The Obedience of Faith

“And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name . . . .” Rom. 1:4-5.

Before faith came, we had a faith—a legalistic faith—which was so strong that it was able to keep us under guard by the law and keep us for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Gal. 3:23. This legalistic faith cannot be called the faith of Christ. Rather, it is a human faith in Christ. Therefore, it is not the ultimate faith; it is only a temporary faith that, along with our conscience and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, works as a legalistic tutor to bring us to Christ. For those who have come to Him and have been made one with Him, the faith of Christ will become active through works. These works are the fruit of the obedience of faith, and the power to carry them out comes from the Father of Spirits. In the kingdom of God, everything depends on obedience. The fall of man came on account of disobedience, but the restoration of man takes place through obedience. The faith of Christ is the law of the body—the church. Without it, no sanctification can take place, because it is by this faith, through the Spirit, that we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. Gal. 5:5. This demonstrates that it is righteousness that brings hope, but it is impossible to be righteous in any other way than through obedience to the faith, because the righteous shall live by faith.

There is no grace under the law, because outside of the body there is no sacrifice. “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Gal. 5:4. On the other hand, we receive both grace and truth in the body. That is precisely where God can provide grace and truth, because the body is sacrificed. Everything that pertains to life and godliness has been given to us in Christ Jesus. That is where we receive grace through Him, in order for God’s longsuffering to begin to work, until we come to the point where we begin to partake in the sacrifice of Christ, and it reveals to us the riches of God’s longsuffering and grace.

By faith we are united with the person of Christ and with grace, and from that time on, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but only faith working through love.

People usually have their own ideas about what they are going to believe or not believe, but that kind of faith has nothing to do with the faith of Christ. The faith of Christ is revealed to us in our human spirit and consciousness, always leading us toward greater godly fear, more devotion, greater care, and more sacrifices according to the flesh. The faith of Christ has its roots in God Himself. Human understanding cannot comprehend it, yet it is in perfect harmony with God’s understanding and His plans of sanctification for us. Only by being fully confident that God desires what is best for us are we able, by God’s grace, to act according to this faith which is revealed to us—without seeing the outcome or the results. God has reserved that for Himself until the revelation of our glory with Christ on that day, when we all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and receive our reward according to what has taken place in our body, whether it be good or evil.

There is a covering over everything that is glorious. It is not pleasant for the natural man to blindly follow the way of faith, but when we exercise ourselves in doing this, we will be surprised time and again to find God’s glory safely hidden under those coverings—a glory other people are oblivious to. By exercising ourselves in searching for God’s hidden treasures under this covering, we will eventually come so far away from religious greatness and esteem that we will be regarded as being a feeble curiosity who perhaps has some unique, personal viewpoints, but who will never attain to being able to shine from the greatly coveted religious heights. By God’s grace, it continues to be our aim to remain in the lowly places, without having any reputation. By faith we know that we will, in the power of God, undermine the foundations upon which these religious heights are resting, and we will rejoice with unceasing joy when we see the collapse of those things in which vain religious people have placed their confidence and their honor.

According to the law and will of God, the way goes downward, and then upward. The faith of Christ is our guide throughout life, and those who have the faith of Christ must of necessity also have the works of Christ. If a person has the works of Christ and the faith of Christ, then they must also possess the life of Christ.

It is impossible to believe something unless something has been spoken, because faith comes by hearing. Our Advocate [Norw., Spokesman], the Holy Spirit, is always working, inwardly and outwardly, whether we are working or resting. We must believe and obey what the Spirit speaks and convicts us of in our inner being and in our conscience. This is what the Bible calls the obedience of faith.

It was for the obedience of faith that Paul received apostleship among the nations. Without the obedience of faith, there will be no growth, no progress, and no fruit. It’s true that you can be a faithful regular, attending meetings in one place or another, and appear to rejoice now and then, but you can never become a straightforward, direct, purposeful man or woman until you learn to walk in this great mystery: the obedience of faith.