SONS OF OBEDIENCE
WEDNESDAY 14 JULY 2021
As sons of obedience, we are alive in Christ, alive to God and dead to trespasses, sin and sinful nature. And in this realm, we are totally free from all manner of condemnation because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set us free from the law of sin and death.
Reference: Ephesians 2:1-2 American Standard Version (ASV) "And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience."
Did you know that the new creation is programmed to obey God? Your new nature in Christ is designed to mirror God's Word and act accordingly. God actually removed your old nature by divine surgery and implanted within you a wholly new nature. As long as you feed your new nature with the Word of God, you are bound to act and respond to God's will, by walking in line with His Word and being obedient to His voice. Just as it was formerly natural to sin, now it's easy and natural to obey God and do what He says. As the righteousness of God in Christ, righteousness would spontaneously spring forth in you and become evident in your lifestyle.
Saint Paul reminds us that, as sons of disobedience, we used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world, and the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. But now, we are a totally different beings or creation - sons of obedience - because we've been made alive to God. In line with this understanding, Apostle Peter branded and acknowledged us as, "As sons of obedience, not made like to the former desires of your unknowingness, [as sons of obedience, not together likened to the former desires of your ignorance,] but like him that hath called you holy; that also ye self be holy in all living [that and yourselves be holy in all living]; for it is written, Ye shall be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:14-16 Wycliffe Bible).
So we must live as God's obedient children and refuse to slip back into the old ways of living that satisfy the desires of the flesh. We are no longer designed or made to conform to the former desires of our ignorance, but designed to conform to the image of God who has called us holy; that we also should be holy in all our living ways. This is why Paul wrote, "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV).
God has given us His divine nature, a new heart and a new spirit with inbuilt obedience so we can live and express the new life we have in Christ. This calls for renewing our minds on a daily basis with God's Word in order to reflect the new nature in our Christian walk. And as sons of obedience, the more time we spend in the Word, the more we reflect God's image and likeness from glory to glory. Shalom!
Scripture Reading - 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 2:3-4; Romans 5:10; Colossians 2:13.
Exuberant Declaration: In Christ Jesus, I'm dead to sin and my spirit is alive to God because I'm His righteousness. As a son of obedience, the Holy Spirit in me, connects with my spirit to produce a Christlike lifestyle. Thus I live a worthy life, not according to the secular course of this world but according to the perfect will of God for my life. Hallelujah!
