Bro Reid

How do you balance personal conviction with biblical commandments?

What we've seen so far in Jesus is that Jesus is the righteous and that he shares his righteousness, he imputes his righteousness to us.
I think a lot of Christians, unfortunately, stop there. Oh, I'm saved. I have his righteousness, and we call this justification. But the Bible talks equally about the next step in this process. The very places where it talks about Jesus being obedient also talk about now us being obedient through him. I'm thinking of Romans 5, you know, Adam was disobedient, but Jesus was obedient. He's going to make many obedient through him.
The point being made is that Christ’s work does not end with declaring believers righteous before God. Through faith, believers receive Christ’s righteousness—often called imputed righteousness—which is justification. But the New Testament repeatedly teaches that the same Christ who justifies also transforms people so that they increasingly live in obedience.

In Romans 5, Paul contrasts the disobedience of Adam with the obedience of Christ:

“For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

Some theologians understand “made righteous” primarily as a legal declaration before God (justification). Others emphasize that Paul also envisions a real transformation of life flowing from union with Christ. Either way, Romans does not stop at justification. Romans 6 immediately asks whether believers should continue in sin and answers with a strong “By no means!” Paul argues that those united to Christ have died to sin and are called to walk in newness of life.

This pattern appears throughout the New Testament:

* Justification: God declares sinners righteous because of Christ.
* Sanctification: God progressively makes believers more like Christ through the Holy Spirit.
* Glorification: The process is completed when believers are fully conformed to Christ.

So when someone says, “Jesus was obedient and now makes many obedient through him,” they are highlighting that salvation is not merely forgiveness or a change of status. It also includes a change of life. Christians are not only counted righteous in Christ; they are being transformed to become increasingly righteous in practice.

The key balance is that obedience is not the basis of salvation but the fruit of salvation. Christians obey not to earn righteousness, but because they have been united to the righteous Christ and are being renewed by his Spirit.m

Point (2)

Transfiguration in Matthew 17, the passage gives a powerful picture of what Christian discipleship looks like.
Gospel of Matthew records that Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain, where his glory was revealed and he was seen with Moses and Elijah. Then a voice from heaven declared:

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5)

Several aspects of obedience emerge from this scene:

1. Obedience begins with listening to Jesus

The Father’s command is not merely to admire Jesus or acknowledge him, but to “listen to him.” Christian obedience starts with hearing Christ’s words and submitting to his authority above every other voice.

2. Jesus has supreme authority

Moses represented the Law and Elijah represented the Prophets. Yet when the vision ends, the disciples see “Jesus only” (Matthew 17:8). The message is that all previous revelation points to Christ, and disciples are ultimately to follow him. Obedience means centering life on Jesus himself.

3. Obedience flows from seeing Christ’s glory

The disciples glimpse Jesus as he truly is. Throughout the New Testament, transformation is connected to beholding Christ. The more believers see his greatness, the more they are moved to trust and obey him.

4. Obedience includes following Jesus down the mountain

Peter wanted to stay on the mountain and build shelters, preserving the extraordinary experience. But Jesus led the disciples back down into ordinary life and eventually toward the cross. Christian obedience is not merely enjoying spiritual experiences; it is following Christ wherever he leads.

5. Obedience is accompanied by grace

When the disciples fell on their faces in fear, Jesus came, touched them, and said, “Rise, and have no fear” (Matthew 17:7). Their response to God’s glory was not self-confidence but dependence on Christ. Likewise, Christian obedience is enabled by Christ’s presence and grace, not merely human effort.

In relation to your earlier point about Romans 5, the Transfiguration shows that the obedient Christian life is fundamentally Christ-centered. The Father reveals who Jesus is, commands us to listen to him, and Christ himself strengthens fearful disciples to follow him. Obedience, therefore, is not simply keeping rules; it is hearing, trusting, and following the glorified Son of God.

Point(3)

For Christians, the connection is that obedience to Christ includes obedience to God’s moral will, and the Ten Commandments sabbath remain a foundational expression of that moral will. However, Christians obey them through their relationship with Christ, not as a means of earning salvation.

Here’s how the connection is often understood:

1. The Father’s command is “Listen to Him”

At the Transfiguration, the Father says, “This is my beloved Son … listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). Jesus becomes the definitive interpreter of God’s law. Christians therefore ask, “How does Jesus teach us to live?”

2. Jesus affirms the moral law

Jesus did not treat the commandments as irrelevant. In the Sermon on the Mount, he deepened them:

* Murder becomes a matter of anger and hatred.
* Adultery becomes a matter of lust.
* Love of neighbor is expanded and intensified.
* Love of God is placed at the center of everything.

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus summarized the law as:

1. Love God with all your heart.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

These summarize the Ten Commandments: the first commandments concern loving God, and the later commandments concern loving neighbor.

3. Christ’s righteousness leads to Christlike obedience

As you noted from Romans 5, Christ’s obedience does not merely justify believers; it also transforms them. The believer’s goal is not simply to avoid breaking commandments but to become like Christ.

For example:

* “Do not murder” becomes active love and reconciliation.
* “Do not steal” becomes generosity.
* “Do not bear false witness” becomes truthfulness.
* “Honor your father and mother” becomes a broader posture of honoring rightful authority.

4. The commandments are fulfilled in love

Paul writes that love fulfills the law. He specifically cites commandments such as adultery, murder, stealing, and coveting and says they are summed up in “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Thus Christians do not typically view the Ten Commandments as a checklist for earning favor with God. Rather, they are a description of the kind of life that love produces when Christ is at work in a person.

5. The order matters

The biblical order is:

1. God saves.
2. God gives his people his law.
3. God’s people obey in gratitude and faith.

Notice that in the Old Testament, God redeemed Israel from Egypt before giving the Ten Commandments. Likewise, in the New Testament, Christ saves first and then calls his disciples to obedience.

So the Transfiguration’s command, “Listen to him,” points Christians to Jesus as the one who both fulfills the law perfectly and teaches his followers how to live it out. The Ten Commandments remain a guide to holy living, but they are now understood through the person and teaching of Christ, and obedience to them is empowered by union with him rather than by human effort alone.