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For by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Rom5:19 In nature when a thing obeys the principle within it for which it was made, that thing produces fruit. An apple seed will produce the good apple given the right circumstances unless something intervenes, like a frost for instance, which will keep it from producing the apple. Spiritually, when the seed of God''s word is planted in our hearts at rebirth, if we obey the Spirit and the word of God, we will produce the purpose and the fruit God planted in our heart. Through obedience, a thing will produce the purpose for which it was created and that purpose will be good. In Ephes5:22 Paul says, for example, that "Wives submit yourselves unto your husband." If wives submit or obey, the fruit of that obedience will produce a good husband, good children, and a meek and gentle spirit. When wives don't submit or obey, they produce much less than what God had intended. Similarly, if children obey their parents in the Lord, they produce the purpose for which they were created, loving and mature adults. It was no different with Christ. "Though he were a Son, Christ learned obedience by the things which he suffered." (Heb5:8) implies that Jesus was not inferior to the Father but was submissive nonetheless. In the same sense wives are not inferior to their husbands but by being obedient, they produce the fruit of "righteousness". "Jesus became obedient even unto death" (Phil2:8) captures the depth of Christ’s love for the church. He suffered crucifixion for the salvation of the world. We will thank Jesus for all eternity for the obedience of faith for through it we were born-again and made righteous. Adam's disobedience produced sinners. Christ's obedience produces saints. Temptation is that spiritual battle that occurs when one wants to submit to a lesser good now rather than suffer self-denial for a greater good later on. Jesus always submitted himself to the will of the Father. The temptation, whether in the physical, in the soul, or in the spirit (see the temptation in the wilderness Luke4) was always to satisfy "self" now, rather than satisfy the will of the Father. St. Paul puts it this way. "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" Obedience, if it means anything, means that "ye are not your own." That is suffering according to the will of God. One learns obedience by submitting to the word of God and the spirit informed by the Holy Spirit and not "fulfilling the lust of the flesh." (Gal5:16b) The fruit of obedience is righteousness and holiness, not only for one's self but for the kingdom of God. Obedience to the word (seed) and the spirit produces good fruit always, just as disobedience produces sin and sin produces death. To be obedient is to be like Christ. To be disobedient produces bastards and not sons. My charge to you is 'OBEDIENT'. Amen. |