Bible Blueprint Bible Study

      In this series of lessons, we have learned many things.

• In lesson one, we examined the wonderful Bible. We saw the unity of the Bible, the validity of the Bible, the history contained in the Bible, and the promises of salvation.
• In lesson two, we saw the problem of sin and what Jesus did to make possible the forgiveness of our sins. We also showed the steps to the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God.
• In lesson three, we introduced the church built by Jesus. We defined the church, showed its establishment, its ownership, and explained how it is the body of Jesus Christ.
• In lesson four, we examined the local church. We defined what is a local church, what is the organization of the local church, and what is the work of the local church.

      We have now reached a point in our study where we must stress obedience to God. For you see, a person cannot be a part of the church, the body of Christ, without full obedience to God's will. With this lesson, we will show the level of obedience God expects from each and every one of us.

The Need to Obey God's Word

      In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus showed the necessity of obeying His Heavenly Father. Jesus taught, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23) As we can clearly see, simply saying, “Lord, Lord,” is not sufficient. The person who truly calls upon the name of the Lord is the one who does the will of God. That is to say, he obeys the Father in Heaven.

      How can we know the will of God for mankind? The answer is simple: Look to the Bible. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17) God revealed His will through the writings of the prophets and the apostles who wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (cf. John 14:25-26; 16:13; Ephesians 2:20) Just as God's will for the nation of Israel was revealed in the Old Testament, His will for man today is revealed in the New Testament. If we are to know the will of God, then we are to study His word. As Paul wrote, God’s words are profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.

      When a person disobeys the will of God, he is practicing lawlessness or iniquity. Regarding the disobedient person Jesus declared, “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:23) This type of lawlessness or disobedience will keep a person out of the kingdom of Heaven. Take a moment to read the parable of the wise man and the foolish man. Consider the outcome of the wise man, the one who obeyed, and the foolish man, the one who disobeyed. (Matthew 7:24-27)

      In addition to obedience leading a person to Heaven, obedience to the will of God will put a person in a loving relationship with God. Consider the words of Jesus when He taught, “. . . He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. . . If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:21-23) Do you desire to be in a loving relationship with God? Do you desire to go to Heaven? If so, then obey God today.

The Need to Obey the Teachings of Jesus Christ

      There are several reasons why we should obey the teachings of Jesus Christ. For instance, we should obey Jesus because He taught the will of God. In John 14:24, Jesus said, “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.” (John 14:24) Jesus also said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19)

      Another reason we must obey the teachings of Jesus has to do with the day of judgment. Consider the following two scriptures written by the apostle Paul. The apostle Paul wrote, “. . . in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” (Romans 2:16) Also, in 2 Timothy 4:1 we read, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:” As is made very clear by the scriptures, we must obey Jesus Christ because He will judge each and every one of us.

      Obedience being linked to salvation is another great reason to obey the teachings of Jesus. According to Mark 16:15-16, obedience brings salvation. Jesus told His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16) Take notice of the fact that Jesus defines the gospel (good news) as: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” However, Jesus also issued the warning: “He who does not believe will be condemned.” With belief and obedience to the command to be baptized, a person will be saved. Without obedience, there is nothing that can save.

      Do you need one more reason to obey Jesus Christ? Here is a great reason: Obeying Jesus will keep you from seeing spiritual death. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” (John 8:51) You do not have to spend eternity in Hell. Obey the commands of Jesus today and be saved.

The Need to Obey the Teachings of the Inspired Writings

      Before Jesus left this earth, He made a promise to His apostles. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:25-26) Jesus had promised to send the Holy Spirit to teach the apostles all things that they were to teach to man. Jesus also said, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)

      Just before He ascended into Heaven, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) The apostles obeyed Jesus when they went teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

      How was the world to know that what the apostles were teaching had come from the mind of God? The teachings of the apostles were confirmed by God through signs and wonders. Consider the following passage from the book of Hebrews. “For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” (Hebrews 2:2-4) Take notice that the words spoken by the Lord (Jesus) and by those who heard Him were confirmed with “signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.” The inspired words of the apostles were confirmed by miracles.

      What happens if a person rejects the teachings of the apostles? The person who rejects the apostles also rejects Jesus. The person who rejects Jesus also rejects God. Jesus said the following, “18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. . . 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also.” (John 15:18,23) I John 2:23 also reads, “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:23)

      As we have shown, to obey the writings of the apostles and inspired writers is to obey the words of Jesus. To obey the words of Jesus is to obey God.

Obedience Must Work with Faith

      While obedience is extremely important to one's salvation, without faith, outward obedience is meaningless. For you see, without faith, a person cannot please God. This fact is made plain in Hebrews 11:6, which reads, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) No matter how many outward works a person may do, without faith, God will never be pleased. The fact that a person can please the creator of the universe should motivate each and every one of us to have faith.

      In the teachings of Jesus Christ, we often see Him teaching both belief (faith) and obedience. For instance, in John 3:16, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Then, in Matthew 7:21, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) So, which is it? Does Jesus require belief or obedience? We must remember that it is not an either / or situation, but a combination of both belief and obedience. This fact is made clear in Mark 16:16. Jesus taught His disciples to teach the following: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) In this statement by Jesus, we see that belief (faith) must be accompanied with obedience, in this case, baptism. What is the significance of Jesus saying that “he who does not believe will be condemned”? The answer is quite simple: Without belief, no amount of outward action will matter. Both belief and obedience must be present in a person’s life.

      Lest a person say that a man can be saved by his faith but without obedience to God's word, let us consider the following excerpts from James 2:14-26:

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? . . . 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. . . 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? . . . 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. . . 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:14-26)

      The aforementioned passage leaves no doubt that faith without works is dead. There is only one time in the Bible where the phrase "faith only" is used. That passage is James 2:24. As you can tell from the above quote, James 2:24 is teaching that a man is justified by both his faith and his works. Man is not justified by faith only.

Our Obedience Must be in Word and in Deed

      As explained in lesson two, true obedience to God's will begins with a person believing in Jesus Christ (John 3:16), repenting of his sins (Luke 13:3), confessing his faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized into Jesus Christ (Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-4). These are the first steps in a person turning to a life of faithful obedience to our Heavenly father.

      After a person is saved, he should then live a life of obedience to God and His word. Paul wrote, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)

Conclusion

      If you have not taken the first steps towards belief and obedience to God's holy word, please consider doing so today. The following chart clearly reveals God's road map to salvation.

      Once you follow God's plan of salvation, you will be added to the church, the body of Christ. Once a member of the church of Christ, you can then begin faithfully working with a local church of Christ. You can do your part in your service to God by living a faithful life and working with the local church. However, it all begins with you taking the first steps toward eternal life with God in Heaven.

      If you have already taken the steps to salvation and, as a result, are a Christian, a child of God, then you must continue to live a faithful life. Living a faithful life to God means obeying God in every area of your life. If you are failing in obeying God, then it is time to repent of your sins and ask God to forgive you. If you will do so, then God will be just and faithful to forgive you of your sins. (cf. Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:8-10; 2:1-2)