obedience

The human response God requires to his revealed will. Obedience in Scripture is not mechanical compliance with rules. It flows from relationship: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14#14:15). Ezekiel locates life itself in following God's commands (Ezekiel 20#20:11, Deuteronomy 4#4:8).

In middle school I realized that what God is after in us is simply willingness. The willingness to obey–the willingness to do what he asks.

Peter weaves obedience through his first letter three times in chapter one alone (1 Peter 1#1:2, 1 Peter 1#1:14, 1 Peter 1#1:22), connecting it to purification and the capacity to love. Obedience purifies the soul; a purified soul can love other people. The sequence matters.

Paul frames the same truth through freedom: Christ freed believers from the law's curse (Galatians 5#5:1) so they could serve one another through love (Galatians 5#5:13). Peter echoes this: freedom in Christ is for service, not a cover for sin (1 Peter 2#2:16). James closes the loop: faith without obedient action is dead (James 2#2:17).

Obedience sits between justification by faith (which grounds our standing before God) and holiness (which describes the life that results). It connects to humility, since obedience requires submitting your will to another's.

Key Passages

Deuteronomy 4#4:8, Deuteronomy 6#6:4-9, Ezekiel 20#20:11, John 14#14:15, Romans 6#6:16-18, 1 Peter 1#1:14-22, James 2#2:14-26, Hebrews 5#5:8

Vault Notes

• 2020-12-22 Peter Mentions Obedience Three Times in Chapter One
• 2020-12-22 Obedience Purifies Souls and Enables Love
• 2020-11-28 Life Consists of Following God's Commands
• 2020-12-23 1 Peter Pivots from Orthodoxy to Orthopraxy
• 2020-12-23 Freedom in Christ as Basis for Serving Others
• 2020-11-26 Freedom to Serve One Another Through Love
• 2020-11-21 Ezekiel Prophesies Even if Israel Won't Obey

DMM/CPM and Obedience

Disciple-making movements treat obedience as the engine of multiplication. Discovery Bible Study asks participants "what will you obey from this passage?" before the meeting ends, making obedience the immediate response to encounter with Scripture rather than a downstream aspiration. Trousdale calls this "obedience-based discipleship" and contrasts it with knowledge-based models that accumulate information without expecting action.

The first-century patterns share this instinct: new believers obeyed and taught others to obey before they had formal training (2022-08-11 Patterns Worth Repeating - First Century Practices). Paul expected the same from the Thessalonians, telling them to hold to the traditions they received (2021-02-20 Follow Apostolic Traditions Written and Oral).

• 2024-01-12 Models or Pathways DMM-CPM — overview of DMM/CPM models, all of which center on obedience cycles
• 2023-09-17 ChatGPT on Church Planting Movement Principles — movement principles including simple reproducible obedience
• 2022-08-11 Patterns Worth Repeating - First Century Practices — first-century practices rooted in obedience before training
• The Kingdom Unleashed — obedience-based discipleship as the driver of movements
• Mission Viruses — Moran on what kills disciple-making movements, including replacing obedience with knowledge
• Evolution of CPM/DMM Thought — how the obedience emphasis developed across movement literature
• Criticisms of DMM — critiques of the obedience-first approach and responses

References

• The Whole Christ — obedience without legalism, rooted in union with Christ
• BILD Encyclicals — the apostolic pattern of teaching that produces obedient communities
• Hole in Our Holiness — the pursuit of personal holiness as an act of obedience
• Discovery Bible Study