Edward F. Lundwall Jr.
Obedience of Faith - Part II
The Greek word for "obedience" is composed of two words: upo meaning “under" and akohn meaning “hearing.” Upo (under) speaks of agency or the means which governs akohn (hearing.) It speaks of a faith relationship to Lord Jesus. Jesus described this in John 10:27: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" Hebrews 11 describes this lifestyle his listing of heroes of faith:
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he rewards of them that diligently seek him." (Heb 11:6). Another great illustration of this in Old Testament history is the example of Samuel when he was called by the Lord to be a prophet. He said: "Speak; for thy servant hears." (1 Sam 3:10)
Obedience of faith was not a legalistic term, but describes the dynamic of personal relationship. The nature of eternal life as Jesus defined it in the words:
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3). This is supported by the meaning of the Greek word "know" (ginwskw) which is defined as knowledge centered in personal experience.
The etymological meaning of faith is being persuaded to trust. The Greek word for faith (pistis) comes from the Greek word for persuasion.
According to Genesis, Abraham's faith developed through his successive experiences with God as God gave him promise after promise each of which were realized. These caused him to be obedient even to the sacrifice of his son Isaac. His had developed trust in God through practicing faith produced by his obedience. He developed the character summarized in the words: "obedience of faith." Because of his modeling of “obedience of faith,” Abraham has been called “the father of faith” (Romans 4:11. 12) by Paul. Paul’s inspired writings continually harmonize with ideas of apostleship, grace, and the whole sweep biblical revelation being given to produce in the people of all nations the character of obedience of faith.
Related reading: Obedience of Faith - Part I
The historic creeds of the Church are summaries of Biblical faith. There is no conflict between what they assert and the Bible.
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