The connection between the new nature that God put within us at salvation and our obedience to Him is so vital that I want to spend some time establishing it first. God announced in Jeremiah 31:31-34 that someday He would relate to human beings in a new way called the new covenant. This covenant is not based on law and animal sacrifice, but on the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The main feature of the new covenant is this: “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it” (v. 33).
This is a promise of the new nature and new relationship we have with God as believers today. We could also call this nature a new disposition or a heart that is made up of a whole new set of inclinations—which are built-in desires we have to draw close to God and obey His Word.
The fact that these desires are built in, or internal, is crucial, because it revolutionizes our understanding of obedience. Not only has God given us His law, but when He made us new creations in Christ, He also gave us the internal desire to obey His law by walking in His ways.
Read Philippians 2:13. For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Reflect: What is the purpose of your obedience?
The connection between our love relationship with Christ and our obedience is important because biblical obedience means we are not being coerced or threatened to behave. Instead, we are responding to the desire we already have within us to obey and please God. Let me state it again. True obedience for the Christian is doing what we truly want to do in our new nature, where God has written His law and given us the Holy Spirit to empower us.
If we will bask in God’s perfect love, we won’t have any problem doing the things that He asks us to do.
Read 1 John 2:3. By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
Reflect: In your own words, describe the role a loving relationship with Christ plays when it comes to your obedience.
Reflect: Using 1 John 2:3 as a guide, how would you rate your obedience to God? What measures can you take to increase your desire?
Reflect: In what areas would you like to grow in obedience?
For His Kingdom,
Tony Evans
Prayer: Lord, remind me that the best obedience is that which is tied to a strong relationship with You. Help me to grow in my love for You and my deligence in loving one another as You have commanded in Your Word. In Christ's name, Amen.
