9.57 Why the obedience of faith?
In the last lesson, we talked about the new focus on the obedience of faith. Why does the New Covenant emphasize on right believing instead of right doing? It is not that it does not emphasize on right doing – but it tells us that right doing can only be a consequence of right believing.
In the Old Covenant, the law focused on behavior modification. There was no internal transformation. The law written on stones could not change the hearts of the people. As a result, the sinner could not keep the law. Even if the sinner appears to keep the law, it was only externally. It wasn’t in attitude, thought and speech.
When the people failed to attain to obedience of works, Jesus came to give the real solution. Jesus isn’t interested in making bad people good, He came to make dead people live. Jesus isn’t interested in behavior modification; He is in the business of life transformation.
How did Jesus do it? He went to the cross to purchase forgiveness of sins; and the free gift of righteousness. Therefore, to those who receive His redemption work, He would come and reside in them.
When Jesus lives in us, we become a New Creation. We receive His new nature in us as fruit of the Spirit. Some may not feel any change in their emotions (though many do). But this new nature is a reality. The Holy Spirit has come to live in the believer.
The only way we can walk in the new reality and the only way we can allow Jesus to express Himself in us – is through faith. When we believe we are in Christ, it results in a change in our identity. When we believe that Christ lives in us, we will experience His reality and power from within.
Therefore, when we walk by faith in Christ, He is manifested through us. Right believing will unleash Christ in us – which results in right living. The greater we walk in faith, the more Christ will be manifested in our daily walk. That’s why the Christian life is a race of faith or a fight of faith.
We live every day by trusting in Jesus. When we believe Him in spite of the circumstance, it is called the “obedience of faith”. The moment we believe in Him, it will cause us to respond differently. Faith will transform our actions. So the New Covenant is keeping our eyes on Jesus, instead of our actions. When our eyes are on Him, He will start to work mightily through us.
In the Old Covenant, the law focused on behavior modification. There was no internal transformation. The law written on stones could not change the hearts of the people. As a result, the sinner could not keep the law. Even if the sinner appears to keep the law, it was only externally. It wasn’t in attitude, thought and speech.
When the people failed to attain to obedience of works, Jesus came to give the real solution. Jesus isn’t interested in making bad people good, He came to make dead people live. Jesus isn’t interested in behavior modification; He is in the business of life transformation.
How did Jesus do it? He went to the cross to purchase forgiveness of sins; and the free gift of righteousness. Therefore, to those who receive His redemption work, He would come and reside in them.
When Jesus lives in us, we become a New Creation. We receive His new nature in us as fruit of the Spirit. Some may not feel any change in their emotions (though many do). But this new nature is a reality. The Holy Spirit has come to live in the believer.
The only way we can walk in the new reality and the only way we can allow Jesus to express Himself in us – is through faith. When we believe we are in Christ, it results in a change in our identity. When we believe that Christ lives in us, we will experience His reality and power from within.
Therefore, when we walk by faith in Christ, He is manifested through us. Right believing will unleash Christ in us – which results in right living. The greater we walk in faith, the more Christ will be manifested in our daily walk. That’s why the Christian life is a race of faith or a fight of faith.
We live every day by trusting in Jesus. When we believe Him in spite of the circumstance, it is called the “obedience of faith”. The moment we believe in Him, it will cause us to respond differently. Faith will transform our actions. So the New Covenant is keeping our eyes on Jesus, instead of our actions. When our eyes are on Him, He will start to work mightily through us.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 1:39 AM
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