obedience

Through out the Old Testament there is the idea the sacrificial system was a part of the worship along with the idea of bringing one into a right relationship with God. One of the things that I realized with the sacrificial system, along with Christ sacrifice is that there is an act of obedience that needs to come along with it. It is not true worship unless there is obedience that follows the sacrifice and worship. Obedience is what makes the sacrifice and worship complete. Christ sacrifice is complete in the sense that it has the power to forgive sins and bring us back into a right relationship with God. It also is the only thing that can bring us into a right relationship with God, but there is an additional element. Through Christ death and ressurection, He has put the ball back into our court. What are we going to do with the sacrifice of God's only Son. There are only two options that I know of, one is to accept Christ gift to us and act accordingly, or there is the other side of the coin and reject Christ sacrifice. Through this acceptance of the gift, there needs to be a continous response. I think that the acceptance of the gift is a one time thing, but ones response to it is a daily thing, and often a moment by moment thing. Obedience is a sign of trust and of a healthy relationship. It is putting ones trust or faith into God's grace and law. It is the giving over of ones life over to the grace of God. A part of being obedient is the idea of being a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. The idea of Old Testament sacrifice of bringing back into right relationship with Godis done away with the ultimate sacrifice in Christ, but there is something more. This greater concept is that our sacrifice is so that we can have the freedom in Christ and we can have that image restored in us. Obedience and sacrifice is being at the cross and renewing our image and heart so that they can be a part of are actions. It is a choice that we move closer to the cross so that we may be changed. Our obedience is a response to God's grace, and not so we can earn God's grace.