I have been reading some classic works by Andrew Murray lately that have been very edifying. Let me share a thought from his little book on Obedience with you.
The beginning of the Bible has the account of Adam and Eve. Here are the elements: a paradise, a tree, and a command to obey. Man chose to disobey and the effects of sin entered the world. Paradise was lost.
Much of the rest of the story of redemption is how paradise is regained. Revelation tells us that paradise contains a tree - the tree of life.
Listen to what Murray writes, "From beginning to end, from Paradise lost to Paradise regained, the law is unchanged: it is obedience that gives access to the tree of life and the favor of God. How was the change effected? The Cross of Christ. From disobedience at the beginning that closed the way to the tree of life, to obedience at the end that gained entrance to it again, that which stands midway between the beginning and the end is the Cross of Christ. Romans 5:19 says, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."
What is the command that we are to obey to regain the favor of God? Repent and believe. Mark 1:15 records the words of Jesus' first sermon, "Repent and believe the gospel." Acts 17:30 says, "But now God commands all people everywhere to repent." It is only when you obey the call of Christ to repent and believe, truly believe, that His blood atones for your sin and Paradise is regained.
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