The Choice To Obey

Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

Hebrews 5:8

Bible students have debated a timeless question: was Jesus Christ not able to sin, or was He able not to sin? The first question suggests that because He is God, it was impossible for Jesus to sin. The second suggests that it was possible for Jesus to sin but that He was able not to sin because of His commitment to obedience. Regardless of how these questions are posed, this we know: Jesus is both God and man.

There is no better verse in the New Testament to illustrate Jesus’ humanity than Hebrews 5:8, which says that Jesus “learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” The very fact that Jesus had to learn to obey makes Him like us—a person with the choice to obey or not to obey. Jesus was the Son of God and learned to obey the Father. Christians are sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:15-16), and we must learn to obey the Father as well. It was through obedience that Jesus gained the Father’s approval (Matthew 3:17) and fulfilled His Father’s will for His life. And through obedience we will do the same.

Obedience to God is a choice for human beings. When we endure the suffering and choose to obey, life is the result (Deuteronomy 30:15-19).

Joy is the natural outcome of the Christian’s obedience to the revealed will of God.

JOHN BLANCHARD