One of the core purposes of Christianity is to know how to be obedient to God. Obedience to God, which is hearing and acting upon the word of God, is an essential value in the Christian faith.
Even God demands obedience over sacrifice because, with obedience, there is no need for sacrifice. One of the main reasons why Christ came and died is to redeem humanity from sin, to show us how to obey God and to endow us with the ability and knowledge to walk in obedience to God.
But why is it hard to be obedient to God, even when Christ has endowed us believers with the ability to obey God? This is difficult because our human nature is utterly depraved and completely goes against God, we are natural rebels.
Outside Christ and the help of the Holy Spirit, no human has the self-will or the ability to obey God, and we are all handicapped on our own, we do not and cannot know how to be fully obedient to God.
The Bible says in Romans 3: 10 – 12 (NIV), “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
So how do we become obedient to God when we don’t have what it takes, and even the best we have to offer is inadequate?
How can you show your obedience to God when no matter what you do cannot satisfy God, it cannot meet God’s standard, but it rather exposes your weakness and inability to be obedient to God?
So the only way to know how to be more obedient to God is through Christ, which is to have faith in His finished work, follow Him and put all our attention and focus on Him; that is what it means to know how to obey God.
So, as we intend to discuss how to be obedient to God, let us briefly discuss what obedience is.
What Is Obedience?
Obedience means to follow strictly and do what you are asked to do. It means to know and to submit to specific laws of requirements. In the Bible, five words are translated as the word to obey.
For example, there is the word ‘shama’ in the Old Testament (Genesis 22: 28; 26: 5; 27: 8; Exodus 5: 2; 19: 5), and it means to listen to something carefully and to respond appropriately to it.
In the New Testament, we have about three words translated as to obey. First, there is the word ‘hupakouo’ which means to listen and act upon a command, to submit to one in authority.
We have the word ‘peithoo’, which is obedience that comes out of persuasion in the sense of being induced to believe and act upon something.
We also have the word ‘ginomai,’ which means to become like something, to come into existence and be like a thing.
All of these words translated as obedience or to obey, both in the Old and in the New Testament, have one thing in command: to act upon what was heard, either as a command or teaching or being forced to.
So to obey means to act upon what one is being told, which implies that one must know and understand something before it can be adequately obeyed.
That is why it talks about listening to hear. Haven briefly discussed what obedience means, let us then look into the key to obedience to God.
What Is The Key To Obedience To God?
Because you long to be obedient to God, have you been thinking about the key to obedience to God? The legend of obedience to God is faith, and the Bible says without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11: 6).
Faith is the key and the primary thing we need before we know how to obey God.
It is through faith in Christ and His finished work that we can now reactivate the gift of grace, which is the Holy Spirit that gives us the knowledge and ability for us to be able to know how to be obedient to God.
Remember, no human by himself can in any way long or even think of being obedient to God. Human nature is utterly depraved, so our minds and totality are corrupt. We always want things for ourselves, for personal gains.
According to John-Marc Arthur, one of the fundamental characteristics of every human being is selfishness. Based on this, we care more about ourselves and always want everything. So we can never think about how we can please God or be obedient to God.
So it is by faith in Christ that grace is released and the love of God is shared in our hearts for us to love God and know how to keep His commandment. Without faith in Christ, we can do nothing to please God.
When you put your faith in the finished work of Christ, you confess Christ as Lord and Savior, and then you receive the gift of grace, which endows and enables the ability to obey God.
John Mac Arthur said in one of his sermons that any righteousness other than the imputed righteousness of Christ is mere legalism. Therefore, faithful obedience must be grounded in Christ and what He has done for us rather than what we do for Him.
Types Of Obedience To God
There are two types of obedience to God, which are pseudo-obedient and faithful obedience.
1. Pseudo-Obedience
Pseudo is the Greek word for false, it means something that looks like the original, but in the real sense, it is false, fake, and even opposing the real thing.
Pseudo-obedience, as it implies, is an act of obedience that almost looks like the real thing but is false. And why is it false? It is because it stems from self, a wrong notion, one who does something for personal gains and interest.
It is an act of obedience that is put on not because of love for God that is rooted in faith in Christ but because of what the person stands for or hopes to benefit from being obedient to God.
He obeys God because he thinks God will now bless him when he puts on that fake act of obedience. Instead, his selfish notion and intention lead him, and in the real sense, this is not obedience to God. It is dishonest, and God hates dishonesty.
2. True Obedience
There is an authentic and genuine for everything, fake or false. True obedience to God stems from a sincere heart with honest intentions and motives. This is obedience to God that arises out of love for God that is rooted in faith in the finished works of Christ.
This act of obedience doesn’t have ulterior motives or personal selfish intentions, nor does it look out for personal gain. Instead, its focus is to submit to God’s way and to remain obedient to God at all times, even if it will cost his life.
