Many of us in the Christian faith have heard instruction to "obey the gospel." I agree, as it is our instruction from Scripture. But what does it mean to "obey the gospel"? I will do my very best to remove myself, and let the infallible Word of God speak.
First, this is why it is important to obey the gospel: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9
"This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might..."
Those of us who have not obeyed the gospel will reap the vengeance of the Lord and will spend eternity away from Him. That is not something that I would like to do.
Many claim that obeying the gospel means to believe (or trust) in Christ. It is my position, based on my understanding of Scripture, that believing is a necessary act, but it is not the only act taken to be obedient to God's instruction. (Side note: being obedient means to obey fully. When we were children, if our parents told us to take out the trash, feed the dog, and wash dishes, we were not obedient if we neglected to feed the dog but completed the other two tasks.) Please don't misunderstand me--I am not taking the position that belief is not important; in fact, belief is a critical, necessary, and requisite step. I just have not found a Scripture that states that obeying the gospel means simply to believe in Christ and nothing else, in those terms. Continue with me...
I have, however, found a scripture that tells what the gospel is--1 Corinthians 15:1-4
"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures..."
Paul defines the gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
But how do we obey the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ? That doesn't, in itself, sound like an instruction.
See Romans 6:1-11:
"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
The instruction comes from John 3:3-5
"3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”"
My conclusion, from reading the Scriptures, is that obeying the gospel means to (1) die to our sinful selves, (2) be buried in the grave of baptism, and (3) arise to walk in a new life. Back to our point of belief--hearing and understanding the Word of God is the pre-requisite, and believing that He is true to His promises comes along with it. Without believing or enacting your obedient faith, baptism is nothing more than taking a dip in a swimming pool. Romans 6 shows us that emulating Christ's death, burial, and resurrection unites our lives with His.
I value discussion and see it as vital to all of us. Discussion is how our fathers of faith shared their convictions and instructions; most times, it was nearly the only method of doing so, when only the affluent were able to use written tools. And that value of discussion carries today. I certainly welcome and enjoy discussions of faith with anyone, as that is our primary job and mission. Be blessed, and see that the Lord is good!
