¹⁹ For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. ²⁰ The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Obedience is something we teach children. The reason we do is that obedience is important to all of life. To obey means to conform to a principle or to a superior. In life we must obey the laws established for the collective good of all, the directives of those in authority over us, and most of all the commands of God. Being saved by grace through faith, and not by obedience to the Law, does not mean we are free to disobey God with impunity, that is, without consequence. The reason for our need of salvation in the first place was our disobedience to God. Salvation doesn’t free us from doing what God has commanded, but rather has freed us from judgment to obey Him with a clear conscience.

Obedience also does not mean a Christian must live under law again. Remember, our standing with the Lord is secure (Rom 8:28-39), and we will enjoy our relationship with Him forever. But obedience is still His desire for us. So Paul commends the Romans’ obedience. And their reputation of obedience to God spread widely among Christians throughout the Mediterranean area. Their obedience began when they responded in faith to the Gospel message that brought “positional” righteousness (Rom 1:5), but they were obedient “from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed” (Rom 6:17). Paul would give a hearty “Amen” to what James wrote: “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). The Roman Christians had an alive faith!

The apostle’s final admonition takes the form of pithy, memorable summary statement: “Be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.” Whereas Adam and Eve came into the knowledge of good and evil experientially, as Christians we should be naïve to the experience of evil. To be sure, we cannot forget our unsaved, unregenerate past life, but we should now focus our lives on that which is good (see Phil 4:8).

Quickly wrapping up, Paul also leaves them with a word of assurance. Satan’s work would soon be destroyed through them, somewhat reminiscent of God’s promise that Eve’s “seed,” the Messiah, would one day “bruise [Satan’s] head” (Gen 3:15). Then finally, before breaking out into a second round of greetings, he commends the importance of the Lord’s grace in their lives (like he did about mercy (Rom 15:33).

Lord, I resolve to obey Your directive to fully commit to You as Lord of my life.