Obedience to God

The American comedian Robert Benchley once said “A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down.” 

The American preacher and writer Charles Stanley says ‘The bottom line in the Christian life is obedience and most people don't even like the word.’ 

We naturally react against obedience. There’s an instinctive human reaction to kick back against authority, and yet obedience is vital for society to function well. For example, an can't be run if soldiers don't obey orders. Some people don’t want to be answerable to others, but how do they react if their employees don’t want to carry out their instructions? 

Obedience to God is a fundamental concept
Obedience to God is loving acceptance of God’s authority – rightly relating to God.
Disobedience is rebellion against God’s authority – wrongly relating to God. 

It applies not just in the Christian life, but also in the Spiritual Realm. 

Disobedience to God has serious consequences
Satan’s disobedience led to a rebellion in heaven, which introduced sin into the spiritual world affecting the angelic race and the spiritual creation. 
Adam & Eve’s disobedience introduced sin into the physical world affecting the human race and the physical creation.

In both cases, disobedience had not only immediate consequences, but eternal consequences.

Old Testament Covenant – Blessings & Curses
In the OT, the focus is on Israel and the Covenant God made with them. They had a straight choice: Blessing for obedience and Curses for disobedience. There are four whole chapters in Deuteronomy (27 – 31) that spells it all out in detail as to what they were to do on entering the promised land, and Joshua 8 recounts a summary of what they actually did.


Half the tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim to pronounce the blessings for Obedience and the other six tribes were to stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce the curses for Disobedience. They were in the heart of Israel, with the city of Shechem at the bottom of the valley. As you can see from the photo and description, it formed a natural amphitheatre.
According to tradition, Mount Gerizim was lush and fertile while Mount Ebal was rocky and barren, clearly portraying the ramifications of their choices: They could choose the good path, following God and walking in His ways, leading to a rich, fruitful life. Alternatively, they could disobey God and obey their natural desires, leading to an empty and barren life.

The fact that God instructed the Israelites to carry out such a dramatic and memorable event highlights the importance of Obedience to the Law that He gave them. Their obedience was the key to their prosperity. In contrast, their subsequent disobedience was the root of their undoing.

Even in Genesis, we find that the Old Testament points to a future obedience to Christ.

Genesis 49:10
‘The sceptre will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.’

Judah was the most significant tribe, in terms of territory and influence. Jerusalem lay on its northern border just within the much smaller tribe of Benjamin. When the kingdom was split after Solomon’s death, the other 10 tribes were referred to as “Israel” and these two as “Judah”. Israel fell to Assyria in 722 BC and the 10 tribes were scattered among the nations. Judah lasted for about 130 years longer until it fell to Babylon – but there was always a remnant in Judah, and there was a return from exile in Babylon to Jerusalem and the surrounding area. This was all in accordance with Jacob’s blessing that “The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet”…until…we get to the NT.
“he to whom it belongs” refers to Jesus and the “obedience of the nations” refers to those who submit to his Kingdom rule, both now and in the age to come, when every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Before we leave the OT, we should mention the key verse from our OT Reading:

Obedience to God is good for us 

Deuteronomy 5:32 
‘Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.’

Obedience to God is more important than church attendance
Another key lesson from the OT can be learned from when Saul disobeyed God and kept some of the animals that he should have destroyed to offer a sacrifice to God. Samuel reprimands him sharply:

1 Samuel 15:22
‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

In the Old Testament, Sacrifice was Worship. So in today's language, Obedience to God is more important than church attendance!

Christianity is a call to Obedience
In the NT, the call to be a Christian is a call to loving obedience.

Romans 1:5
‘Through him (Jesus) we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.’

Peter has the same understanding:
1 Peter 1:1-2
‘To God’s elect ... who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood’

This idea of loving obedience to God prompted C.S Lewis to write: ‘I was not born to be free – I was born to adore and obey.’ 

I read a book some time ago about Discipleship written by Eugene Peterson, author of the Message version of the Bible: The title is “A long obedience in the same direction”. In it he suggests that a life of discipleship is a long-term attitude and consistent practice of obedience to God.

In Romans 6, Paul tells us that whether we like the idea of being obedient or not,
We’re all obedient to something!

