Obeying from the Heart
INTRODUCTION.
A. In Romans 6, Paul reminds the Christians of their salvation in Jesus Christ. Notice the following past tense phrases:
1. “How shall we who died to sin” (v 2)
2. “as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death” (v 3)
3. “we were buried with Him through baptism into death” (v 4)
4. “if we have been united together in the likeness of His death” (v 5)
5. “that our old man was crucified with Him” (v 6)
6. “Now if we died with Christ” (v 8)
7. “yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered” (v 17)
8. “having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (v 18)
9. “having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God” (v 22)
B. Having seen the past tense phrases in this passage, we can learn what happened to the people in Rome who “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine,” or who became Christians.
1. If you are not yet a child of God, a Christian, then listen carefully for you too must obey from the heart the Word of God.
2. If you are a Christian, then use this opportunity to remind yourself of the time when you were baptized into the death of Jesus Christ, rising up to walk in a newness of life.
I. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ONE OBEYS FROM THE HEART?
A. One’s decision to obey is based upon his knowledge of Jesus Christ and his subsequent belief in Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:14-17)
B. If a person truly believes in Jesus, then he should be willing to change and obey Jesus. (Cf. Proverbs 4:23; Luke 6:45; Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38)
C. Consider what happened to the saints in Rome when they had “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine.” They:
1. Were baptized into Jesus. (Romans 6:3; cf. Galatians 3:26-27)
2. Were baptized into Jesus’s death. (Romans 6:3)
3. Rose up to walk in a new life. (Romans 6:4)
4. Were united in the likeness of Jesus’s resurrection. (Romans 6:5)
5. Crucified that old man of sin to no longer be a slave of sin. (Romans 6:6-7)
6. Lived with Christ. (Romans 6:8-9)
7. Became dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)
D. If someone who is not a Christian will obey from his heart the teachings of Jesus, then the same things will happen to him.
1. He will be baptized into Jesus. (Romans 6:3)
2. He will be baptized into Jesus’s death. (Romans 6:3)
3. He will rise up to walk in a new life. (Romans 6:4)
4. He will be united in the likeness of Jesus’s resurrection. (Romans 6:5)
5. He will crucify that old man of sin to no longer be a slave of sin. (Romans 6:6-7)
6. He will live with Christ. (Romans 6:8-9)
7. He will become dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)
II. OBEYING FROM THE HEART DEMANDS OUTWARD OBEDIENCE.
A. One may say that he believes, but if he does not obey Jesus Christ (does the will of the Father in heaven), then he will not be saved. (Cf. Matthew 7:21-23)
1. Some religions will look to some passages to teach that man is saved by faith only. (John 3:16; Romans 10:13; Ephesians 2:8)
2. However, these passages do not teach faith to the exclusion of obedience. To say that one can be saved without doing the will of the Father in heaven, without obeying the commands of Jesus to repent (inward and outward action) and be baptized (outward action) is to contradict other Bible passages.
3. Regarding Ephesians 2:8, Paul is reminding Christians that their salvation is by the grace of God. However, how shall a person benefit from the grace of God if he is unwilling to do the will of the Father or of His Son, Jesus Christ?
B. James teaches that faith without works is dead. (James 2:14-26)
1. “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17, NKJV)
2. “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20, NKJV)
3. “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” (James 2:24, NKJV)
4. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26, NKJV)
C. In the case of the saints in Rome, their obedience from the heart led them to be baptized into Jesus Christ. As a result, they rose up to walk in a newness of life.
1. The saints’s “newness of life” demanded a change within their lives.
a. “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.” (Romans 6:12, NKJV)
b. “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” (Romans 6:13, NKJV)
2. Consider Paul’s instructions to the brethren in Colosse regarding sins they were to put out of their lives. (Colossians 3:8-11)
CONCLUSION.
A. If you are not yet a child of God, if you have not been baptized into Jesus Christ so that you can be saved, then believe in Jesus Christ and obey from your heart the doctrine of Jesus Christ. If you will do so, then you will rise up to walk in a newness of life, having put to death your old man of sin.
1. You will be saved. (Mark 16:16)
2. You will receive the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38)
3. Your sins will be washed away. (Acts 22:16)
4. You will put on Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:27)
5. You will be in Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27)
B. Some may say, “I have already been baptized. I was baptized in the _____________ church.” (I.e. Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc.) Therefore, they believe they do not need to be baptized again. If you believe this way, then go ask the person who baptized you or someone from that religious body the following questions:
1. “Was I saved before or after I was baptized?” (Mark 16:16)
2. “Did I receive the remission of my sins before or after I was baptized?” (Acts 2:38)
3. “Were my sins washed away before or after I was baptized?” (Acts 22:16)
4. “Did I put on Jesus before or after I was baptized?” (Galatians 3:27)
5. “Was I in Jesus before or after I was baptized?” (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27)
6. If your preacher or religious group answers “before” to any of these questions, then you were not baptized by the same baptism taught by Jesus and His apostles. If you believe in Jesus Christ and are willing to obey Him, then be baptized into Jesus Christ today.
C. If you are a Christian, then keep belief and obedience within your heart. Allow your belief and obedience to control your outward actions. If you find yourself giving in to temptations, then repent (turn away) and ask God to forgive you.
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Obeying from the Heart -- April 4, 2004 -- File # 2042 - First Principle
by John M. Duvall -- Lawton, OK