The book of Romans begins with obedience.
And it ends with obedience.
Paul opens his letter by saying that through Christ:
“We have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name” (Romans 1:5 NKJV).
Then he closes the letter by speaking of the gospel:
“Made known to all nations… for obedience to the faith” (Romans 16:26 NKJV).
Those verses are not accidental.
They are bookends.
Paul surrounds the greatest explanation of the gospel ever written with one phrase:
the obedience of faith.
But what does that mean?
Many hear the word obedience and immediately think:
Rules.
Performance.
Trying harder.
Doing more.
But Paul means something entirely different.
The obedience of faith is not obedience instead of faith.
Nor is it faith plus obedience.
The obedience of faith is the obedience that faith produces.
It is faith expressing itself in trust, surrender, and dependence upon Christ.
Sinai and Calvary
Under the Law, blessing followed obedience.
Moses declared:
“If you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments… all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NKJV).
Notice the requirement:
Diligently obey.
Carefully observe.
Not some commandments.
All commandments.
Not occasionally.
Continually.
Not externally only.
Perfectly.
The standard was absolute obedience.
Six hundred and thirteen commandments stood before Israel like a mountain no man could climb.
The Law demanded righteousness but supplied no power to produce it.
The result was inevitable:
Failure.
Condemnation.
Guilt.
But then Jesus came.
Paul writes:
“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4 NKJV).
Notice what changed.
Under the Law, righteousness belonged to the one who obeyed.
Under the gospel, righteousness belongs to the one who believes.
The old covenant said:
Obey and be blessed.
The new covenant says:
Believe and receive the blessing secured through Christ’s obedience.
Under the Law, obedience was the root of blessing.
Under grace, obedience is the fruit of blessing.
That changes everything.
Noah Found Grace
Long before Moses stood on Sinai, Noah discovered this principle.
Genesis does not say Noah earned grace.
It says:
“Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8 NKJV).
Grace came first.
Hebrews then tells us:
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen… prepared an ark” (Hebrews 11:7 NKJV).
Notice the order:
Grace.
Faith.
Obedience.
Noah did not build the ark to obtain grace.
He built the ark because he had already found grace.
Grace initiated.
Faith responded.
Obedience followed.
That is still God’s order.
Religion reverses it.
Religion says:
Obey.
Then believe God might accept you.
The gospel says:
God accepts you in Christ.
Believe it.
And obedience will follow.
Abraham Believed God
Abraham tells the same story.
Genesis says:
“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6 NKJV).
Abraham was justified by faith.
Period.
Years later, he offered Isaac upon the altar.
James says his works perfected or completed his faith.
His obedience did not create his faith.
His obedience revealed it.
As has often been said:
Faith alone justifies, but the faith that justifies is never alone.
Living faith moves.
Living faith trusts.
Living faith obeys.
The Work God Requires
One day, the crowds asked Jesus:
“What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
Jesus answered:
“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:28-29 NKJV).
The people wanted a list.
Jesus gave them a Person.
They wanted performance.
Jesus called for faith.
The great command of the gospel is not:
Perform.
It is:
Believe.
Paul makes this same connection in Romans:
“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?'” (Romans 10:16 NKJV).
Notice how Paul uses obey and believe interchangeably.
To obey the gospel is to believe the gospel.
To reject the gospel is to disobey the gospel.
The first act of obedience in the Christian life is faith itself.
Believing Is Obeying
John the Baptist said:
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not obey the Son shall not see life” (John 3:36 NKJV).
Many translations render the second phrase:
“Whoever rejects the Son.”
That is John’s point.
Belief and obedience belong together.
Unbelief and disobedience belong together.
This does not mean Christians obey perfectly.
None of us do.
The issue is not perfection.
The issue is direction.
Saving faith changes the trajectory of a life.
As Billy Graham said:
“Faith that saves has one distinguishing quality; saving faith is a faith that produces obedience.”
Adam and Jesus
Human history ultimately rests upon two acts of obedience.
Paul writes:
“Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19 NLT).
Adam’s disobedience made many sinners.
Christ’s obedience makes many righteous.
This is the glory of the gospel:
Our salvation ultimately rests not upon the perfection of our obedience but upon the perfection of His.
The obedience of faith is ultimately faith in another man’s obedience.
Jesus obeyed where Adam failed.
Jesus obeyed where Israel failed.
Jesus fulfilled what the Law demanded.
Jesus accomplished what humanity could not.
And now everyone who trusts Him shares in His righteousness.
So What Is the Obedience of Faith?
It is not faith plus obedience equals salvation.
It is not works earning acceptance.
It is not performance producing righteousness.
It is this:
Grace produces faith.
Faith produces obedience.
Obedience reveals faith.
The fruit does not create the tree.
The fruit reveals the tree.
Faith and obedience can no more be separated than sunlight from the sun or heat from fire.
Where genuine faith exists, genuine obedience follows.
Always moving toward Christ.
The gospel does not say:
Obey so you can belong.
The gospel says:
Because you belong, you obey.
At Sinai, obedience was the condition for blessing.
At Calvary, obedience became the evidence that the blessing had already arrived.
That is the obedience of faith.
Copyright © Murrell Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
At 18 years old, Elijah Murrell heard the Lord speak three life-defining words to his heart: "Preach Righteousness. Declare Faithfulness. Do Greater Works." Those words became the foundation of Murrell Ministries International and continue to shape everything he does in ministry today.
Elijah is the host of the Greater Than Podcast, which he launched on November 19, 2019. Since its debut, the podcast has reached listeners in over 70 countries worldwide, tackling real issues facing culture and the Church while bringing them back to the truth of God's Word. His teaching style is both practical and Spirit-filled, making deep truths relatable for everyday life.
Before stepping into full-time itinerant ministry, Elijah gained hands-on experience that prepared him for the calling he walks in today. He served as an intern for a television ministry in Texas, where he learned the importance of excellence, vision, and media in advancing the Gospel. Later, he spent a term as an associate pastor in Atlanta, investing in people's lives, preaching, and shepherding a local congregation. These seasons gave him a depth and perspective that continue to fuel his heart for the global Church.
On February 4, 2021, Elijah was set apart as an associate member of Faith Life International under his spiritual parents, Keith and Phyllis Moore. Today, Elijah travels full-time across the U.S. and beyond, preaching an empowering message of righteousness, faith, and the supernatural life available in Christ. His passion is to see believers awakened to their identity in Christ—living boldly, walking in victory, and doing greater works by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(When he is not traveling, Elijah enjoys movies, classic television, sporting events, and Batman)
