[HR][/HR][h=2]III. Obedience and Believing In Jesus[/h][HR][/HR]All who claim to be Christians agree that one must have faith to be saved (Heb. 11:6; Mk. 16:16; John 8:24 etc.). But some claim that faith makes obedience unnecessary. "We are saved by faith alone. As long as you believe in Jesus, it doesn't matter whether or not you do these other things." When some people are told about the need for obedience, they begin describing people who believe in God and Jesus, as though that is all that is necessary to salvation. But is this a correct conclusion?
[h=3]A. Faith Is a Form of Obedience.[/h]1 John 3:23,24 - God commands us to believe in Jesus; we must keep His commands to abide in Him. If we recognize the importance of faith, we must recognize the importance of obedience, since faith itself is a command from God that we must obey.
John 6:28,29 - People asked what they must do to work the works of God [cf. 1 Cor. 15:58; 16:10]. Jesus said the work for them to do is to believe. [Acts 16:30f]
Faith is essential to salvation. But faith is a command - a work - something required in obedience to God. Therefore, obedience is essential to salvation, for here is another act of obedience that is required for salvation. If someone claims that works of obedience are not necessary, he is (unintentionally) saying that faith is not necessary. If he then says faith is necessary, he contradicts himself.
[h=3]B. Saving Faith Requires Us to Obey Other Commands.[/h]Galatians 5:6 - What avails in Christ is faith working through love.
James 2:14-26 - Regarding the saving of the soul (v14), faith without works is dead like the body without a spirit. It is the kind of faith that demons have. Works are necessary to complete faith (make it perfect). Without obedience, faith is dead and incomplete. The faith that justifies is the faith that leads to works.
Hebrews 10:39; 11:8,30, etc. - Here are examples of the kind of faith we must have to save our souls. All examples show that men received the blessings of God only after their faith led them to obey His commands. Faith that does not obey is faith that cannot save. [Vv 7,33,4,17,24f]
The Bible doctrine of justification by faith is like the doctrine of love in that, instead of proving obedience is not essential, it proves the opposite. It shows that faith will not save until it moves us to obey. Justification by faith includes obedience; it does not exclude it. We are saved by faith when that faith has moved us to obey the conditions of salvation. Without that obedience, we do not have a saving faith.
[Cf. Rom. 1:5; 16:26 - "obedience of faith." 2 Thess. 1:11; 1 Thess. 1:3 - "work of faith." See also Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:7; John 7:17; 1 John 2:29; 1 Pet. 1:14; Matt. 12:50; Luke 8:21; Acts 5:32 with Rom. 8:9]
[HR][/HR][h=2]IV. Obedience, Repentance, and Confession[/h][HR][/HR]Most people who study the Bible will agree that repentance and confession are essential to salvation. But what is the connection between these acts and obedience?
[h=3]A. Repentance Requires Obedience.[/h][h=4]Repentance is a Divine command that we must obey to be saved.[/h]Acts 17:30 - God commands all men everywhere to repent. So, repentance is a command that must be obeyed.
2 Peter 3:9 - All must come to repentance or they will perish (Luke 13:3,5).
Acts 2:37,38; 3:19 - When people asked what they should do (about their sins), Peter taught that everyone must repent in order to receive remission of sins., so their sins may be blotted out. (Luke 24:47; Acts 5:31)
2 Corinthians 7:10 - Godly sorrow produces repentance unto salvation.
As with love and faith, repentance is a command that must be obeyed in order to receive salvation. If so, then here is another act of obedience that is necessary to salvation. To say that obedience is not necessary to salvation would be to say that repentance is not necessary to salvation.
[h=4]Repentance also requires that people must obey other commands.[/h]Matthew 21:28-32 - The son who had refused to obey his father afterward regretted it ("repented" - KJV, ASV) and went. He did the will of the father.
Luke 3:8,9; Acts 26:20 - Those who repent are required to bring forth fruits of repentance: works worthy of repentance. Those who do not bear good fruits will be cast into the fire.
Repentance is a decision - a change of mind or a choice - in which a person determines to turn away from sin and start obeying God. Like love and faith, it is an act of obedience in and of itself, but it also necessarily requires that we obey other Divine commands. The person who denies that obedience is necessary to salvation has not truly repented of sins, for if he truly repents he will acknowledge that obedience is necessary!
[h=3]B. Confession of Christ Requires Obedience.[/h]Confession of Christ is an act of obedience that is stated in Scripture to be necessary to salvation.
Romans 10:9,10 - In order to be saved, one must both believe in Christ in his heart and confess Christ with his mouth. Note that confession is here separated from faith: faith is in your heart, but confession is an outward act done with the mouth. Yet, the confession is made "to salvation."
John 12:42,43 - Some rulers believed in Jesus but refused to confess Him, because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Note again that confession is distinguished from faith. These people believed, but they refused to confess Christ. Were they saved?
[Matthew 10:32; 16:15-18; John 1:49; 4:42; 9:35-38; 11:27; 12:42,43; Acts 8:36-38; 1 Timothy 6:12,13; 1 John 4:15]
When people deny that obedience is necessary to salvation, generally what they are objecting to is baptism. But the gospel clearly states that baptism is essential to salvation, just as it does repentance and confession (see Mark 16:15,16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:3,4; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21). In particular, confession involves a physical outward obedience just as surely as baptism does. If we understand that repentance and confession are necessary to salvation, why object to the idea that baptism is necessary to salvation?
For further evidence that baptism is a step that is necessary to salvation, see our article on the purpose and importance of baptism