Why Do We Obey God?

Man sitting and thinking with the Bible

Sadly, most people in the world do not recognize God. Therefore, it is unsurprising that they do not obey Him. Yet for those who claim to be Christians, obedience ought to be a way of life. But why should we live a life of obedience? 

The New Testament clearly indicates that we do not obey God in order to earn our salvation. Because all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23), the only thing we have earned is eternal punishment (Romans 6:23). Jesus said, “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done’” (Luke 17:10). Even if we could perfectly carry out every command the Lord has given, we are still “unworthy slaves” who are dependent upon the grace of God.

At the same time, Jesus implied in the statement above that His people would obey Him (“when” – not IF – “you do all the things which are commanded…”). When He commissioned His apostles to go out and make disciples, they were to teach them “to observe all that I commanded” (Matthew 28:20). Obedience is expected of those who would be Jesus’ disciples.

That brings us back to our question: Why do we obey God? There are a few reasons presented to us in the Scriptures:Continue Reading

The Church of the Chaldeans

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

When we study “church” history, we are limited to what has been recorded in the past and preserved until the present. Because of this, there are religious groups from various times and places that we know little or nothing about. I recently learned about one of these groups while browsing Barton W. Stone’s journal, The […]

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“The Spirit Is Willing, but the Flesh Is Weak”

Jesus in the Garden with His Disciples Sleeping

“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved, to the […]

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You Are a Peculiar People

Crossroads

As the world around us grows more corrupt and people become more ungodly, faithful disciples of Christ will stand out. We may even become targets of ridicule, harassment, and persecution. This will make it tempting for us to try to hide our distinguishing characteristics as Christians in order to blend in with the world. However, […]

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The Seven Churches: Conclusion

The Seven Churches: Conclusion

In this series, we have studied the letters to the seven churches of Asia found at the beginning of the book of Revelation. Each of these churches faced different challenges, yet they were given the same basic message – to remember that they belonged to Christ and that He would reward them if they remained faithful. […]

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The Seven Churches (Part 7): Laodicea

The Seven Churches (Part 7): Laodicea

The seventh and final church addressed in the book of Revelation was in Laodicea. They had the unfortunate distinction of being the only one of the seven churches to receive no positive comments from the Lord. They had reached the point where they believed they were fully self-sufficient and did not need the Lord. If […]

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Characteristics of Love

1 Corinthians 13, Love

Near the end of his first letter to Corinth, Paul told the brethren, “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). However, he did not leave them in the dark as to what it meant to do things “in love.” He defined this earlier in the same letter when he described […]

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