Hebrews 5:9: And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
A common component of most marriage vows is the line, “Do you promise to love, cherish, honor, and obey?” There’s that “O” word – obey. Sometimes you’ll hear a sarcastic snicker from the audience when the officiator mentions that word. In some weddings, obey is stricken from that string of promises. Why? Well, obeying someone implies giving up control of who you are to someone else. In other words – submitting. Today’s world does not promote the idea of submitting – other than getting us to submit to its lies and deceits.
So let’s ask the question, ‘Why should I be obedient to my spouse – much less anyone else?’ If we’re to obey someone, the only way we’re going to do this and surrender control is if we are certain they have the following characteristics. The first thing we need to believe is that the person to whom we are going to be obedient to is that he/she is trustworthy. Regardless of what the situation is, you can be absolutely certain that the person you are submitting to is faithful and honest – all the time.
Have you ever met someone like that? The only one I’ve ever met who qualifies is Lord Jesus Christ – the only begotten Son of God. Deuteronomy 7:9 tells us, “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” When Jesus returns to reign for evermore, He’ll be riding on a white horse, and His name will be “Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11).
Another character trait we should be looking for when we’re considering giving up control of our lives is that this person should have far better control over things than I do. The word, “omnipotent” means having very great or unlimited authority or power. Again – know anyone who you’re certain has better control than you? The prophet Isaiah does – look who he identifies in chapter 14 verses 24 and 27 of his book, “The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, “ Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: For the LORD of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?” The Apostle John offers another name for Jesus when He returns to Earth in chapter 19 of Revelation, “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”
So to obey someone, we need him to be faithful and true and have a better control than we do. Anything else? How can we be so sure he/she knows all of what’s going on? Seems like there’s so much out there that can cause problems. Omniscience is defined as having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things. I’ll ask again – do you know anyone who can honestly lay claim to this ability? The only one I know is identified in 1 John 3:20, “God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”
The final question we should ask when we’re considering surrendering our will and obeying someone is what is his/her motivation for ruling over me? Someone can be honest, powerful, and knows everything, but if his/her motivation for ruling over me is corrupt, then the first three components are nothing short of sinister. God is the only one who qualifies for the first three components, and, joyfully, He has the best motivation. 1 John 4:8b clearly states, “God is love.” Love is the core character trait of God, so everything He does is based on love and His love for us.
Jesus never asks us to do something that He’s not already done Himself. This is even true when it comes to obedience. Philippians 2:8 tells us, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” The One Who is Faithful and True, Who is Omnipotent, Who knows everything, and Who is love modeled obedience when He submitted to His Father’s redemptive plan for us when He willingly went to the cross as a sacrifice for our sins.
Because of our sinful nature, we don’t want to give up control and obey. There’s only one Person Who has demonstrated the character worthy of our submitting our lives to – Jesus Christ. He promises eternal life to those who will obey Him. Will you?