Romans 6:16-18
‘Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.’

We either obey sin or obey God (the flesh or the spirit), one leads to sin and death, the other leads to righteousness and life.

The New Testament often groups people into those who are obedient and those who are disobedient to God.

In Paul’s letters, he sometimes refers to unbelievers as “those who are disobedient”, or “the sons of disobedience”. He also describes the former life of Christians (including himself) as a life of disobedience.

Those apart from Christ are ‘disobedient’ to God
Ephesian 2:1-3a
‘As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.’
Titus 3:3
‘At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.’

In contrast, Paul associates those following Christ as ‘obedient’.

Those following Christ are ‘obedient’ to God
Romans 16:19
‘Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you’

2 Corinthians 9:13
‘Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ’

Acts 6:7
‘So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.’

What is this obedience that Paul is referring to?

Obedience to God is simply following Christ’s commands

John 14:23
‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ’

Matthew 28:19-20
‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you’

2 John 5-6 has a similar theme: “I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands”.

Jesus is our example
Philippians 2:7-8
‘he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!’

Hebrews 5:7-9
‘During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.’

A life of obedience to God is a life of humility and reverent submission to God. It’s also a life of learned obedience. I was curious about this phrase so I dug deeper. It’s not that Jesus had to learn how to go from disobedience to obedience, it's that there are different types of obedience:

1. Professed Obedience (An initial declaration of Obedience)
    a. We sing songs like “I will offer up my life…I have decided to follow Jesus”
    b. The seed that fell on rocky ground and the seed that fell among thorns both started out with professed obedience but it didn’t last.

2. Learned Obedience (An obedience that is tested over time)
    a. Jesus’ Obedience was a tested obedience. “tempted in every way, yet without sin”

    b. Sometimes we learn by obedience, sometimes by disobedience

3. Proven Obedience (An obedience that is faithful to the end)

    a. Run the race, fought the fight, lived out a long obedience in the same direction
    b. Exemplified by Jesus and the martyrs, ancient and modern and thousands of unknown ordinary saints who have lived lives of consistent obedience to God.

Let me wrap up by mentioning two variations of learned obedience:

1. General Obedience (to God’s Word)
2. Specific Obedience (to God’s Spirit)

The Bible tells us generally how to obey God – we have Jesus’ general commands for example. But Christianity is not just about keeping Jesus’ commands in general, it’s about a relationship with the Holy Spirit. And because we’re all different, with different personalities and different spiritual gifts, the Holy Spirit gives us specific commands that are only for us and only for a particular time and place.

We see this in how Jesus dealt with people – he commanded everyone to be generous (in general) but he asked the rich young ruler (specifically) to give away everything he owned. It was specific, because in his case, it was always going to hold him back.

I was on a working holiday in Australia in my twenties and God clearly told me to give up alcohol. I believe Scripture teaches that Christians can consume alcohol in moderation, but He was telling me to abstain completely. I resisted at first and convinced myself that moderation was ok for me. The next 3 times that I drank, something negative happened each time that wouldn’t have happened if I had been completely sober until I copped on and eventually decided to obey God. It was a learned obedience and I have to say it’s been a blessing to me. God knows more about us than we do, so we should trust His guidance.

I’ve learned a lot from this study – here’s a quick summary and a definition.

1. Our ‘flesh’ naturally reacts against obedience
2. Obedience to God is fundamental
3. Obedience to God is good for us
4. Obedience to God is more important than church attendance
5. We’re all obedient to something
6. Obedience to God is following Christ’s commands
7. Jesus is our example
8. Obedience to God will be tested until proven
9. Obedience to God is both general and specific

Obedience to God is rightly relating to God by lovingly accepting His authority over us.

Let’s spend a couple of moments in quietness and as a response, you might like to consider the 2 questions on the screen and then I’ll close in prayer in short while.

Let's Pray: Heavenly Father, you are God and we are not. You created us and you know us intimately. You know what’s best for us and you have shown us through your Word how to live well. As we study your Word and as we listen to your Spirit, help us to learn obedience through our struggles and our victories. Give us courage to make godly choices when the flesh and the world try to tug us in the wrong direction. Give us a complete trust in you and your ways, for we ask it in Jesus name.
Amen