“For the time that is past suffices…”

You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. - Galatians 5:7-9

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? -1 Corinthians 5:6

But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel. – Joshua 7:1

Why is it important to have a focus on biblical obedience? The scriptures, as seen above, point clearly to the fact that the disobedience of the few can be enough to bring fall to the lot, both in the New Testament churches of Corinth and Galatia as well as to the people of Israel in the Old Testament.

So, what does this mean to us? Well, the first conclusion that I believe we should pull from this is what I call the “Not With Me” principle. It is our responsibility as free actors to (1) study and understand as much of the will of God as possible, and (2) to conform ourselves to His will and act this out in our lives daily. We must individually take responsibility for our lives and make sure that the leaven does not come from our own lives.

The second conclusion we find is that, once we have the truth of God’s will stored inside of us, we must share that truth and convey the importance of believing in it to our fellow believers. What might have happened to the people of Israel at the Battle of Ai had someone been there to remind Achan of the commandments of the Lord (though, of course, Achan should have recalled them himself too).

Thus, once we have come to a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ it then becomes imperative of us to continuously seek after the truths of God and to be obedient thereof.