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.

Thoughts to Ponder

Most of us go about life doing normal things: work, socailizing, hobbies, chores, etc. As believers in Chirst, we, too, do these normal, routine things. We engage in extra-curicular activities (and encourage our kids to do the same).

But as believers in Christ, what is it that makes our life any different from those who do not believe in Christ? Surely, it is not simply a belief. For if any belief does not affect our lives, then what kind of belief do we really have in it? In our case, we claim to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. What exactly does that mean?

I'm sure it means different things to differnt people, but I'm also sure that it can only really mean ONE THING.

If Jesus really is the Son of God, then He is Lord. He is Master. He is in charge. And when the One in charge calls you to do something, you do it; don't you? For failure to do so has consequences just as obedience has consequences.

My point is that we go about our daily lives in obscurity-- pursing our duties, obeying the law, and waiting for the coming of the Messiah. The problem with this is He's already come! He has come and He has called the earth to follow Him. Faith and following can no longer mean sitting and waiting--we must rise and follow.

Believers cannot simply live out a quiet life and wait for Jesus' return. He has given us tasks to complete: namely, to go into all the world making Him known and making disciples for Him.
Use an example from Matthew 4: 18-20; the calling of Peter and Andrew. Jesus called them to follow Him. They responded by immediately leaving the life they knew.

Had they not left, Jesus would probably still have impacted their lives. He was, afer all, the Messiah. They could pursue thier lives, their careers, and even be devout Messianic Jewish men. They could still listen to, and someday read about Jesus. He could be thier teacher, their Savior, even thier present help in times of trouble. But He would not be their Lord in the truest sense of the word. They had refused to follow. It was through their following that they came to know Him.

To follow a lord is to surrender one's life to that person and to his service. When the lord calls, a servant must respond in obedience. So, Peter and Andrew left their nets and followed. And because they did this, a new situation was created. A situation where they became totally dependant on Jesus for their lives, their needs, their daily bread, etc. This new situation allowed them to learn to believe in Jesus as the Son of God. This belief would not have been possible had they not left everything and followed.

A person cannot really learn how to believe in God unless he is willing to follow God everywhere, anywhere, and at any time.

Have I left my life to follow Jesus? Have you? I chose to believe in Him. I made a decision to follow Him. But do I really follow?

Our time is divide between obligations (work, school, family) and desires (the things I want to do: watch tv, play my guitar, video games, extra-curricular activities, etc). I have little time left over for anything else. The thing is, these are my obligations, my desires. See the problem? What does following Jesus have to do with any of these?

Some will say, that's just life! We live it as best we can trying to do what Jesus would have us do in each of these situations. And while that may be true, that dodges the whole question. The real issue is that I (we) devote our lives to careers, interests, and activities that we feel are important. When was the last time we sat down to make a list of all we do and then prayed over that list asking God which things are really of eternal significance?

Who are we really living for?

And now that you know, what do you plan on doing about it? Cause you have to have a plan!

More later!