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  SUBMITTING TO CHRIST'S LORDSHIP
  by A.W. Tozer
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Summary: True Christianity requires a life of obedience to God's
commands, not just simple faith.

Topics: "Lordship Of Christ", "Obedience"
Scripture References: Matthew 7:21, Matthew 28:20, Luke 6:46, John 14:15, John 15:14, Romans 6:15, Galatians 5:13, James 2:19, 1 Peter 1:14-16, 1 John 2:3-4

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DESCRIPTION
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A.W. Tozer emphasizes that true Christianity requires a humble obedience
to Christ's teachings, challenging the notion that faith alone, without
adherence to His commandments, suffices for salvation. He references
Luke 6:46, where Jesus questions why people call Him 'Lord' yet fail to
follow His commands. Tozer argues that the belief that one can be a
Christian without obedience has diluted the evangelical message and
moral standards within the Church. He warns that this misunderstanding
of grace leads to erroneous conclusions about the nature of faith and
obedience. Ultimately, Tozer calls for a return to a faith that is
active and obedient to Christ's lordship.

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CONTENT
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No one has any right to believe that he is indeed a Christian unless he
is humbly seeking to obey the teachings of the One whom he calls Lord.
Christ once asked a question (Luke 6:46) that can have no satisfying
answer, ?Why do you call me, `Lord, Lord,? and do not do what I say??

Right here we do well to anticipate and reply to an objection that will
likely arise in the minds of some readers. It goes like this: ?We are
saved by accepting Christ, not by keeping His commandments. Christ kept
the law for us, died for us and rose again for our justification, and so
delivered us from all necessity to keep commandments. Is it not
possible, then, to become a Christian by simple faith altogether apart
from obedience??

Many honest persons argue in this way, but their honesty cannot save
their argument from being erroneous. Theirs is the teaching that has in
the last fifty years emasculated the evangelical message and lowered the
moral standards of the Church until they are almost indistinguishable
from those of the world. It results from a misunderstanding of grace and
a narrow and one-sided view of the gospel, and its power to mislead lies
in the element of truth it contains. It is arrived at by laying correct
premises and then drawing false conclusions from them.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/aw-tozer/submitting-to-christs-lordship/
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