This is the true act of obedience to God that pleases Him. Lets us take it a step further and look into how to be obedient to God in 10 Ways.
How To Be Obedient To God- 10 Ways
1. Focus On Christ
One of the ways on how to be obedient to God is to focus on Christ. Yet, sometimes even as believers in Christ, we still find it challenging to focus on Christ. This is because the cares and worries of this world lure us.
We want a financially secure future and many other kinds of stuff. However, the Bible says in Luke 9: 23 (NIV), “Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
By this statement, focusing on Jesus means denying yourself of worldly pleasures. It doesn’t mean you won’t partake in anything that gives you pleasure here on earth. No, not at all.
But it only means you won’t be your number one focus and priority. It will be more like a passive thing. When we focus entirely on Jesus, we will understand His will and purpose, and it will help us understand and know how to obey God.
2. Follow The Pattern of Christ
After putting your focus on Christ, I believe another way on how to be obedient to God is to follow the pattern of Christ. This is like the main base on which every other way is rooted. The pattern of Christ’s obedience is “not my will, but your will be done” (Luke 22: 44).
The pattern of Christ’s obedience is that He lived a life in total submission to God’s will, in that He even gave up His Life and died the worst kind of death ever.
The pattern of Christ’s obedience to God is that Christ being obedient to God was the purpose of His living and existence, and He lived up to that purpose. He fulfilled everything He was meant to fulfill.
He even said His food is to do the will of His Father that sent Him (John 4: 34). He lived and died for one purpose: remaining obedient to God. So Christ’s pattern is the base and foundation of every other way of obedience.
3. Love God More Than Anything
The Bible says in Matthew 22: 37 (NIV), “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” So God expects us to love Him with our totality and with everything.
This love should spring from our heart, which figuratively means what drives a man’s will, and to the soul, which is the totality of our being, and then to the mind, which is the seat of our understanding and reasoning.
This means we should love God with our will, our entire being, and our understanding and reasoning, and this love should be expressed by being obedient to God’s commandments. John 14: 15 (NIV) says, “If you love me, keep my commands.”
4. Make God Your First Priority In Life
As much as we are believers in Christ, we are still humans, which means we must attend to human wants and needs. And sometimes, these human wants and needs get to call our attention so much that we now prioritize them and let them come first in our lives.
Yes, these things are needs, so we must attend to them, but we should know that whatever takes our focus away from God and becomes number one on our list now takes the place of God in our lives.
So making God our priority is to always put God first in everything we do. Even when attending to that need, we should put God first by using God’s stipulated precept to listen to our needs.
God’s standard should be our standard, and it is one of the ways on how to be obedient to God. Therefore, we should honor God in every area of our lives, always make God come first, and always address issues with God’s standards.
5. Never Compromise In Your Walk With God
In as much as the needs and necessities of life keep calling us, demanding so much of our attention, and in some cases, it almost makes us want to compromise our Christian faith and our walk with God.
But we should never compromise when it comes to our walk with God because it is one of the ways on how to be obedient to God. Therefore, to never compromise in our walk with God is to follow the scriptures strictly.
Remember, obedience means listening and appropriately following the instructions or commands given. So even the things we consider to be mundane should be followed strictly.
So we shouldn’t compromise in these areas, even the things we consider as not being severe things, those little things we call a little lie, just a tiny tip or bribe to get past something. Remember, God hates sin, no matter how little it may seem or look.
6. Always Strive To Do What Is Right
In a world that is so depraved, where corruption is an everyday norm in most of our societies, as a believer in Christ, one of the ways on how to be obedient to God is always to strive to do what is right.
In times like this, the way the world is today, God demands us to be more obedient to Him than ever. And we should do this by doing what is correct at all times, even if it means us putting our means of livelihood and sometimes our neck on the line.
The Bible says in Matt 5: 13 – 16 (NIV), “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, giving light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” We should always enable to stand out and hold onto God’s standard, making it our standard and way of living.
7. Avoid Things That Contradict The Bible
One of the ways on how to be obedient to God is to avoid things that contradict the scriptures. For example, the Bible says in 1 Timothy 6: 20 (NIV), “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge.”
The number of atheists, agnostics, and so many others who argue against the existence of God and the scriptures has grown enormously in recent years. Today, many people freely say damming things about God and feel relaxed and good about it.
They see themselves as the ones that think outside the box, or some call themselves “free thinkers.” But, as believers in Christ, we should avoid such discussions and godless chatters because it might sway anyone not sound in Christian doctrines away from the truth.
Of course, this doesn’t mean we should debate defending our Christian faith, but we should be careful when doing it.
8. Be Dedicated To Studying The Word Of God
To be fully and genuinely obedient to God, such a person must have a sound knowledge of God. No one can truly and fully be obedient to God if the person does not have a piece of good knowledge about God.
