THE MESSAGE IS SPREAD BY FAITH AND OBEDIENCE – Romans 1:5
Romans 1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Paul starts out his letter to the church at Rome with this phrase “obedience to the faith”. In the second to last verse of this letter, Paul states “But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith” Romans 16:26. The phrase obedience of faith is used only twice in this letter, but the placement of the phrase at the beginning and the end of the letter is telling as to the significance of the principle.
Because individuals determined in their heart that they were going to obey God and grow in their faith, God used these individuals to spread the Good News throughout the nations. God used men, who were willing to trust HIM to ensure that the message of salvation reached those who had never heard. This does not mean that if you obey God and increase in faith you will become a Missionary to Africa. What it does mean is that as you dedicate your life to the Lord, and as you learn to hear and obey HIS still small voice, your life will be changed and out of the abundance of your heart, God will use you to touch those around you. One who is living for God cannot help but bear fruit for the kingdom of God. As you obey God, God will take you were HE can use you the most.
Peter was not called to preach to the Gentiles; Peter spent most of his ministry in Israel and the city of Jerusalem working with the persecuted church. Peter’s obedience to the faith led him primarily to the Jerusalem church. On the other hand, Paul was used by God all over the world. Paul’s obedience to the faith led him to many individuals who had never heard of Jesus Christ and did not know the salvation message. God did not need both Peter and Paul in Jerusalem. God had the hearts of both men as both men desired to serve God and to do as HE had said. Because both men desired to demonstrate their faith by their obedience to God, the message of the Gospel was spread.
God desires to see your faith demonstrated by your obedience to HIM. As you live your life, your life should be an example to the world of what God can do through one individual who has dedicated their life to God. People should look at you and know that your testimony is that God daily leads you in the way you are to go. People should understand that as you take the time to hear God’s voice and that God answers your request by clearly giving you directions that you can follow. As you obey God, your faith will grow and you will learn to trust God regardless of what HE asks you to do.
There were periods of Paul’s life where God told him to wait. Because Paul waited, God was glorified when HE set up the circumstances so that when Paul went at God’s command, the fruit of Paul’s work was greater then Paul ever would have imaged had he not waited. God has perfect timing, and it is your duty to go when God tells you to go and to wait when God tells you to wait.
Faith and obedience are important principles in the Christian’s life that cannot be easily separated. Do you increase in faith by your obedience or is your faith demonstrated by your obedience? You have a duty to God to grow in faith. You have a duty to God to obey HIS word. As you do both, God will be able to use you to spread HIS name.