Obedience – Bible Study

OBEDIENCE

Obedience can often feel like a heavy word, it’s one we associate with rules, pressure, or performance. But in Scripture, obedience is rooted in love, trust, and relationship. It’s not about striving for perfection but aligning our lives with God who created us and knows what’s best. Obedience is how we say “yes” to God, even when we don’t have all the answers.

Definition of Obedience:
Obedience in the biblical sense means to hear God’s word and act accordingly. It involves submitting to God’s authority and commands out of love and reverence for Him.

THE IMPORTANCE OF OBEDIENCE

John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

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.'”

Deuteronomy 11:1
“You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.”

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?”

How does obedience demonstrate our relationship with God?

Are there areas where you know what God has asked of you, but you’re hesitant to act?

What would it look like for you to walk in joyful obedience this week?

EXAMPLES OF OBEDIENCE IN THE BIBLE

Abraham’s Obedience

Hebrews 11:8
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going”.

Hebrews 11:17
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son”.

Noah’s Obedience

Genesis 6:22
“Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.”

Jesus’ Obedience

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.”

Peter and the Apostles’ Obedience

Acts 5:29
“But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’”

Which of these examples stands out most to you? Why?

How do their acts of obedience encourage you in your current season?

How might God be calling you to trust and obey in something you can’t fully see yet?

CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE

1 Samuel 12:15
“But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king.”

Jeremiah 7:23-24
“But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.”

Romans 2:8
“But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”

Hebrews 3:18-19
“And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
“In flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

James 4:17
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Revelation 3:15-16
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

Matthew 6:14-15
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Why do you think God takes disobedience so seriously?

What warnings in these verses speak directly to a struggle or temptation in your life?

How can remembering the consequences of disobedience help shape your daily choices?

BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE

John 10:25-29 
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

Deuteronomy 28:1-2
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

Isaiah 1:19
“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”

John 15:10-11
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

How have you experienced God’s blessing through obedience in your own life?

What promises in these verses give you hope or encouragement?

What helps you remember that God’s commands are for your good?

PRACTICAL STEPS TO LIVE A LIFE OF OBEDIENCE

Joshua 1:8
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Galatians 5:16
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Hebrews 10:24-25
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Which of these steps feels most relevant for you right now?

How can you incorporate Scripture more intentionally into your daily rhythm?

Who in your life encourages you toward obedience and how can you walk alongside others in the same way?

ENCOURAGEMENT TO PERSISIT IN OBEDIENCE

Hebrews 12:1-2
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

James 1:22-25
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

1 Corinthians 15:58
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

What makes it hard for you to stay consistent in obeying God?

How do these verses inspire perseverance in your walk with Him?

What would it look like to “run with endurance” in this season of your life?

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.