Being an obedient slave doesn’t save me.  God saves me.  But He saves me so that I can be the obedient slave I was supposed to be.  In other words, grace makes obedience possible.  God doesn’t deliver me so that I can go to heaven.  God delivers me so that I can be His slave.

Paul’s metaphor focuses on the Greek word hypakoe.  Yes, it means “to obey,” but there is something in this verb that we should notice.  It comes from the root word akouo that means “to hear.”  Now you can see the connection to Paul’s Hebraic background.  When Paul says that we are slaves to the one we obey, he uses a word that recalls the Shema.  To hear and to obey are the same word in Hebrew.  What Paul suggests is that our behavior demonstrates who we are listening to.  We might say what we believe, but we do what we really value, and it is in the doing that our true allegiance is shown.  The apostolic writings are filled with this concept.  In fact, it’s impossible to miss – if you read what the text actually says rather than ignoring what doesn’t fit the carnal Christian modification.  There are no fence-sitters in the Kingdom.  I am either aligned with God’s will, striving to be obedient because He has rescued me, or I am a slave to another voice.  I am either listening to (and obeying) God or I am listening to (and obeying) some other master.  There is no middle ground.

Too often our preoccupation with entry passes at the pearly gates clouds the obvious requirement of obedience.  We get confused because we know that salvation is not a matter of meritorious effort.  But we forget that grace has a purpose, and it’s not catching the train out of here.  Just as God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt in order that Israel might serve Him as a royal priesthood, so we are delivered from bondage in order that we might serve Him as a holy nation.  That part of the plan has never changed.  It’s just become more obvious over the last five thousand years.

There is a fine line between grace and obedience.  Effort doesn’t save us, but once saved, effort is the name of the game.  You and I get to walk that fine line, maintaining our status as slaves of the Most High God by listening and obeying.  We are privileged to be His.  Now we get to show it.

Topical Index:  Slave