If the gospel you believe does not include obedience as a fruit of faith then it is short-sighted and you will end up spiritually crashing into a wall.

Certainly, we need to be exceedingly careful to make clear that our hope and confidence before God, and His righteous judgment, is singularly on the basis of the merit and mercy of Jesus. He has fulfilled the law in His active obedience and satisfied the wrath of God through His atoning death on the cross. Salvation is by grace alone, and is received by faith alone. As J.I. Packer wrote, “there is really only one point to be made in the field of soteriology: the point that God saves sinners.”1 This is the heart of the gospel. If we lose this truth we die. But the heart of the gospel beats and carries the blood to the rest of our body, giving strength and movement to the muscles of godliness.

I am writing this because I am concerned. Perhaps it is more of an online phenomenon than a real problem in the church–but I doubt it. I have been hearing of a kind of Christianity that (at least) sounds as if it is all heart and no muscle. As if the Christian life is one of all faith, and no works. As if God only gave us His law to show us our sin and direct us to Jesus, but not to also serve as a rule for godly living made possible in our lives by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Yet here is our Savior, who not only rescues but commands (Mt. 5:20)–offering a salvation that not only frees us from sin but enslaves us unto righteousness (Rom. 6). Jesus, in His saving work, not only redeems us–He also shows us how to live. He is both Savior and example. We not only get justification in Christ, we get sanctification in union with Him too.

Jesus denied Himself to save us. This, in turn, becomes the example that we are to follow. As Paul says: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on Me.'” (Romans 15:1-3)

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