“Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” — Hebrews 5:8–9 (NKJV)
Jesus Christ didn’t just die for us—He obeyed for us. That’s a part of the gospel we often overlook. The cross wasn’t just about pain. It was about submission. It was about laying down His will in perfect obedience to the Father, even when every fiber of His human flesh cried out to take another path. And He did it for us.
Hebrews 5:8 says that “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” Let that sink in. Jesus—the sinless, spotless Son of God—learned obedience through suffering. He didn’t need to learn how to be righteous. He already was. But through His incarnation, He demonstrated the cost of true obedience in human flesh.
But that obedience was not cheap.
It was not convenient.
It did not come with applause or comfort.
It came with sweat like drops of blood in Gethsemane.
It came with betrayal, mockery, and a Roman cross.
That’s what obedience looked like in the life of Christ.
So what about us?
We want to follow Jesus, but often without walking the path of obedience He took. We want resurrection without crucifixion. We want glory without surrender. But Scripture doesn’t leave us that option. Hebrews 5:9 says He is
“the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”
Not admire Him. Not simply claim Him. Not just nod in agreement at His teachings. But obey Him.
Fully.
Without conditions.
Unto death if necessary.
We say we want revival. But do we want obedience?
We want the fire of God to fall, but don’t want to lay the sacrifice of our will on the altar.
We say “use me, Lord,” but recoil the moment He asks for our comfort, our pride, our control.
We say “Thy will be done,” then grieve when He takes us through Gethsemane.
Real obedience costs something.
Ask Abraham when he tied Isaac to the altar.
Ask Daniel when he heard the lions roar.
Ask Peter when the rooster crowed.
But obedience is not just costly. It’s transformational.
Jesus didn’t just die on the cross. He died in Gethsemane, when He said,
“Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42, NKJV).
That was the moment of surrender. That was where obedience triumphed over desire. The crucifixion was the outward evidence of an inward obedience.
That kind of surrender changes a person. It refines, purifies, exposes, and realigns.
You simply cannot obey God unto death and stay the same.
And that obedience is not passive. It’s defiant.Think about it—Jesus’ obedience was a direct act of rebellion against the powers of darkness.
The cross wasn’t weakness. It was holy resistance.
The greatest act of obedience was also the greatest act of war against sin, death, and Satan. To obey God in a fallen world is to declare war on the kingdom of darkness. That’s why it’s so hard. That’s why it’s so resisted.
It was no different in Nazi Germany. When Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer chose to resist Hitler, he did so not just politically, but spiritually. His faith required obedience that defied evil, even when the cost was imprisonment and ultimately death. He wrote,
“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”
Bonhoeffer didn’t just say that. He lived it.
And he died for it.
Obedience may not always look like marching off to martyrdom—but it will look like dying to self.
Dying to pride.
Dying to compromise.
Dying to comfort.
And that’s where many modern Christians hesitate. We’ve been sold a brand of Christianity that celebrates convenience, comfort, and casual belief.
But that’s not the gospel.
The gospel calls us to pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus. The gospel calls us to lose our life so that we might find it (Luke 9:23–24, NKJV). The gospel calls us to obedience—even when it hurts.
Even unto death.
So what does obedience look like in your life?
Is there something God’s been calling you to lay down that you’ve resisted?
Have you confused belief with obedience?
Are you living a life that says, “Not my will, but Yours be done”?
Let me tell you—obedience may be costly, but it is never wasted. The cross was not a waste. It was the path to victory. And your obedience, no matter how hidden, no matter how painful, is precious to God.
“To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22, NKJV).
Jesus showed us what it looks like. Now it’s our turn.
Obey Him. No matter the cost.
Obey Him. Even unto death.
