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It is very important to have right doctrine; in fact, some wrong doctrines are so bad that a true Christian cannot even let those who hold the doctrines inside his house (II John 1:10). Wrong doctrine can be an important sign of inner corruption (I Timothy 4:1). But right doctrine will not rescue someone who is not completely committed to God.

Sadly, in these days, people sometimes differentiate between obedience to God and complete surrender to Him. Then they can say that the saved have to live in obedience, but they don’t have to live a life of surrender to God! The Bible gives no such distinction. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) Jesus tells us that it is impossible, spiritually, to be following two forces at one time. If I do not commit my entire life to Jesus, I might as well not be following Him at all, because I am not gaining anything.

James gives another warning to those who won’t follow Jesus all the way, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10) James is explaining that if we want to obey the Law, we have to obey the whole thing. The same principle applies to obeying God. If we want to follow the Law, but reject the admonitions of the Spirit, we are not living in obedience to God. We have to be willing to do all of God’s will, or we are actually obeying our own feelings rather than God. It would be unreasonable to claim that a child was living in obedience to his parents if he decided that he would obey his parents whenever he was in a building and disobey them whenever he was outside. Certainly he would be obeying some of their commands, but he would not be living a life of obedience. It’s the same way with God’s instructions. If we decide which ones we want to obey, we’re not really living in obedience. Peter warns us, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (I Peter 4:17)

In Romans 6, Paul explains how salvation brings a person out of sin. He can no longer live in it, because he is dead to it. It no longer reigns over him, because Christ has delivered him from it, and he is to count himself as dead to sin. As he follows Jesus in a life of self-sacrifice, God enables him to continue to be righteous. But he has to continue to allow God to do His will in his life. “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.” (Romans 6:19)

Godly people are those who have given their whole life to God. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)