Evangelical Obedience.

This article is designed chiefly for the enlightenment and comfort of those of God's people who are deeply exercised over their own obedience, and are often cast down by the defectiveness of the same. There is a real need for a Scriptural opening-up of this subject, for there are very few pulpits today — even in the most orthodox circles — where anything clear and definite is given out thereon; in fact, we doubt if half of our readers have ever heard or read the term, "evangelical obedience." It is also a subject which needs the most careful handling; and if a comparative "novice" attempts to deal with it, he is likely to do more harm than good. The difficulty involved in it, is to maintain on the one hand the high and holy standard of obedience, which God has set before us in His Word; and to show on the other hand — the gracious provision which He has made for the relief of those who honestly endeavor — yet sadly fail, to measure up to that standard. The path between the two is a narrow one.

No matter how cautiously one may deal with this theme, if he is to be of any service to the real people of God, his efforts are sure to be put to a wrong and evil use by hypocrites, for they will "wrest it, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16). Such is the perversity of human nature. When a discriminating sermon is preached — the particular design of which is to draw a clear line of demarcation between genuine and nominal Christians, and to "take forth the precious from the vile" (Jeremiah 15:19) — the graceless professor will refuse to make application of the same and examine his own heart and life in the light thereof; whereas the possessor of divine life is only too apt to draw a wrong deduction and deem himself to be numbered among the spiritually dead. Contrariwise, if the message is one of comfort to God's little ones, while too many of them are afraid to receive it, others who are not entitled will misappropriate it unto themselves. But let not a realization of these things prevent the minister of the Gospel from discharging his duty; and while being careful not to cast the children's bread unto the dogs — yet the presence of such is not to deter him from setting before the children their legitimate portion.

Before developing our theme, we will define our terms: "Evangelical obedience" is obviously the opposite of "legal obedience" — and that is of two sorts:

First, the flawless and constant conformity unto His revealed will — which God required from Adam, and which He still demands from all who are under the Covenant of Works — for though man has lost his power to perform, God has not relinquished His right to insist upon what is His just due.

Second, the obedience of unregenerate formalists, which is unacceptable unto God — not only because it is full of defects — but because it issues from a natural principle — is not done in faith, and is rendered in a mercenary spirit, and therefore consists of "dead works" (Heb 6:1; 9:14).

Evangelical obedience is also to be distinguished from imputed obedience. It is blessedly true that when they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, God reckons to the account of all the subjects of the Covenant of Grace the perfect obedience of their Surety, so that He pronounces them justified, or possessed of that righteousness which the Law requires. Yet that is not the only obedience which characterizes the redeemed. They now personally regulate their lives by God's commands and walk in the way of His precepts; and though their performances have many blemishes in them (as they are well aware) — yet God is pleased for Christ's sake to accept the same.

It should need no long and laborious argument to demonstrate that God must require obedience — full and hearty obedience — from every rational agent, for only thus does He enforce His moral government over the same. The one who is indebted to God for his being and sustenance, is obviously under binding obligations to . . .
love Him with all his heart,
serve Him with all might, and
seek to glorify Him in all that he does.

For God to issue commands is for Him to impose His authority on the one He has made; and for him to comply is but to acknowledge his creaturehood and render that submission which becomes such. It is as the Lawgiver, that God maintains His sovereignty; and it is by our obedience, that we acknowledge the same. Accordingly, we find that upon the day of his creation, Adam was placed under Law, and his continued prosperity was made dependent upon his conformity thereto. In like manner, when the LORD took the nation of Israel into covenant relationship with Himself, He personally made known His laws unto them and the sanctions attached thereto.

There are no exceptions to what has just been pointed out. The inhabitants of Heaven, equally with those of earth, are required to be in subjection to their Maker. Of the angels, it is said they "do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word" (Psalm 103:20). When His own Son became incarnate and assumed creature form, He too entered the place of obedience and became subservient to God's will. Thus it is with His redeemed. So far from the subjects of the Covenant of Grace being released from submission to the divine Law — they are under additional obligations to render a joyful and unqualified obedience to it: "You have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently" (Psalm 119:4). Upon which Thomas Manton (1620-1677) said, "Unless you mean to renounce the sovereign majesty of God, and put Him off His throne, and break out into open rebellion against Him — you must do what He has commanded. 'Charge those who are rich in this world' (1 Timothy 6:17) — not only advise — but charge them!" Christ isLord, as well as Savior; and we value Him not as the latter, unless we honor Him as the former (John 13:13).

