Growing up, I had a remote controlled car and the transmitter had two toggles for moving the car: one toggle would make the car go straight and the other would control left and right. If only one of those toggles worked, the car would not work the way it was made to; either it would only drive in a straight line or in a circle. Both of those toggles needed to work for the car to work the way it was meant to. Following Christ is kind of like that two-toggled controller, with the two components being: listening to Jesus’ teachings and then living them. If we only do one of those, we won’t be living the way we were intended. Often, people will go to church on Sunday or do a daily Bible study or get a book by a popular author, but they neglect the second component of living in obedience to Jesus’ teachings. This is not a phenomenon that is isolated to our time and culture, either. Jesus taught a lot about those who neglect this second component, those who listen but don’t obey.

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” (Matthew 6:22-23)

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

“But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:26-27)

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” (James 1:22)

I grew up in the church and was raised in a Christian home and still found myself in these categories that Jesus described. I listened and knew, but I wasn’t living in obedience—I was living for my sin and thinking that I could just keep on sinning and I would receive more and more of God’s grace. I only had one working toggle, and I found myself driving in circles.

“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2) 

“Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” (Matthew 7:20)

Jesus says you can identify people by their actions. My actions showed that I was choosing my sin over obedience to God and I was refusing to confess and repent of them. People can say a lot, but it’s what they do that matters. We are identified most, not by the words we say, but by our actions.

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? (…) So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” (James 2:14, 17)

If our churches are filled with people who listen but don’t obey, then our churches are filled with fools, people with only one toggle stick working who will find themselves driving in circles. So what do your actions show? Do they show you love your sin more than you love obeying God? Do they show you obey God no matter the cost? If someone were to identify you by your actions, would you be identified as a Christ-follower? Following Christ is all about obedience to Him. Don’t just listen; if you do that you are only fooling yourself. Faith without actions is useless. Live your life in obedience to Jesus and put His teaching into action so that you can be identified as His follower, not just in this life, but in the next.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

—Redeemed