[Glossary] Aspects of Obedience

1. (Clark 1993, 9): "At the mention of obedience one naturally thinks of an act performed. In the army an officer orders, 'Forward March,' and the soldiers step forward. Or one may think of it negatively as a not-doing. The Scriptures say, 'Thou shalt not steal,' and he who obeys refrains from certain overt actions. Peter has all this in mind when he uses the term obedience, but he has more than this is mind. Obedience, while it may always involve some sort of activity, is not exhausted by ordinary overt action. 'Search the Scriptures' is a command; and while obedience to it may require a sort of action, it is the action of sitting still, reading a book, and presumably, thinking about it. Moreover, after searching the Scriptures and learning what they say, we are commanded to believe them. Believing is even less overt than turning the pages of a book, but it is obedience nonetheless. Mental and physical obedience both come within the scope of Peter's statement."

Obedience to the precepts of God includes both mental and physical obedience, and acting and refraining from acting.


Reference:

Clark, Gordon H. 1993. New Heavens, New Earth: A Commentary on First and Second Peter. Jefferson, Maryland: The Trinity Foundation.

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