THE WAY OF OBEDIENCE
“For as by one man’s disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one, shall many be made
righteous.”
Romans 5:19
While we have our word “obedience” in this verse, we also have
it in its negative form, as “disobedience,” so that rather than having a submissive hearkening, the negative is a hearing amiss, or a wrong hearing.
Since obedience is a right hearing leading to correct action; disobedience is
simply a wrong hearing, leading to the inevitable wrong results. Disobedience
can also include listening to a wrong voice, the voice of a stranger, so that
the action then rendered is to a wrong source. This Paul explained when he
wrote, “Do you not know, that to whom you
yield yourselves as servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness” (Romans
6:16).
For by one man’s disobedience, (by his listening to the voice
of a stranger), many were made sinners. Adam and Eve listened to the voice of
the bestial system of this world, as represented by the serpent, and found that
sin was at the door and death by sin.
As by the obedience of One, our Lord
Jesus Christ, shall many be made righteous. “For
since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as
by Adam all die, even so by Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians
Every time we hear wrongly, we will propagate disobedience. But
every time we hear the True Voice we will increase the fruits of obedience.
Such is the challenge before us, until all of self that would respond to the
world is brought to an end, and we become a part of His obedience, which brings us into a daily experimental participation of His
resurrection life.
Perfect in obedience, sealing up the
sum,
They are the true expression of His kingdom come.
From Daily Overcoming
Keep yourself pure, Christ’s soldier true,
Through life’s loud strife, He calls to you.
Your Captain speaks: His Word
obey,
So shall your strength be as your day.
Philip
Mason