Not only does God require obedience — but an obedience which issues from, is animated by, and is an expression of, love. At the very heart of the divine Decalogue are the words: "And showing mercy unto thousands of those who love me, and keep my commandments" (Exo 20:6). While there must be respect for His authority, unless there is also a sense of God's goodness, and an outgoing of the affections unto Him because of His excellency — there can be no hearty and acceptable obedience. The severest self-denials and the most lavish gifts, are of no value in God's esteem — unless they are prompted by love. The inseparability of love and obedience was made plain by Christ when He said, "If you love me — keep my commandments" (John 14:15). "He who has my commandments, and keeps them — he it is that loves me" (John 14:21). "If a man loves me — he will keep my words" (John 14:23). Likewise taught His apostles: "For this is the love of God — that we keep his commandments" (1 John 5:3). "Love is the fulfilling [not a substitute for, still less the abnegation] of the law" (Rom 13:10), for it inspires its performance.

To proceed one step farther: God has graciously promised to work obedience in His people: "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27) — He would not only point out the way — but move them to go therein; not force by external violence — but induce by an inward principle. "They all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them" (Ezekiel 37:24). Christ makes them "willing in the day of His power" (Psalm 110:3) that He should rule over them, and then directs them by the scepter of His righteousness.

Under the new covenant, God has engaged Himself to create in His people, by regenerating grace, a disposition which will find the spirituality and holiness of His requirements congenial unto it: "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts" (Heb 8:10) — I will bestow upon them a new nature which will incite unto obedience and cause them to delight in My Law after the inward man. Herein lies a part of their essential conformity unto Christ: "I delight to do your will, O my God! Yes, your law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:8).

In accordance with those promises, we find that in the ministry of Christ, two things were outstandingly prominent: His enforcement of the claims of God's righteousness, and His proclamation of divine grace unto those who felt their deep need. Matthew 5:17-20, 19:16-21, and 22:36-40, exemplify the former. Matthew 11:4-6, 28-30, 15:30-31, Luke 23:42-43, and John 4:10, illustrate the latter. The Son of God came not to this earth in order to open a door unto self-pleasing and loose living — but rather to maintain God's holiness and make it possible for fallen creatures to live a holy life. Christ came here not only as a Savior — but as a Lawgiver (Deu 18:18-19) and "to be ruler in Israel" (Mic 5:2); and therefore, He is "the author of eternal salvation unto all those who obey him" (Heb 5:9). His mission had for its design not to lessen God's authority or man's responsibility — but to put His people into a greater capacity for serving God. Hence, we find Him saying to His disciples, "You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you" (John 15:14); and when commissioning His servants, He bade them teach believers "to observe all things whatever I have commanded you" (Mat 28:20).

Love to God and our neighbor is indeed the great duty enjoined by Law (Deu 6:5; Lev 19:18) and Gospel alike (Gal 5:13-14); yet it is a love which manifests itself by a hearty obedience (2 John 6). Though Christ delivers from the curse of the Law — yet not from its precepts: "That we being delivered out of the hand of our [spiritual] enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life" (Luke 1:74-75).

Every privilege of the Gospel entails an added obligation upon its recipient. As creatures — it is our bounden duty to be in entire subjection to our Creator. As new creatures in Christ — it doubly behooves us to serve God cheerfully. It is a great mistake to suppose that grace sets aside the claims of righteousness, or that the Law of God demands less from the saved than it does from the unsaved. Nowhere are the high demands of God set forth more fully and forcibly, than in the epistles addressed to the saints. Take these as samples: "But as he who has called you is holy — so be holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Peter 1:15); "That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col 1:10).

But right here, a formidable difficulty presents itself. On the one hand, the renewed soul clearly perceives the necessity and propriety of such a standard being set before him, and cordially acquiesces therein; yet on the other hand, he has to acknowledge, "to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good, I find not" (Rom 7:18). Though it is his deepest longing to measure up fully to the divine standard — yet he is incapable of doing so; and though he cries earnestly unto God for enabling grace and unquestionably receives no little assistance from Him — yet at the close of this life, his desire remains far from being realized.

Now the healthy Christian is deeply exercised over this, and instead of excusing his failures cries, "O that my ways were directed to keep your statutes!" (Psalm 119:5). But that is only half of the problem, and the least difficult half at that. The other half is: How is it possible for a holy God to accept and approve of imperfect obedience from His children? That He will not lower His standard to the level of their infirmities, is clear from the passages quoted above; yet that He does both graciously receive and reward their faulty performances is equally plain from other verses. In what has just been stated, we discover one of the fundamental differences between the Covenants of Works and Grace.

