Obedience and Rest

He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him"...Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me (John 14:21, 23-24).

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

In these passages, we see two things. First, we see that Jesus told His disciples those who obey Him are the ones who love Him. Second, Jesus invites us to come and rest in Him. 

Many Christians know obedience is essential in the Christian life not as the means for us to get saved. That would be salvation by works. Our obedience is the evidence of our salvation. As James 2:26 says, "faith without works is dead." 

There are some Christians that try to downplay obedience because they do not want others to base their salvation on their obedience to Christ but rather come and rest in Christ knowing He has secured our salvation. While there is nothing wrong with resting in Christ because He has secured our salvation for us, it does not mean obedience goes out the window.

The Bible, especially in the New Testament, is full of commands to obey. Will we obey them perfectly? Absolutely not. Although we have washed by the blood of the lamb, we are still wrestling with sin in this body of flesh. We will still face temptation and there might even be time where our motivation to be obedience may not be from a pure intent. 

Yet, as Christians we can rejoice knowing that Christ is sufficient where we can rest in Him as we obey Him. Our obedience is a response to what God has done in our lives through Jesus Christ. Our obedience will never be perfect which is why on the days we fall short we can rest in Him knowing that "no one will snatch (us) out of (His) hand" (John 10:28). 

As we live the Christian life, let us honor God while resting in the finish work of Christ.