The command and encouragement to obedient living

We see:

1.This obedience is a solemn and conscious human work, which flows out of God’s work of grace in the believer (vv.12,13).

2.This obedience must be free of discontent, so that believers shine bright in the world by their steady moral conduct (vv.14-16).

3.This obedience brings mutual joy, even in the face of trials (vv.17,18).