Gospel Outreach International

Have you ever stopped to wonder whether love is really a feeling at all, or whether it is something far more demanding and far more beautiful than that? This Bible study digs into what it genuinely means to love God, and what he says that love actually looks like in practice. It turns out the answer has everything to do with obedience, and obedience has everything to do with relationship. Come and open your Bible and explore what it means to walk closely with the God who calls you his own.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 1 Peter 2:4

• Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, holding all power and authority, and one day every person will face him as supreme ruler and judge.
• Through the new birth, believers become children of God, partaking in his righteous character and nature, described in Scripture as saints.
• What is true of Christ is also true of his people in a real and intimate way. Just as he is the light of the world, so are his disciples.
• God does not send his people out alone. He works alongside them, as co-workers, in whatever task he has given them.
• The relationship between God and humanity was lost through one act of disobedience in the garden, and restored through one act of obedience by Christ.
• Obedience is not optional for the believer. It is the demonstration of genuine faith and love for God.
• The New Testament contains clear commandments, including loving God with everything, loving one another as Christ loved us, and making disciples of all nations.
• The church is called to take the gospel outward, not simply invite people in. Failing to do so is a form of disobedience.
• Humility is essential to walking with God. It is always self-imposed and is the only posture in which fellowship with God is possible.
• The commands regarding the Holy Spirit are to be filled with him, to walk in him, and to neither grieve nor quench him.
• Breaking God’s commandments damages the church’s relationship with him and may explain much of the division and decline visible in the church today.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

At the heart of everything we have looked at is a person. Jesus, the one who restored by his obedience what was lost through ours, is not a distant king who issues commands from afar. He is the one who walks with us, works alongside us, and calls us his own. The call to obey is simply the call to stay close to him.

Bible References

• 1 Peter 2:3-12
• Psalm 2
• Hebrews 11
• Revelation
• Micah 6:8
• 1 John 1
• Ephesians 4:1
• Genesis 17
• John 13:34
• John 15:12
• Matthew 28:19-20
• Ephesians 5
• Galatians 5
• Ephesians 4
• 1 Thessalonians 5
• 2 John 1:6