The Standard of Obedience Week 33, 2011

“What do you mean by standard; isn’t obedience the same anymore?” Well, for one thing what you confidently call obedience might not be obedience at all. “What do you mean?” Do you recall that rich young ruler who ran to kneel at Jesus’ feet? When Jesus said to him, “Respect your father and mother. And love others as much as you love yourself” Mat 19:19(CEV) remember his response? The young man said, "I have obeyed all of these. What else must I do? Mat 19:20(CEV). He was quite certain he obeyed but when Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." Mat 19:21(ESV) it became clear he loved himself more than the poor; he loved his possessions. When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions Mat 19:22(ESV)
“Well he must have been doing it in part, he just wasn’t perfect. Probably he should have got a pass mark.” Pass mark? You might as well have awarded a pass mark to King Saul. When he did most of what God commanded he insisted "I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction” 1Sa 15:20(ESV). But the LORD said to Samuel, "I am sorry that I made Saul king; he has turned away from me and disobeyed my commands” 1Sa 15:10, 11(GNB). Are we like that, confident that you obey God when in reality you do not?
“Wow God’s standard is so high!” My dear: Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all Jas 2:10(GNB). It just underscores the fact that no one can be justified through trying to keep the laws; that man should have seen the impossibility of getting into the kingdom through keeping the laws and pleaded for mercy. Instead he went away sorrowful. God has locked all people in the prison of their own disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all Rom 11:32(ISV).
We need mercy before God to enter into eternal life: We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. We, too, have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law, for no human being will be justified by the works of the law Gal 2:16(ISV).