The First Step

"Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes".

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

Bonhoeffer states that this is a complete statement in and of itself. And that the problem in the modern church is that we have separated it from itself. "It is quite unbiblical to hold the first proposition without the second" (Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 64).

It makes sense when we hear that obedience is only possible where there is faith; after all, doesn't obedience follow faith as good fruit grows on a good tree? If we are referring to the fact that it is faith that justifies us and not the act of obedience, then we are correct. However, if we are making a chronological distinction between faith and obedience where faith is a prerequisite to obedience, then we are divorcing the two and we are left with the question of when must obedience begin? That makes faith and obedience two separate and distinct issues.

Faith and obedience are united, and we must never lose sight of that. Faith is only authentic when there is obedience, and faith only becomes faith through the act of obedience. Since we cannot accurately speak of obedience as the result of faith, we must keep the proposition "Only he who believes is obedient" alongside the proposition "Only he who is obedient believes". In the first, faith is the result of obedience; in the latter, obedience is the result of faith.

If we are to believe, we must obey a command of that which we believe in. For without that first step of obedience, our faith is not real. So everything depends on our first step.

Our first step is to leave our old way of life. For Peter and Andrew, it meant dropping their nets. For Matthew, it meant leaving his job as a tax collector. For you and me, it will mean something different. But it will mean something. We must leave or give up something. If we have ever come to, or are now coming to, the realization that we are ruined and are in need of a Savior, then we acknowledge that the life we are living is not right. We must leave it behind, for to stay in our current situation makes discipleship impossible. In the Gospels, the first step a person must take is an act which will radically affect his whole existence.

Following Jesus is not an abstract idea or doctrine; it is the re-creation of the whole life of a man. "The call to follow implies that there is only one way of believing on Jesus Christ, and that is by leaving all and going with the incarnate Son of God" (Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 62).

Taking this first step of leaving our old way of life places us (the disciple) into a new situation where faith in Jesus as the Son of God becomes possible. This new situation must be created for us to truly learn what faith is. We cannot have faith simply based on Jesus' word; we must enter into a life where we experience our own weakness and the almighty power of the Lord to come to fully understand it. The road to faith passes through our obedience to the call of Jesus. And unless we take the first step, we are simply deluding ourselves.

So I return to the original quote: "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes". It is belief that causes a person to obey, but it is through obedience that a person learns what it means to believe.

If a person says they cannot obey the call of Jesus because they do not believe, Jesus says, "First obey, renounce your attachments, give up the obstacles which separate you from the will of God, and the faith will come." Do not say you have no faith. You will never have it so long as you persist in disobedience and refuse to take the first step.

Neither can a person say, "I have faith and have no need to take the first step". This is the disobedience of believers: when they are asked to obey, they simply confess their unbelief and leave it at that. They refuse to take the first step and have become hardened in their hearts. They live under the guise of faith while not really having it at all.

The point is if you believe, take the first step; it leads to Jesus. If you don't believe, take the first step, it leads to Jesus. It makes no difference. When Jesus calls you, the Son of God has spoken. If He is to be your Lord, obey. No one wants or needs to hear about your unbelief or lack faith; you've been given an order, obey it-on the spot. Then, and only then, will you find yourself in a situation where faith becomes possible.