Blessed Are The Commandment Keepers

Blessed Are The Commandment Keepers

We who are members of the Church of Christ, have for two hundred years held the conviction that to please God, we must obey him. This conviction was universal. It was taught us by those who led us to Christ. We heard it in our Bible classes and our pulpits. We learned it first hand by reading the Scripture (Heb. 5:9).

Then some 25 years ago a small band of preachers and academics associated with our Christian Schools discovered the gospel of Martin Luther and John Calvin. They began to teach their students and auditors that salvation was by grace through faith, and concluding that the role of God's grace was such that if a sinner truly believed in Jesus, grace would save him even if he failed to obey plainly stated commands of Scripture. These being Paul's words (Eph. 2:8-9), they are obviously true, but they are but a part of God's message about man's response to God's grace/ So clear and frequent are references to God's grace and the necessity of faith on the part of man that we need not debate them. What is necessary, in this day of change, is to restate and reemphasize the necessity of demonstrating our faith by obedience to God. This is necessary because of overemphasis on grace and faith and lack of emphasis on the necessity of man's obedience.

Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). Peter instructed believers to repent and be baptized for remission of their sins and in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Saul of Tarsus had to arise and be baptized to wash away his sins, even though he already believed in Christ (Acts 22:16). Christ is the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him (Heb. 5:9). Sinners in Rome "were obedient from the heart to that form of teaching...and made free from sin" (Rom. 6:17).

Given the forgoing scriptures, we should not be surprised to hear God's angel say, "Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book" (Rev. 22:7). Not only must we obey his command to be baptized, God expects his children to obey him in all matters wherein He has spoken. When our Master departed for his throne in heaven he instructed his apostles to teach their converts "to observe all things whatsover I commanded you" (Matt. 28:20). Paul teaches us that salvation is received when faith works through love (Gal. 5:6).

Two choices are set before humanity: obedience to Christ's will or disobedience. Obedience, coupled with faith, opens the door for the reception of God's grace (Heb. 5:9). Faith without works is dead in itself (Jas. 2:26). Hence with the angel we can say to all men, Blessed are those who keep God's commandments.

Sincerely,

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