Teaching Obedience & Learning to Obey

“Then Jesus came to them and
said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’”
(Matthew 28:18-20).

It is relatively easy to
teach and to learn the commands of God. These commands are made up of sentences
that can be memorized. The Christian church has been teaching the commands for
centuries.

I will now misquote verse 20:
“and teaching them all of the commands I commanded you.”

Here is it corrected:
“teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” I
cannot teach obedience to commands as easily as I teach commands. But
that is what we are told to do.

How can I teach obedience? By
being obedient myself.

Paul did not hesitate to
teach obedience this way:

“Even though you have ten
thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus
I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is
faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus,
which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians
4:15-17).

Paul was an example to be
imitated. Timothy was an example to be imitated. These examples agreed with
Paul’s teaching. His teaching could teach commands. His example could
teach obedience.

“Do not cause anyone to stumble,
whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in
every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they
may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1
Corinthians 10:32-11:1).

Paul gives the command (verse
32); then he gives himself as an example (verse 33); then he gives a reason for
his example. After that, he gives a command to follow his example, which is
imitating.

Do you want to learn to obey?
Follow an example who obeys. Do you want to teach obedience? Be an example of
obedience.

“Oh, that their hearts would
be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go
well with them and their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

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