Topical Bible: Obedience to God: should be from the Heart

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Obedience to God is a central theme throughout the Bible, emphasizing the importance of aligning one's actions and intentions with God's will. This obedience is not merely a matter of external compliance but is deeply rooted in the heart, reflecting a sincere devotion and love for God.

Biblical Foundation

The call for heartfelt obedience is evident in both the Old and New Testaments. In Deuteronomy 6:5, the Israelites are commanded, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." This verse underscores that true obedience stems from a profound love for God, engaging the whole being.

The prophet Samuel highlights the priority of heartfelt obedience over ritualistic practices in 1 Samuel 15:22: "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." Here, the emphasis is on the value of listening to and following God's commands with sincerity.

Heartfelt Obedience in the New Testament

Jesus Christ reiterates the importance of heart-based obedience in His teachings. In John 14:15, He states, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." This connection between love and obedience indicates that genuine adherence to God's commands arises from a loving relationship with Christ.

The Apostle Paul further elaborates on this concept in Romans 6:17, where he writes, "But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed." Paul acknowledges that true obedience involves a transformation of the heart, leading believers to willingly follow God's teachings.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in enabling believers to obey God from the heart. Ezekiel 36:26-27 promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances." This transformation is essential for believers to live in accordance with God's will, as the Spirit empowers them to obey with genuine intent.

Obedience as an Expression of Faith

Heartfelt obedience is also an expression of faith. Hebrews 11:8 highlights the obedience of Abraham, stating, "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, even though he did not know where he was going." Abraham's obedience was a demonstration of his trust in God's promises, illustrating that true obedience is intertwined with faith.

The Blessings of Heartfelt Obedience

Scripture consistently associates heartfelt obedience with blessings. In Deuteronomy 28:1-2, God promises, "If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all His commands I give 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 obey the voice of the LORD your God." This passage reveals that obedience from the heart leads to divine favor and blessings.

Conclusion

The biblical call to obedience is clear: it must originate from a heart devoted to God. This obedience is not a mere external adherence to rules but a reflection of a deep, personal relationship with the Creator. Through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the example of faithful figures like Abraham, believers are encouraged to cultivate a heart that willingly and joyfully submits to God's will.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 11:13
And it shall come to pass, if you shall listen diligently to my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 6:17
But God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Third Mark of Inspiration, which is Holy Obedience to the Church ...
... When God puts inspirations into a heart, the first he gives is obedience. ... And the
principal point of it was, that he should repair to the city, where he ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xiii third mark of.htm

The Righteousness of Faith
... every desire, every thought, in obedience to the will of God: That he should continue
holy, as he which had created him was holy, both in heart, and in all ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 6 the righteousness of.htm

"Because the Carnal Mind is Enmity against God, for it is not ...
... his heart is good and true to God, for, say you, whom should I love ... is an enmity
in the will, that it cannot subject to the obedience of God's holy commands ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xx because the carnal.htm

The King after Man's Heart
... a last token of friendship, a last appeal to his heart? ... and therefore overflowing
in joyful, willing obedience and grateful ... 'The mercies of God' should lead to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the king after mans heart.htm

Noah's Faith, Fear, Obedience, and Salvation
... commanded him." Those who have faith in God should show it by ... of will-worship to
the perfect law of God. ... Prove that you have grace, by your accurate obedience. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 36 1890/noahs faith fear obedience and.htm

Obedience
... fire. Why should not our obedience be lively and fervent? God deserves
the flower and strength of our affections. Domitian ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/1 1 obedience.htm

Showing what the Forsaken Man Should Do
... give himself into the hands of God, and should be glad ... is more joyful to the lover
of God, than to ... the virtues: which is in activity, humble obedience; and, in ...
/.../john/the adornment of the spritual marriage/chapter xxix showing what the.htm

That the virtues have their Perfection from Divine Love.
... be born and even grow; but that they should come to ... gives them the strength to fly
in God, and to ... requires and excites sobriety, and that obedience moves us to ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter ix that the virtues.htm

"For what the Law could not Do, in that it was Weak through the ...
... Now, if you should undertake to pay for your former breaches ... first suffer the eternal
wrath of an infinite God, and then come and offer obedience if thou ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon x for what the.htm

The Obedience of Faith
... Alas, that it should be so different with us! ... long and cry after a life of close
obedience, and the continual consciousness of being pleasing to God. ...
/.../murray/the school of obedience/vi the obedience of faith.htm