“Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.”
Obedience is often thought of as fulfilling our duty, being submissive, and complying to commands. Biblical obedience requires us to submit to and follow the commands of those who have authority over us.
As we live out our faith, our highest authority is God's. Obedience to God is essential for a follower of Christ (Psalm 119:30; Luke 11:28; 1 John 5:3).
Is obedience required to be saved?
To be clear, obedience is a part of living our lives for Christ—not a "requirement" for salvation. Those who accept Jesus are under the "Law of Christ," which grants us salvation through God's grace alone (Galatians 3:23-29).
Thankfully, a simple faith in Christ is what grants salvation (Galatians 2:16). God's grace for the process of our journey to be like Jesus is limitless (Hebrews 4:16).
Jesus' Example of Obedience
“Jesus said to his disciples, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”
Jesus showed us the ultimate expression of what obedience should look like. He obeyed His Father's will to the point of torturous persecution and dying a criminal's death on a cross (Luke 22:42; Philippians 2:8).
When Jesus said to take up your cross and follow Him, He meant that we must be willing to die if we truly want to follow Him (Matthew 16:24). But we aren't often going to be asked to die for God. So where does that leave us?
What is everyday obedience?
“Don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
Acting in obedience to God every day means that we choose to follow what the Bible says and surrender to God's commands out of love for Him (John 14:15, 23-24). We maintain a willingness to let the Holy Spirit guide and lead us when we have decisions to make (John 14:26; Romans 8:9).
Love is the foundation of the new commands that Jesus gave us—loving God and loving others as much as we love ourselves (John 13:34; Matthew 22:36-40). When we follow Jesus' commands to love, we're acting in dutiful obedience to God.
What if I'm not perfect all the time?
“We all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.”
We're NOT expected to perfectly obey a list of dos and do-nots in fear of God's retribution (James 3:2). (Doing that is called legalism.) Without Christ, even our most righteous acts are seen as utter trash (Isaiah 64:6). It's our faith and trust in God's grace that saves us (Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). Besides, flawlessly following the Law is impossible.
The Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus' day, thought that God owed them rewards for obeying the Mosaic Law perfectly. They were sure that the important part of serving God was checking off the boxes for things like tithing, yet they'd ignore the practices of mercy, compassion, justice, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23).
Jesus said they tried so hard to be beautiful on the outside, but they were hypocrites and their insides were full of dead bones (Matthew 23:27-28). We'll never attain any kind of perfection on this side of heaven (1 John 1:10; Romans 7:21–25).
Obedience Not Obligation
“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Sometimes words like "duty" and "obey" can have negative connotations and feels like an obligation. But our obedience to God shouldn't be seen as a burden or something we do begrudgingly (Matthew 11:29-30). Our submission to God ought to be motivated by our genuine trust in His authority and love for Him (John 14:23; Proverbs 3:5-8).
God's ways are greater and wiser than our own, and He knows what's best (Isaiah 55:8-9). When we refuse to obey God, we're refusing to submit to His will (Luke 6:46). When we choose to obey Him, we're putting aside any prideful, selfish, or stubborn need for complete control and giving that control to God.
Obeying Human Authorities
So what about obeying your parents, teachers, employers, or government? Well, the Bible gives some specific instructions about these different situations.
- Parents. Loving parents have their kids' best interests at heart when they make rules for them to follow. Obeying your parents is a way to respect, honor, and love them (Ephesians 6:1-3).
- Teachers, Employer, Government. These all fall under the same category explained in Romans 13:1-7. When God allows a human authority into your life, your duty is to submit to their rules and laws. If there's a dress code, follow it. If the law says to pay your taxes, then pay them.
Can I ever disobey human authorities?
“We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
YES. There's one instance when we're allowed to disobey a human authority in our lives. Since God is our first authority, His Word is above all else. If a human authority commands us to go against God, His will, or His Word, then we ought to obey God rather than any human being—no matter who they are (Acts 5:29).
Godly Obedience Leads to Goodness
“We are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Those who love God have a natural desire to obey Him and His teachings and practice the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Remember, perfection isn't the goal. We can try our messy best to be obedient to God, and when we make mistakes, it's OK (1 John 1:8). God will see and honor our efforts.
Obedience to God will be evidenced in our lives by the way we love God and others. As we obey Christ and do good things, the light we shine into the darkness of the world will only get brighter (Matthew 5:14-16; Ephesians 2:10).