One Man’s Obedience and One Man’s Disobedience(4)

Remove the thoughts of disobedience

The greatest faith is an obedient faith. However, if our own thoughts take precedence over God's word, we will lose our faith in God and disobey His will, as Adam and Eve did. ‘This fruit seems good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom. Will I really die if I just eat the fruit?' ‘God is merciful. Will He really punish me for just doing this kind of thing?' Thus, if one puts his own thought ahead of God's word, he will fail to obey the will of God, and the disobedience of the one person will bring death not only upon himself but also upon others.

Isa 55:6-11 『 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.』

God's word is never spoken in vain. Our thoughts differ from God's thoughts. So the Bible tells us to forsake our thoughts and return to God. We must forsake all our thoughts that are contrary to God's word. When we put off our own thoughts and live according to God's will, we can receive abundant blessing and eternal life from God. When Adam and Eve were filled with God's word, the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil seemed flavorless and distasteful to them. However, when they heard the words of the devil and were immersed with their own thoughts, the fruit of the tree seemed good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom. God's thoughts differ so widely from human thoughts. Nobody knows what may happen tomorrow. However, God foresees all future events. That was why He told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree.We should do what God has told us to do with continual and unceasing joy, and keep ourselves from what God has forbidden us, however desirable. Then the heavenly angels will bow down before us, acknowledging us as the people who are led by the Spirit of God and are in accord with God's thoughts and will and His living word. Disobedience leads to death. God gives eternal life to him who is faithful to the point of death. One person is important. If each one of us absolutely obeys the will of Father and Mother, we will all be able to enter into life. However, the disobedience of one of us may lead us all astray.

One Man’s Obedience and One Man’s Disobedience(3)

Obedience of Jesus Christ

The Bible says Adam is a pattern of the one to come (Ro 5:14). Actually, however, Adam was an opposite type of Jesus. He brought death into the world through disobedience to God's command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. On the contrary, Jesus brought eternal life to all men by obeying God's will even to the point of death.

Heb 5:6-10 『 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.』

Through His obedience, Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. He came like one of us and always set the example of obedience to the will of God. When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, just before His suffering and death, He only asked for obedience to God's will:‑ "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."Thus, even in the face of death, Christ was perfectly obedient to God's will. While the one man's disobedience brought death upon all men, the obedience of the One brought them eternal life.

Php 2:5-12 『Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death―even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,』

All the words of truth, which God gives us, are worthy of obedience to the point of death. Jesus Himself set the example of obedience when He came to this earth 2,000 years ago. Like Christ, who was obedient unto death, we should also be obedient to all the words of Elohim God and work out our salvation. If we obey God, He will raise us up to the highest place. God highly exalted Jesus and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Likewise, God will exalt us and give us honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth if we are completely obedient to God's will. So the Bible says we are the royal priests of heaven (1 Pe 2:9). We can never receive such honor and glory unless we fully obey God's word. So the Bible tells us to always obey God and continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.