Paul, in writing the Book of  Romans, makes a clear distinction between believing and obeying God

Though they seem quite different, they are inseparably connected in a genuine relationship with the Lord.

The prison of trying to be righteous by obedience v. The freedom of knowing you are righteous by faith and able to be obedient out of love.

Believing God Is The Way of Justification

In Romans, believing (faith) is the basis upon which a person is declared righteous before God. Belief is trust in what God said He has done for us, not performance in what we do.

Romans 3:28: “A person is made right with God by faith, not by obeying the law.”

Romans 4:5: “God declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”

Paul uses Abraham as  his example:

Romans 4:3: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

Abraham believed God: He trusted the promise He made, He looked ahead and relied upon the finished work that Jesus would do at the cross. Abraham accepted what God said about righteousness by believing what God said, rather than what he could or could not do.

Abraham’s trust in what God said became the basis for salvation in the entire Bible. It is the only way that a person can enter into a right relationship with God.

Obeying God: The Result of Transformation

Obedience in Romans is not the cause of salvation, but the evidence and fruit of a changed life.

Romans 6:16 : “You are slaves of the one you obey… either of sin… or of obedience leading to righteousness.”

Romans 6:17: You wholeheartedly obeyed this teaching we have given you.”

What changed in Abraham’s life?

Before faith, Abraham was a slave to sin  (Romans 6:20).

After faith, Abraham was a slave to righteousness  (Romans 6:18).

Obedience became possible for Abraham only because his heart was changed. Abraham understood that there was nothing he could do to please God, except believe what He says. This freed Abraham to live in obedience because he was already righteous before God.

Romans 8:4: “We no longer follow our sinful nature (trying to earn approval) but instead follow the Spirit (saved by Grace through faith).”

Obedience in the Book of Romans is following Jesus according to the Spirit, allowing Him to guide what we say and do. It is the Spirit living in us that produces a truly changed life and produces righteousness, not obeying by constraint, but by love.

Obedience is the fruit of salvation—it is what flows out of a transformed heart.

When Paul says, “The Obedience of Faith,” he is combining two important facts:

Romans 1:5: “to bring about the obedience of faith.”

Romans 16:26:  “so that all nations might believe and obey him.”

Genuine faith is not just intellectual agreement—it is faith that was produced by love that results in obedience.

Faith doesn’t follow obedience; obedience follows faith. After we fall in love with Jesus and learn to trust Him with everything, obeying Him is very easy. This is what Jesus meant when He said:

Matthew 14:15: “If you love me, obey my commandments.” If we are in love with someone, it is very easy to do things that please them.

Many people read what Jesus said as scolding us: “If you love me, obey me.” This was not the intent of what Jesus said. In all that Jesus communicated with us, it was by our love relationship with Him as we trust Him with all things, that we want to do what He says and live in obedience.

Many religious people think that first we obey, then we earn righteousness, then God accepts us. This is not what Jesus or the Bible teaches.

The correct order is seen in Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

We trust what the Lord said. He declares us righteous, then we learn to obey.

Romans teaches a principle different from what we find in the world and many churches: Romans 11:6 — “If salvation comes by grace, it is not based on works.”

The Internal vs External Difference

Believing is Internal (heart), Invisible, Relational

Romans 10:10: “It is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God.”

Obeying is External (actions), Visible, Behavioral

Romans 6:13: “Give yourselves completely to God… use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right.”

Why Both Are Necessary (But Not Equal)

Romans does not allow us to separate believing and obeying completely.

Without belief: obedience is powerless to save (Romans 3:20)

Without obedience: Belief is empty, meaningless, a pretense (Romans 6:1–2)

Paul knew that these two would be seen as contradictory

Romans 6:1: “Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more grace?”

Romans 6:2; “Of course not!”

Belief is the cause of our salvation; obedience is the evidence of our salvation.

When we hear what Jesus has done for us, it should cause great gratitude that He was willing to leave heaven, set aside His rights as God, live a sinless life, and die for us. As we read His words and get to know who He is, we fall deeper in love with Him. The natural result of this relationship of love and trust is obedience.

If we seek to obey the Lord out of obligation under a legal agreement, we have missed the point of what Jesus did. He came to set us free from the Law by fulfilling all the requirements of the Law, for us. We now live in such freedom as our relationship with the Lord is settled, secure, and can never change; we have time to think of ways to do things for His glory and to make it possible for other people to hear the wonderful things Jesus has done for them.

Categories: Robert Clifton Robinson