The Obedience of Faith

“The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions. [Deuteronomy 29.29]

It makes perfect sense that we would not be accountable for that which we have not been told.

God is reasonable. But, He is still God and above our complete knowledge.

BUT, we ARE accountable for that which we KNOW!

The context of the scripture above is in the midst of repeated warnings against turning away from God and the consequences of curses that accompany such turning away. The context of this warning is also found in the context of repeated encouragement that obedience brings blessings.

Somehow, in the Advent of Jesus Christ, we have arrived at an ideology that Jesus simply wiped away the whole covenant of God with its blessings and curses. And, that is well and good except that something is terribly askew with it...

Jesus did not come to redeem us from the blessings of God, right? Right. He came to make a way for us to experience the blessings of God meant to reward our obedience without all the protocol of religious ceremony (sacrifices, etc.).

Jesus did come to redeem us from the curses of God, right? Right. He came to make a way for us to avoid the curses of God meant to reward our disobedience with only one protocol: faith.

Nothing changed about blessings and curses themselves. Nothing changed about the reason for blessings and curses (blessings are applicable to obedience and curses are applicable to disobedience). 

The only thing that stands between mankind and blessings or curses is Jesus.

But there remains an obedience required to enjoy the blessings of God... the obedience of Christ to suffer the Cross and the obedience of faith by man in Christ.

Nothing changes the curses upon disobedience except the obedience of Christ. The obedience of Christ is of no consequence to man without faith. A faith-less man today is just as vulnerable to the curses of the law as the disobedient man in Moses' time. A faith-ful man today (believing in Jesus) is just as qualified for blessings as the obedient man in Moses' time.

Blessings and curses have not changed with history. Blessings and curses have not changed with the Advent of Christ. Blessings are still blessings (good things, health, wealth, etc.) and curses are still curses (bad things, sickness, lack, etc.). The WAY to blessings has indeed been modified however. Jesus is the WAY... faith in Jesus is the only option now to please God. As a matter of fact, nothing but faith pleases God. So, "being good" is really no longer even 'on the table' as an option to please God. The obedience of faith is the only option today for a man to qualify for God's blessings.

Here is a problem then. If we are confused today about what IS and what IS NOT a blessing, how can we know we are in or out of faith? It is a problem indeed! 

It is high time those who claim to know God through Christ get serious about their obedience of faith and the blessings appropriate to that obedience. Likewise, it is high time those who experience curses get real about their disobedience of faith and repent.

I would much rather be wrong about my conclusions here than right. But there IS something wrong in Christendom today - Christians do not look like Christ! Christians do not act like Christ! Are we completely unwilling to consider that our obedience of faith may not be what it should be?

Father, my life does not show Jesus to the world as it should. I confess it as SIN and with all that is in me, I REPENT! I want to grow in real Jesus-like faith - not some man-made religious definition of faith! I will repent as long as I see curses upon my life! God help me not grow proud in my estimation that my 'faith' is sufficient when my circumstances say otherwise!