From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Jesus exhibited what theologians term both active and passive obedience. Although these specific terms are not found in the Bible, and are not necessarily the best descriptions of Christ's redeeming work, Bible teachers often use them to express an essential Biblical truth about what Christ did for sinners, and what qualified Him to do it.

Romans 5:18 speaks of the obedience of Christ as "one righteous act" -

"Therefore, as through one man's offense [that is, Adam's] judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act [Christ's] the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life."

In context, and in light of the rest of Scripture, we understand that this phrase speaks of two aspects of Christ's perfect obedience during His days on earth.

Jesus' Active Obedience

The first kind of obedience is referred to as Jesus' active obedience. This aspect of His obedience was manifested in His perfect law-keeping throughout His earthly life, and His perfect performance of the will of God the Father (John 8:46, 17:4-5; Hebrews 7:26).

This aspect of Christ's obedience qualified Him as the perfect High Priest to atone for sin (Hebrews 4:14-15, 7:26-27), and it also merited and manifested a perfect righteousness that is imputed to sinners in their justification (Romans 3:21-22, 4:5-8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). As Romans 5:18 tells us, Christ in His active obedience did what Adam failed to do. As Adam's disobedience of God and His moral law plunged the human race and the entire created order into sin and death, so Christ's perfect obedience provides the means of justification - sinners being declared "not guilty" by God not on the basis of any merit of their own, but entirely on the basis of the righteousness of Christ imputed to them (Philippians 3:9).

Jesus' Passive Obedience

The second kind of obedience is referred to as Jesus' passive obedience. This term is not, I submit, a fully adequate description of what Scripture tells us took place. But what theologians often call Jesus' passive obedience was manifested in His going to the cross to pay the penalty for sin. The term "passive obedience" derives from passages such as these -

"He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." (Isaiah 53:7)

"He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.' " (Matthew 26:39)

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)

Jesus' obedience to the will of the Father forever propitiated the wrath of God against sinners which is a consequence of both their possession of original sin as descendants of Adam, and of their own individual sinful acts (Romans 3:25, Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2 and 4:10). I personally have never been comfortable with the term "passive obedience" because Jesus' going to the cross and enduring the full force of Divine wrath was, clearly, a supreme and incomparable act of the will. It was just as "active" an obedience as was His perfect law-keeping. As Jesus himself declared,

Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father. (John 10:17-18)

The Two Are Inseparable

By whatever terms we may use, this vital fact is abundantly clear: These two aspects of obedience - Christ's perfect law-keeping obedience qualifying Him to die for sinners and providing a righteousness for them that is not their own, and Christ's obedience to the will of the Father in taking the wrath of God on their behalf - are inseparable for our salvation. This is why Romans 5:18 speaks of Christ's obedience as "one righteous act."

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