Topical Bible: Obedience to God: Exhortations To

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Obedience to God is a central theme throughout the Bible, emphasizing the importance of aligning one's actions and heart with God's will. The Scriptures provide numerous exhortations to obey God, highlighting the blessings of obedience and the consequences of disobedience.

Old Testament Exhortations

1. Deuteronomy 6:4-5: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." This passage, known as the Shema, calls for wholehearted devotion and obedience to God, serving as a foundational command for the Israelites.

2. Deuteronomy 11:1: "You shall therefore love the LORD your God and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments." Here, love for God is directly linked to obedience, underscoring the relational aspect of following God's commands.

3. 1 Samuel 15:22: "But Samuel declared: 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.'" This verse highlights that God values obedience over ritualistic offerings, emphasizing the heart's posture over mere external actions.

4. Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Trust and obedience are intertwined, with the promise of divine guidance for those who submit to God's wisdom.

New Testament Exhortations

1. John 14:15: "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Jesus directly links love for Him with obedience, indicating that true discipleship involves following His teachings.

2. Romans 12:1-2: "Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Paul exhorts believers to live lives of obedience as an act of worship, distinct from worldly patterns.

3. James 1:22: "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves." James emphasizes the necessity of active obedience, warning against self-deception through mere listening without action.

4. 1 Peter 1:14-16: "As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" Peter calls believers to a life of holiness, rooted in obedience to God's call.

The Blessings of Obedience

1. Deuteronomy 28:1-2: "Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God." Obedience brings divine favor and blessings, as outlined in the covenantal promises to Israel.

2. Psalm 119:1-2: "Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are those who keep His testimonies and seek Him with all their heart." The psalmist extols the joy and blessing found in living according to God's law.

3. John 15:10-11: "If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." Jesus promises abiding love and complete joy to those who obey His commands.

The Consequences of Disobedience

1. Deuteronomy 28:15: "But if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you." The covenantal warnings to Israel include severe consequences for disobedience, illustrating the seriousness of rejecting God's commands.

2. Hebrews 3:18-19: "And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed? So we see that it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to enter." The author of Hebrews warns against the unbelief and disobedience that prevented the Israelites from entering God's rest, urging believers to remain faithful.

The Bible consistently calls for obedience to God as an expression of faith and love, promising blessings for those who follow His ways and warning of the dire consequences of turning away.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 26:13
Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he has pronounced against you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 38:20
But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver you. Obey, I beseech you, the voice of the LORD, which I speak to you: so it shall be well to you, and your soul shall live.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Exhortations to Christians as they are Children of God
... Exhortations to Christians as they are children of God. ... us deport ourselves as the
children of the High God. In obedience: As obedient children' (1 Peter 1:14). ...
/.../20 exhortations to christians as.htm

The Adversaries Cannot Deny Predestination to those Gifts of Grace ...
... utmost truthfulness of all the obedience with which ... do they say that their exhortations
are hindered by the preaching of God's predestination, that is ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 42 the adversaries cannot deny.htm

Third Mark of Inspiration, which is Holy Obedience to the Church ...
... of life and way of serving God used by ... life he had begun, because by his obedience,
said those ... he should resist, and, despising their exhortations, follow his ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xiii third mark of.htm

Exhortations to those who are Called
... are effectually called, I have three exhortations to you ... A true saint is for canonical
obedience, he follows ... others walked with the devil, Noah walked with God. ...
/.../watson/a divine cordial/exhortations to those who are.htm

A Tribute from Enemies
... Obedience to God needs always ... says 'Don't,' then they may talk as much as they like,
but we are bound to turn a deaf ear to their exhortations and threats. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/a tribute from enemies.htm

Exhortations to Stedfastness and Unity.
... Chapter XX."Exhortations to stedfastness and unity ... 625] through grace, in one faith
of God the Father ... under the guidance of the Comforter, in obedience to the ...
/.../chapter xx exhortations to stedfastness and.htm

"Therefore, Brethren, we are Debtors, not to the Flesh, to Live ...
... all down with it,"all precepts and exhortations, and the ... carry him above in motion
of obedience; and, therefore ... great things of that nature from God, do not ...
/.../the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxxii therefore brethren we.htm

Dwight -- the Sovereignty of God
... his infancy and childhood, both in body and mind, he becomes, under the exhortations
and example ... Fill up life, therefore, with obedience to God, with faith ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/dwight the sovereignty of.htm

Its Evidence
... for the whole of evangelical religion, and who replied to all exhortations and reproofs ...
when Abraham gave the supreme demonstration of his obedience to God. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the doctrine of justification/9 its evidence.htm

Characters Will be Disclosed, and Justice Awarded.
... This is manifest from the divine exhortations addressed to them ... are in their power,
because God hath forbidden ... to deny themselves, or attempt obedience to God's ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xvi characters will be.htm