Is obedience necessary?
BQ: One online religious organization maintains that anyone who says obedience is important to Christianity is not to be trusted, as only Christ's obedience was necessary. "You only need to believe," seems to be the claim, "because Jesus did all the obeying." Is this Biblical?
A: "By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." (1 Jn 2:3-6)
"Through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith... Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ...has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith." (Rom 1:5; 16:26)
How do we know that we're in Christ? If we keep His commandments and walk as He walked. Faith, we see, is obedient. It's worth noting that love (Greek: agape) is coupled in with obedient faith, occurring again and again in 1 John. In this letter alone, it occurs 18 times, which is more than in any other New Testament book. Certainly we cannot be disobedient in practice, running about murdering people willy nilly, and expect to be in Christ.
(PN199)
"For the entire Law is fulfilled in in this one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."—Gal 5:14