LEARNED OBEDIENCE. Hebrews 5:8 The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t learn how to be obedient. Instead, He demonstrated obedience through His life on earth, the suffering He endured, and His death on the cross. He experienced everything a person goes through while living here. He understands the challenges a righteous person faces every day, and He knows the temptations that come with being human in a sinful society.
The life of Jesus on earth shows what God desires from His children, who understand and demonstrate that God's will is best when they obey Him. Even in suffering and death, the Lord Jesus was obedient “even to the death of the cross.” Like our Lord, we are free to choose to follow the path that lies ahead of us despite the challenges we face, because we trust that the Father has a sovereign plan. He has led us to this place and time, and He will be with us every step of the way.
Suffering results from sin, and it is natural for us to fear it and want to avoid it; that is not sinful. However, if we refuse to obey God to avoid suffering, that becomes sin. Some lessons can only be learned through suffering. One of these is how much we need God in every part of our lives. Another is how powerful earnest prayer can be. We learn how to obey, to grow stronger in spirit and faith, to remain faithful in adversity, to understand our limitations, and to experience the reality and sustaining power of God’s grace when we rest in Him by faith.
In times of suffering, we learn that obedience, humility, submission, and surrender to the will of God lead to blessings we would never experience without suffering. Obedience to God opens doors to knowledge, understanding, and experience that would otherwise remain hidden. The suffering and obedience of our Lord have brought salvation to countless people. The suffering and obedience of believers in Christ have opened doors to the Gospel message that would still be closed without suffering saints. Our suffering is indispensable in the cause of the Gospel. "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
In God's will, Christ's sufferings brought eternal life to those who believe in Him. The power of sin is broken because of His obedience, and through His suffering, eternal salvation is offered to all who hear His Word, believe in Him, and are committed to Him. Christ's obedience wasn’t based on law-keeping, but on love for the Father and compassion for lost souls. There was also a “joy that was set before Him,” which resulted from His obedience and suffering.
The same kind of obedience from us demonstrates the reality of our love for God. We learn how to “trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Our obedience doesn't earn us anything, but it flows from our appreciation of God's mercy, grace, and love for us.