Love the Lord Your God

In both testaments, the words for obey also carry the idea of hearing. The two concepts are inseparable. The Hebrew shama means both “to listen to” and “obey,” as does the Greek word hupakouo. The biblical concept is, then, of a hearing that takes place and the need to comply with what is heard … Obedience is the supreme test of faith in God (1 Samuel 15:22-24), or, as the NT puts it, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:14-26). Thus obedience and faith are always very closely linked in the Bible (Young, p. 396).

Jesus repeatedly called for obedience to God’s commandments and to His own teachings; we are called to put our faith into action. The commandments we are called to obey are best summarized by the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), Jesus’ Great Commandments to Love God with all your heart and soul and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:28-31), and the teachings of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1 – 7:29).

It is abundantly clear throughout the Bible that this is not an area where we are free to live by our own feelings of right and wrong. The principles that must guide our lives every minute of every day are set out in no uncertain terms. Perfect obedience must be our constant goal.

In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says that simply calling on Him is not sufficient to enter the kingdom of heaven; we must also do God’s will. In the Parable of The Wise and Foolish Builders (Luke 6:46-49), Jesus compares a man who hears His words and puts them into practice to a house built on a solid foundation or rock; it will weather any storm. On the other hand, a man who hears His words and does not put them into practice is like a house built without a foundation; the first storm will cause it to collapse and be destroyed.

Despite our best efforts, however, we are only human and will fail again and again to live up to the ideals set forth by Jesus. Fortunately, God is always willing to forgive and forget our sins and failures as long as we are sincerely sorry and are willing to also forgive those who sin against us.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by  admin.
• This topic was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by  admin.
• This topic was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by  admin.
• This topic was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by  admin.