My daughter’s middle name is Grace, and I know more than one family with a child named Mercy. Grace and mercy—concepts that are pillars in the gospel, concepts beautiful enough to name a child after. But in all my days, I’ve never once met a person named Obedience.
This name was used by the Puritans for their daughters long ago but has fallen out of favor. What a shame, since obedience is a foundational idea in the Word of God. In fact, the grace and mercy we love so much were made possible by Jesus’s perfect obedience.
But this word and the concept attached to it have lost popularity. Obedience doesn’t often bubble up in casual conversation with fellow believers. It’s not regularly written into the lyrics of modern worship songs, and it’s rarely the topic of podcasts or articles.
Why has obedience taken a back seat in our regular Christian discourse?
Avoiding Legalism
A couple of decades ago, there was a trend toward exercising Christian freedom while pushing back on perceived legalistic mindsets of prior generations. Issues like consuming alcohol, practicing Sabbath rest, tithing biblically, and using curse words became hotly debated. In an effort to avoid anything that sniffed of legalism, Christians often emphasized grace and mercy over obedience.
Avoiding legalism is a worthy endeavor as we follow Jesus. Certainly, he was no legalist. At the same time, obedience to the Father was of primary importance to him, and we walk in his footsteps when we prioritize obedience as well. Rejecting legalism and pursuing obedience aren’t mutually exclusive postures. Rather, they’re nuanced attitudes that work in tandem to produce a heart of wisdom.
Giving in to Laziness
Considering what pleases God often takes intentionality. It might look like stopping—even briefly—to pray for wisdom and strength for the moment ahead. Slowing to consider things like tone of voice or whether it’s wise to click “send” after typing a text takes spiritual muscle built with repetition over time.
Rejecting legalism and pursuing obedience aren’t mutually exclusive.
Building the spiritual muscle of obedience through slow and thoughtful living in a culture of relentless busyness is challenging. But when we repeatedly favor leaning into grace and mercy with no effort toward obeying, we’re giving into laziness. Certainly, the grace and mercy of Jesus are here to cover our sins—they’re the bedrocks on which our faith is built. But they were never meant to be our halfhearted default. As 1 Samuel 15:22 explains, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”
Cultivate a High View of Obedience
Our efforts to avoid legalism and our tendency to give in to laziness can lead us to downplay the importance of obedience. But with the Lord’s help, we can cultivate a high view of obedience that more closely mirrors God’s perspective. Here are two reasons it’s worth bringing obedience back to the forefront of regular Christian living.
1. Obedience Pleases God
In Scripture, the person who willingly submits to the Lord receives the stunning blessing of walking more closely with him. Abraham was called God’s friend because he believed God (James 2:23), and that belief was demonstrated through repeated obedience. Scripture says Noah, Enoch, and Levi all walked with God, while mentioning their righteousness (Gen. 6:9; 5:24; Mal. 2:4–6).
Honestly, it’s easy to lose heart when I hear about saints like these, because I can’t seem to get through 60 seconds without disobeying God in one way or another. But let’s not read perfection into the lives of these men or any of the other people in Scripture who pleased God through their obedience.
We’re never told they were perfect—on the contrary, the Word shows us how far they were from it. But they walked with God in a steady relational atmosphere of obedience coupled with repentance. Not only were their acts of obedience pleasing to him, but their posture of regular repentance for disobedience revealed a submission to God’s commands. This cadence of obedience and repentance marks the rhythm of walking with God day by day for us too.
2. Obedience Demonstrates Belief
As Christians, we can come away from our study of Scripture, our fellowship with the brethren, our worship in church, and our private prayer time feeling spiritually strong. But when the heat is turned up through difficult circumstances, will we choose to demonstrate with our words, attitudes, and bodies what we believe in our hearts—especially when it costs us something? Obedience is the hard proof of belief—to God, to others, and to ourselves—that we take our Father at his Word and we’re willing to stake our lives on it.
In Luke 6:46-49, Jesus tells us those who don’t put his words into practice but instead live on their own terms can expect devastating effects from the storms of life. But when we live in obedience to him, we build our lives on a firm foundation. So when the storms come, we won’t be shaken. Even the smallest acts of obedience today lay a foundation that will help us stand firm in the future.
When we live in obedience to Christ, we build our lives on a firm foundation.
Obedience to God is rarely easy and even less often popular. I’ll likely never meet a kid named Obedience (although he could go by “Obed” for short). But as a means of showing our Father we trust him and are willing to do what he says even when it’s difficult, there really is nothing better. So as Christians who together make up the body of Christ, let’s talk about obedience. Pleasing God should please us too.
The Gospel Coalition