Our life in Christ finds it’s root in our relationship with him. Intimacy begets devotion. That intimacy of faith can be strengthened as we walk diligently in disciplines of faith, including prayer, solitude and service. They are avenues by which we can pursue the Lord’s heart in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). Among these vital disciplines is obedience. Obedience, specifically the obedience of faith, allows our faith to grow in alignment with God. So important is the obedience of faith that Paul begins his letter to the Romans by highlighting it: 

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Song of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you were are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 

Rom 1:1-6

At it’s core, the obedience of faith aligns our lifestyles with the Truth of scripture. Obeying the Word strengthens and edifies our faith. It enables us to live holy lives were we “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God” through every season, in every relationship, regardless of circumstance (Micah 6:8). This wholehearted obedience isn’t the result of striving. Rather, it is the work of the Spirit in us as we agree to walk nearer, ever nearer to the Lord’s heart. 

Indeed, Paul writes that the obedience of faith is only achieved because of “Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship” (Rom. 1:5). This means that our hearts are not responsible for shouldering the weighty burden of obedience. Rather, through Christ, we come up under the light yoke of grace, apostleship. It is the Lord’s desire that we should walk in righteousness and He equips our hearts accordingly. 

This foundational element of spiritual life is celebrated in A Convert’s First Prayer from The Valley of Vision:

In Jesus Christ, my brother,
I have my new birth,
every restraining power,
every renewing grace. 

Did you catch that, dear saints?

Every restraining power and every renewing grace are readily available to us through Christ Jesus. How joyously our hearts should sing at this truth. Our God not only grants us the grace to resist temptation, folly, and idolatry, but He also ensures that our hearts are constantly renewed and refreshed before Him. Surely we cannot comprehend the depth of His love in lavishing grace upon grace over us (1 John 3:1) (John 1:16).

As we step into His abundant grace, our hearts are transformed by the work of faithful obedience. Verse four of Romans chapter two in The Message describes the work of the Spirit in us: “In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.” This radical life-change is the first-fruits of the obedience of faith. Moreover, it finds expression in our lives as our heart posture ever increasingly one of purity and consecration before the Lord (Rom 2:25-29). Where the world is quick to mock or scorn obedience, we take confidence in knowing that the obedience of faith leads to righteousness and transformation by grace. With this confidence, we press on and continue, like Paul, “for the sake of his name among all the nations” (Philip 3:14) (Rom 1:6).