So as believers, we should be dedicated to studying the word of God because it will help and enable us to know how to be obedient to God and build our Christian faith and spiritual life.
It is through having a sound knowledge about God that we can truly understand and know what God wants and demands from us as believers.
2 Timothy 2: 15 (NIV) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
For more tips on how to study the Bible, read how to study the Bible in 15 ways here and 10 important tools for studying the Bible using the link here.
9. Search For Ways To Obey God
Being obedient to God is hearing and acting upon God’s word. As believers in Christ, we should make it a duty to search for different ways and means to help us love and obey God more.
This is more like one taking steps and looking out for opportunities to obey God and do His will. We engage in spiritual activities and exercises, which entail Bible study, prayers, and a dedicated lifestyle to living for God.
10. Surrender Your Totality To God
No one can truly be obedient to God on his own or willfully, so if we want to know how to be obedient to God, we must be willing to surrender our totality to God. This means we must submit our will, who we are, and who we wish to be to God.
It is almost like we do not have any sense of choice and lifestyle again, and letting only the will of God be our will and the God-life be our lifestyle.
In Galatians 2: 20 (NIV), Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
How Do You Practice Obedience?
How to practice obedience to God is to live a life that is pleasing to God. And to live a life that is pleasing to God is to live a life of faith in God because, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11: 6).
To have faith in God is to have confidence in Christ, and to have faith in Christ means to confess Christ as Lord and Savior over your life.
Then you follow His lifestyle and precept to keep God’s commandment which is to Love God with your totality, expressed in loving your neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 22: 37 – 39).
Christ says if you love me, keep my commandment (John 14: 15), and you cannot tell you love God and keeps His commandment without and then you hate your brother or your neighbor (1 John 4: 20).
So the natural way to practice obedience to God is to love God with your totality, and it should be expressed in loving your neighbor as you love yourself.
How Do You Obey God Every Day?
If you’re thinking about how do you obey God every day? The way to live a life of obedience to God daily is to live a life of faith. Remember, faith does not just believe that God exists or that Jesus died to save you from sin.
It must also be expressed in how you show love to your neighbors and even to your enemies. James 2: 14 – 17 (NIV) says, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
This text tells us that one cannot claim to have faith in God, and it isn’t seen in how he shows love to his neighbors and those in need; hence if he doesn’t show love to those in need, then his faith in God is a dead faith.
So the way to practice obedience to God daily is to live a life of faith in God that is expressed in how you manifest love to people around you every day.
True Stories Of Obedience To God
There are many true stories of obedience in the Bible and in real life. For example, my dad resigned from his job because there was too much cheating, bribery, and corruption in his place of work, and there was no way he could do such a job without cheating and bribery.
When I asked him why he resigned, he said he wanted to remain obedient to God because his job was standing in his way of doing that.
So, instead he remained jobless and thought of other ways to manage his family without working in a place that causes him to sin against God.
I know a story of a guy who graduated from school and had a good life with so much expectation from him. But at the end of the day, he ended up being a missionary in an interior village in Bangladesh.
When asked why he said it is in obedience to God’s call upon his life that he cannot be comfortable living life as though nothing is happening, why people are dying as sinners going to hell every day. So he abandoned all worldly pleasures to answer that call.
I want to add this, and I believe as you are reading this, there is an area in your life that you lack in obedience to God. Therefore, there is an area in your life you have not submitted to God.
God is calling you to submit that area of your life to him, do not be stubborn. Listen to the voice of the Lord and turn to Him, repent and submit that area of your life to Him, and God will help see you through, Amen.
What Happens When We Are Obedient To God
Humanity was initially created to obey God. But man sinned, and we all fell short of that, so we live a purposeless life. So when we walk in obedience to God, we live a purposeful and fulfilled life.
When we are obedient to God, we learn to know more about God, grow spiritually, and understand the good things God desires for all humanity and the expected end He promised us (Jeremiah 29: 11).
There are also material rewards attached when we are obedient to God: blessings, spiritual open doors, protections, breakthroughs in different areas of our lives, etc.
And finally, when we walk in obedience to God, it proves our love for God, as Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandment (John 14: 15). So, in turn, God rewards us in different with the eternal reward of bringing us into His kingdom.
Obedience To God Verses
1. 1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
2. Hebrews 13: 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
3. Romans 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
4. Philippians 2: 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
5. Hebrews 5:8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
6. 2 John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning so that you should walk in it.
7. Romans 8: 28 And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
8. 2 Corinthians 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
9. Romans 1: 5 Through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,
10. Ephesians 5: 21 Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
11. Hebrews 12: 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
12. Romans 13: 1 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.
Conclusion
Obedience to God is the most essential and vital command in Christianity. It is a practical way of living that we cultivate daily as we walk with God and grow in our Christian faith.
And true obedience to God can only be based on faith that nurtures a love for obeying God’s commandments.
Save this for later!
