Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: April 26, 2009
DISOBEDIENCE IS UNBELIEF
Robin W. Haley
If you believe the Bible to be God’s word, then you owe it to yourself to be certain that what anyone may tell
you is truly from the Bible, and is relayed accurately. In Acts 17:11 the Bible says, “Now these were more
noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the
Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.”
Perhaps in all the religious world today, the one question that gets the most varied and indeed the most
perverted answers is “What must I do to be saved?” Men for hundreds of years have attempted to author their
own solutions, prescriptions and methodologies as an answer to this question. The most popular answer
among the denominational world is “you don’t have to do a thing to be saved...just believe that God through
Christ has done it all for you.” At the outset there is a contradiction in this: they will answer “nothing” yet
say “only believe” as though that were “nothing.” Belief is a vital part of being saved, but is not to be
considered “nothing,” neither ought we to conclude it is “everything.”
Throughout the Bible God has given men the choice in regard to their salvation. That choice has always meant
conditions. That choice is “obey and live or reject God and die.” The first choice ever given to mankind was in
the garden of Eden. God has always saved, forgiven or pardoned on the basis of what man must do or not do.
The same is true in regard to eternal salvation as offered in Christ today. All that man must do is taught in
the New Testament. But some will ask, “Are we not saved by God’s grace?” Yes! Without His grace salvation
would not have been made available to us. This is not to say that God has already saved us because one of
His attributes happens to be grace. If this were so, all people are saved and none are lost. Although God does
want all to be saved, He also has told us that not all will be saved....because of their own choice to disobey.
The Bible says, “God would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Timothy 2.4).
Then one will say, “But we are saved by grace through faith.” Absolutely! Grace alone does not save us. In
fact, nothing alone will save. It is by faith that we are prompted to accept or appropriate the gift that grace has
delivered. Sadly this is where the denominations stop in their teaching on salvation.
The denominations claim that we are saved by faith alone. In all the Bible only one time does the phrase
“faith alone” or “faith only” appear. It is found in James 2:24. To the surprise of many false teachers and to
the destruction of their false doctrine of salvation by “faith alone,” that phrase is bound with a negative word:
“not.”
If you believe or if you were taught that you were saved by your faith alone, you were taught something the
Bible does not teach. You were taught something the Bible says is not true. The Hebrews writer says that
disobedience is the same as unbelief: “And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to
them that were disobedient? And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:
18,19). James continues with his warning of the condemning nature of this false faith only doctrine when he
says “Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and shudder” (James 2:19).
To have “faith alone” is no better than what the demons have. But God has called you to something greater!
God calls you to what Paul called the “obedience of faith” (Romans 1.5; 16.26). The plea of the New Testament
church is that you put your faith into action; be doers of the word of God (James 1.22), and show your faith by
the works which God requires (James 2.18).
The question now becomes “What works do I do?” Know this—it is not the works of men that God requires for
salvation, but His works. Paul tells us, “for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory. For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2.8-10).
Where do we begin? Let us begin at the beginning: Jesus was asked: “They said therefore unto him, What
must we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God,
that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6.28, 29). You see, even believing is a work. But whose
work? The work of God. That faith leads us to the salvation that comes only through obedience. John the
immerser testified of the inseparable union of faith and obedience in John 3.36: “He that believeth on the Son
hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him”
(John 3.36). What two ingredients are found here? Faith + obedience. Jesus said, “Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in
heaven” (Matthew 7.21). We all must do something. We all must do the will of the Father in Heaven.
We have seen already that believing is a part of the Father’s will. Acts 17.30 shows us that repentance is part
of it as well: “The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should
all everywhere repent.” This is the problem of those who teach salvation by “faith alone.” They say that it is
not necessary to obey...that it is not necessary to be baptized. Does God ever make unnecessary demands?
Of course not! Since these denominational teachers are teaching disobedience, then according to the Bible,
they are really showing themselves to be unbelievers.
Jesus has a question for you: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6.46).
What has Jesus commanded? Faith in him (John 8.24), repentance from sin (Luke 13.3), confession of his
name as Lord (Matthew 10.32) and baptism for forgiveness...to obtain salvation (Mark 16.15,16). In Hebrews
5.9 we find a most sobering fact regarding salvation: “and having been made perfect, he became unto all them
that obey him the author of eternal salvation.” Please do not forget that there is salvation in none other (Acts
4:12). Friends, Jesus is the source. In Him is the only salvation. But only to those who will obey. John
speaks of the best offer ever given: “But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children
of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1.12). John does not say they became children, but that
they had the right...option…privilege...even the duty of becoming God’s children.