This is the spirit of obedience displayed by the Apostles (continued)
Obedience 185 obeying the truth and thereby in danger of losing the benefit of what they had gained in Christ.
The Gospel which he had preached to them, and which they had embraced and professed, he assures them was the truth. It was therein only that the true way of justification and salvation was fully discovered. In order that they might enjoy the advantage of it, it was necessary that they should obey it, that they should firmly adhere to it, and continue to govern their lives and hopes according to its directions. If, therefore, they should suffer themselves to be drawn away from it they must needs be guilty of the greatest weakness and folly.
The truth is not only to be believed, but to be obeyed, not only to be received in the light of it, but in the love and power of it. They do not rightly obey the truth who do not steadfastly adhere to it. There is the same reason for our obeying the truth which there was for our embracing it. Therefore they act very unreasonably who, when they have begun to run well in the Christian race, suffer themselves to be hindered so as not to persevere in it.
7. THE SUPREME EXAMPLE
So it is to the obedience of our Saviour Christ that we finally turn for encouragement, that we in turn might prove, as He did, obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. By His sufferings He learned obedience, though He was a son (see Heb. v. 8f.).
Here observe: (a) The privilege of Christ. He was a Son, the only begotten of the Father. One would have thought this might have exempted Him from suffering, but it did not. Let none, then, who are the children of God by adoption, expect an absolute freedom from suffering. "' What son is he whom the Father chasteneth not ?"' (b) Christ made improvement by His sufferings. He learned obedience. By His passive obedience He learned active obedience. He practised that great lesson, and made it appear that He was well and perfectly learned in it. Though He never was disobedient, yet He never performed such an act of obedience as when He became obedient to death, even to the death of the cross. Here He hath left us an example that we should learn by all our afflictions an humble obedience to the will of God. We need affliction to teach us submission.