Obedience vs. Faith

I've been challenged lately by a certain thought that I know is applicable in the season of life I'm in right now, and likely in yours too.

The Bible says that "the righteous will live by faith" (Romans 1:17). And I've quoted 2 Corinthians 5:7 many times - " We live by faith, not by sight." So I've been reminded lately...

{Following Jesus is a walk of FAITH, not just a walk of obedience.}

There is a difference.

I can obey without my heart being in it. I can stick to the rules without really caring who made them or what they're there for. 

I can obey without relationship. I can be obedient every day to people that I've never met and live according to standards that are not personal to me at all, such as traffic laws. 

I can obey and still be focused on myself. Think about how children (or pets, for that matter) are trained by rewards––"if I obey, that means I can get something out of this too."

I can obey and still get away with the minimum. Like the story of the child who was moving around and misbehaving at meal time, and when his mother asked him to sit down, he replied, "I might be sitting on the chair but in my heart I'm standing up!"

But walking by faith raises the standard. Walking by faith takes us out of our comfort zones. Walking by faith is supernatural living, whereas often we can be obedient, but it still comes out of our flesh. Obedience and faith are not mutually exclusive, but they are distinct. 

Look at the examples from Hebrews 11, the "Faith Hall of Fame." This chapter is titled in the NIV Bible, "By Faith."

verse 1 - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Some days I'm not too certain of the promises of God. How can I experience the fulfillment of His promises if I'm not even sure about them? As v. 6 says, "without faith it is impossible to please God." Generally you can only be obedient to what you see; it's harder to walk in confidence toward something you do not necessarily see. But that's what faith is.

verse 3 - "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Notice those first 4 words again...by faith we understand. At first this seems like a contradiction. Doesn't walking by faith mean the opposite of going along with what's familiar to us? But faith does enable a deeper level of understanding than our normal human reasoning does.

verse 4 - "By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did." See, they were both being obedient, but faith made the difference in how their offerings were accepted.

verse 6 - "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Faith perseveres, because it has its eyes on the goal, even if it can't be seen at the time. God rewards those who seek Him whole-heartedly, because He is faithful.

verse 8 - "By FAITH Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, OBEYED and went, even though he did not know where he was going." As I said, obedience can often be concerned with immediate rewards––'what do I get in return?' But Abraham combined his obedience with faith. He did what God told him to, even though he wouldn't receive his reward––the land as his inheritance––until later. In my own life lately I think I've been focusing more on obedience than faith. Many days I've prayed, "Okay God, I've done the right thing by doing what You told me to do, now when are You going to show up and do what You promised?" It's easy to feel like I deserve something because I've been obedient. But as my friend's mom (Elli Zurowski) says, "Since when does obedience make you special?" Why do we think obedience puts us on some type of 'higher plain' spiritually? Obedience should be normal Christian living!

verse 11 - "By faith Abraham, even though he was past age––and Sarah herself was barren––was enabled to become a father because he considered Him faithful who had made the promise." This is another huge difference––often when we walk in obedience we're tempted to give ourselves the glory. But walking by faith means that God does what only He can do, proving Himself faithful and therefore turning eyes toward Him. By faith we are, as Abraham was, enabled...

verse 27 - Moses 'persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.' Faith takes perseverance...it's a walk.

verse 29 - "By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned." The Egyptians had no faith! When we walk by faith we can experience the impossible, because we are giving God an opportunity to work.


verse 40 - "God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." FAITH IS COOPERATING WITH GOD TO SEE HIS WILL DONE.


So...in all this I'm not trying to say that obedience is unimportant. It is very important! It is, as a friend posted on Facebook today, "faith in action." Faith is never passive, and combined with obedience it should be one of the marks of a disciple of Christ! But we're also invited into a journey of faith. A journey that involves a relationship, and that involves our heart and not giving glory to ourselves. A journey that perseveres even when the end seems too far away to pursue. A journey that enables us to experience God's presence and power in our lives, and giving Him the control. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, "The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." Faith is trusting in the faithfulness of God.

Is there a situation in your life in which you need to begin operating in faith?