Dave Chanski

A true Christian is someone who obeys God. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). But don’t Christians sin? Of course they do. And isn’t sin disobedience? Yes. Then how can Jesus say that obedience is a mark of a true Christian?

Genuine Obedience

Jesus does not demand perfect obedience, but He does require genuine obedience from His disciples. First of all, He requires that we obey Him with our lives and not just with our lips (see Matthew 21:28-31). People who say they agree that we should “flee fornication”, yet continue in immorality, are not obeying. Nor are those who say “Amen” to the command to confess our sins to one another, but who are too proud to ever confess theirs. An obedient person has a habit of obeying as opposed to a habit of not obeying.

True obedience also means obedience from the heart. The psalmist wrote, “My soul keeps Your testimonies, and I love them exceedingly” (Psa 119:167). Can you say that you love God’s commandments? Or do you resent the fact that He requires us to obey them? Can you say with the Lord Jesus, “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8)?

Further, a Christian takes care to observe all of God’s commandments, not just those of his liking or those he finds easy to obey. “Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments”(Psalm 119:6). And a true Christian continues in obedience for all his life. People who endure only for a while and then fall away are not true Christians (Matthew 13:20-21). A Christian bears fruit (Matthew 13:23), and even if he falls into grievous sin like David or Peter, he repents (Proverbs 24:16) and perseveres in obedience to the end (Matthew 10:22).

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