Before looking at the story of Paul’s conversion in Acts 9, I’m reminded of something he says in Romans:

[Jesus is the one] through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations…

Romans 1:5

What does he mean by “the obedience of faith?”

To believe in Christ is to put one’s trust in Him. It is more than an intellectual assent to a set of propositional truths. It is a highly relational act. And obedience is a piece of this relationship. This surely troubles some who would emphasize the efficacy of grace as a way of making our faith attractive to outsiders. But obedience should be understood as the natural next step in our relationship with Jesus. After all, we have ascribed to Him the title “Lord.”

Scholar and translator David Stern has termed this “trust-grounded obedience.” Maybe that communicates the point in a palatable way. It is the obedience that comes from faith, obedience that comes because one believes.

I asked my family what they thought this meant. I said, “What is the relationship between faith and obedience?” Sunny replied, “I believe, therefore I obey.” She said this was just part of the gospel she heard growing up and she even said this is something that has been reinforced through her reading of scripture — especially the writings of Paul.

Jackson added an interesting point. He noted that this works differently in different people. Whereas some individuals believe and this leads them to obey, others “obey their way into the faith.” He said this was basically the way it worked for him. He grew up around the faith and was obedient to the precepts and the “rules” — and this was helpful in leading him to the point of faith.

Joshua added that loyalty was a key part of obedience for him. He said he finds it hard to say that you’re obedient if you’re not remaining loyal to your commitment. In a way, Joshua is defining obedience as an act of faithfulness, as being loyal to your faith – which is simply another way of explaining Stern’s “trust-grounded obedience.”

I think this entire discussion is a helpful way of explaining what Paul means by the phrase, “the obedience of faith.” This is one of the keys to the gospel he proclaims. And it is a significant piece of his story, beginning in Acts 9.