What Is the Duty and Obligation of a Saved Christian?

 

 

The duty and obligation of a saved Christian is not simply to receive salvation and remain idle, but to walk in a manner worthy of the calling they have received. Salvation is a free gift by grace through faith, but it produces a life of devotion, obedience, and good works.

 

First, a Christian is called to love God fully and love others sincerely. Jesus summarized the greatest commandments:

 

“And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37–39, LSB)

 

A saved Christian also has the duty to obey Christ’s teachings. Jesus said:

 

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15, LSB)

 

Obedience is the natural response to love and faith in Christ.

 

Further, believers are called to bear fruit for God’s glory. Jesus taught:

 

“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” (John 15:8, LSB)

 

Fruit-bearing includes living righteously, showing the fruits of the Spirit, and leading others to Christ.

 

The duty extends to proclaiming the gospel. Jesus gave the Great Commission:

 

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20, LSB)

 

The saved Christian is a witness to the truth of Christ, a light in a dark world:

 

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14, LSB)

 

A Christian is also called to endure in faithfulness, resisting sin and remaining steadfast. Paul exhorted the believers:

 

“Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” (Ephesians 4:1, LSB)

 

Finally, humility and service are central. Jesus demonstrated this by washing His disciples’ feet, and taught:

 

“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14, LSB)

 

Thus, the duty and obligation of a saved Christian include loving God and others, obeying Christ’s commands, bearing spiritual fruit, spreading the gospel, enduring faithfully, and serving with humility. It is a life of active, joyful devotion to the One who gave His life for us.

 

 

 

Referenced Scriptures (LSB):

 

Matthew 22:37–39, “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

 

John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

 

John 15:8, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

Matthew 28:19–20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

 

Ephesians 4:1, “Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called.”

 

John 13:14, “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”