An Oxymoron That's Not an Oxymoron

By: Dr. Jimmy Young

I hope everybody knows what an oxymoron is by now. For those who don’t, it is a strange combination of two words or ideas that one wouldn’t normally place side by side. My favorite illustration is “holy sweat”. One doesn’t normally think of sweat as holy. Nor do we normally associate holiness with sweat.

I have another oxymoron to show you, but it is only oxymoronic to us, not God. It is a phrase that Paul uses often: “the obedience of faith.” You can find it in Romans 1:5 and 16:26. You see, we are so wroth to the idea of “works” that we miss the nature of genuine faith. No, no amount of obedience can ever merit you anything in the economy of God. We hold fast that a man "is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:28). Indeed! However, the faith that saves you gives rise to “the obedience of faith,” which in no way is an oxymoron.

Let me illustrate. Most of us know that God’s law prohibits adultery. But so many find it an enticing option. Faith reasons this way: God said I shouldn’t commit adultery, although it sure looks titillating to me. However, because I believe that God said that, and I believe that God loves me and instructs me for my good, I will, in light of what I believe, obey… the obedience of faith. My faith traces its obedience back to the God who I believe to be the Lawgiver, and my Father in Heaven. Thus, my obedience grows out of my belief in and love for my God.