Under the Covenant of Works — a rigorous and inflexible demand was made for perfect and perpetual conformity to God's Law, and no allowance or relief was afforded for the slightest infraction of it. A single default, the least failure — was reckoned guilty of breaking all the commandments (Jam 2:10) — for not only are they, like so many links in the same chain, a strict unit — but the authority of the Lawgiver behind them was flouted. Nor was any provision made for the recovery of such a one. The constitution under which the first man — and the whole human race in him — was placed, was without any mediator or sacrifice; and no matter how deep his remorse, or what resolutions of amendment he made — the transgressor lay under the inexorable sentence: "The soul that sins — it shall die!" (Ezekiel 18:4, 20), for God will by no means clear the guilty. Moreover, under the first covenant, God provided no special grace to enable its subjects to meet His requirements. He made man in His own image, and pronounced him "very good," and then left him to his native and created strength. Finally, under that covenant, man was required to yield obedience in order to his justification — for upon his compliance, he was entitled unto a reward.

Now under the Covenant of Grace — everything is the very opposite of that which obtained under the Covenant of Works. Complete subordination to the divine will is indeed required of us — yet not in order to our justification before — and acceptance with — God. Instead, the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus and place our whole dependence on the sufficiency of His sacrifice — His perfect obedience is reckoned to our account; and Godpronounces us righteous in the high court of Heaven, and we are entitled to the reward of His Law. Consequently, our subsequent obedience is rendered neither under threat of damnation, nor from a mercenary spirit — but out of gratitude for our deliverance from the wrath to come, and because of our acceptance in the Beloved.

Nor are we left to our own strength — or rather, weakness. God does not barely command us, and then leave us to ourselves; but "works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phi 2:13), He communicates to us His blessed Spirit and makes available that fullness of grace and truth which there is in Christ our Head — for He is not only a Head of authority — but also of efficacious influence: "From whom the whole body [the Church] fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part" (Eph 4:16).

What is yet more to the point in connection with our immediate subject, under the New Covenant — provision has been made for the failures of its subjects. God does not reject their obedience because it is faulty — but graciously accepts the same when it . . .
is prompted by submission to His authority,
is performed by faith,
is urged by love, and
is done with sincerity of purpose and endeavor.

Sin has disabled us from an exact keeping of God's commandments — but He approves of what issues from an upright heart and which sincerely seeks to please Him. We are bidden to "have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably [not flawlessly!] with reverence and godly fear" (Heb 12:28). While God still justly requires from us a perfect and perpetual obedience, nevertheless, He is graciously pleased to receive and own genuine efforts to conform to His will. He does so because of the merits of Christ and His continued mediation on our behalf. Having accepted our persons, He also accepts our love-offerings — note the order in Genesis 4:4. We present spiritual sacrifices unto Him, and they are "acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5).

That we are here propounding no new and dangerous error will be seen from the following quotations: "Notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works are also accepted in Him: not as though they were in this life wholly unblamably and unreproveable in God's sight — but that He, looking upon them in His Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, though accompanied with manyweaknesses and imperfections" — The Westminster Confession of Faith.

"I call it Gospel obedience, not that it differs in substance from that required by the Law, which enjoins us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts — but that it moves upon principles, and is carried on unto ends, revealed only in the Gospel" — John Owen (1616-1683).

According to the modification of the new covenant, "God, out of His love and mercy in Christ Jesus, accepts of such a measure of love and obedience as answers to the measure of sanctification received" — Thomas Manton.

Though the above quotations are far from being divinely inspired — and therefore, are without any binding authority upon the children of God — nevertheless, they are from men who were deeply taught and much used by the Holy Spirit, and thus, are deserving of our serious and prayerful attention. While the Christian is forbidden to call any man "father" — that is far from signifying that he should despise such teachers. There is noAntinomian laxity in the above citations — but a holy balance such as is scarcely ever found in the ministry of our day.

Above, we pointed out that God justly requires a perfect obedience from all rational creatures, and that under no circumstances will He lower His demand. Every regenerate soul concurs with God's holy claim, and deeply laments his inability to meet that claim. We also affirmed that under the moderation of the New Covenant constitution, that God is graciously pleased to accept and approve of an obedience from His people, which — though sincerely desiring and endeavoring to measure up to His perfect standard — is, through their remaining corruptions and infirmities, a very defective one; and that He does so without any reflection upon His honor.

We followed that brief averment by giving excerpts from some of the Puritans — the number of which might easily be multiplied — not for the purpose of buttressing our own teaching — but in order that it might be seen that we are not advancing here any dangerous or strange doctrine. Nevertheless, the majority of our readers will require something from an infinitely higher authority than that on which to rest their faith; and to it, we now turn.

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