We were walking the beach on another day. It was so lovely. The sky was blue, the wind was humming, the sun was shining, the waves were crashing, the sea salt was a smelling, the waves a crashing. You know, that perfect beach walk. As we walked along just enjoying all those things. I looked at Tony and said I’ve been thinking and I think I’d really like the beach if, it wasn’t for the sand.
Sand. Tiny tiny granules of crushed shells, rocks, and crustaceans that make up the sea floor. Sand that sticks to everything and sand that gets everywhere. When we get home, we’ll be finding sand in things for months. In shoes, towels, car mats, everywhere! Now I’m not hating creation, I’m just saying that somehow sand sifts into everything. Kind of like the Princess and the Pea, remember that? A tiny grain of sand in your shoe, or elsewhere, can drive you bananas! Tony said it’d be hard to have a beach without sand. He’s right. I mean, what would the water do? There’d be no ebb and flow because there’d be no beach on which to ebb and flow. A beach is sand and water. A beach must have sand to be called a beach. A beach must have water to be called a beach. You see where this is heading, right?
Just like water and sand go hand-in-hand to be called a beach, followers of Christ must have faith and obedience to be called Christians. What’s she talking about? Check this out:
Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. You are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:5-6(NLT)
This verse tells us a couple of things that go hand-in-hand in following Christ. First off, it tells us that God has given us the privilege and the authority, or responsibility to go into the world and tell Gentiles (those unbelieving folks) about Him. A privilege to take a message from the King of Kings. A responsibility to take a message from the King of Kings. The reason we’re to do that is because of the next things that go hand-in-hand.
Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:5-6 (NIV)
Obedience that comes from faith. Not from any other place. Not obedience from rules, laws, instruction or fear. But obedience that can only come from faith. Not obedient to gain faith, but obedient as a result of faith! Look here:
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:7
We are not born obedient. We were born sinners. Our natural inclination is to be disobedient. Kind of like the waves at the beach, we are pulled, the current tries to pull us out into the world.
Faith is obedience. Faith produces obedience. To believe is to obey. They go hand-in-hand.
But now as prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they might believe and obey Christ. To God, who alone is wise, be the glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Romans 16:26