What Does the Bible Say About Obedience?

What Does the Bible Say About Obedience?

Obedience is a word that gets a bad rap today. We as Americans feel as if we shouldn’t have to obey anyone. What is the old saying? To thine own self be true? Obedience has been on my mind lately. It is not easy to submit to authority, but we have an example in the obedience of Christ. The Bible ,in fact, has a lot to say about
obedience and to whom we are required to be obedient.

Although we may not always agree with our government, we are required to be obedient to governing authorities. Romans 13:1 (ESV) states this explicitly: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” God, Himself, put those leaders
in their positions. (And, yes, it is possible for God to give us “evil kings” just as He
allowed Israel to have evil rulers.) When we obey laws and leaders, we are showing
respect and love for God Who put them in their positions. Whether or not the leaders in
authority realize it or not, God put them in their positions to do His will and to bring
about His purpose. We are even told in 1 Timothy to pray for our leaders: “First of all,
then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all
people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and
quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (2:1-2). But the Bible tells us that we must
follow biblical principles above all. The book of Daniel gives us a great example of this
when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down before the idol that the
king set up: “But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or
worship the golden image that you have set up” (3:18). This example from Daniel tells
believers that if a governing authority would require us to do something contrary to the
Bible, we have to follow the Word of God as the highest authority in our lives. We will
need to say as Peter did in the book of Acts, “We must obey God rather than men”
(5:29).

And...brace yourselves, ladies, we are required to submit to our husbands.
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of
the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their
husbands” (Eph. 5:22-24). A very wise pastor once explained this to me in this way:
Husbands and wives are equal in dignity and worth; the wife in no way is lesser than her
husband. But if a married couple cannot come to an agreement on something, the wife
should submit to the husband, even if she knows he is wrong. As the head of the
household, it is the husband’s responsibility to deal with the fall out from the wrong
decision he may make. It is his burden to bear. And, ladies, just in case you think that
the men get off the hook, they don’t: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the
church and gave himself up for her... In the same way husbands should love their wives
as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself...let each one of you love his
wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Eph.5:25-33).
Most of all, we are required to obey God. Jesus equates obedience to showing
love: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Submitting to
God’s authority is a way to show that we love Him. 1 John 5:3 emphasizes this
love-obedience equation, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome.” 2 John 1:6 continues this theme: “And
this is love, that we walk according to his commandments...” It is clear biblical teaching
that if we love God, we will obey Him. This means submitting to Him even when we
don’t feel like it and want our own way. If we love God, we will obey Him. It is plain and
simple.
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I would encourage all of us to take some time and go through Scripture studying
obedience. We should look to the obedience of Christ as our example. Keep in mind, if
God has told you to be obedient to Him, He will give you the strength to do it. I know
some of you are going through some very tough times right now. I urge you to be
obedient to God through these trials. Don’t run from them. Allow God to do a good work
in you through them

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