What Does the Bible Say About Obedience To God?

John 14:15 ESV / 122 helpful votes

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Luke 6:46 ESV / 90 helpful votes

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Romans 6:16 ESV / 66 helpful votes

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?

Matthew 7:21 ESV / 62 helpful votes

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

James 1:22 ESV / 55 helpful votes

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Joshua 1:8 ESV / 42 helpful votes

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.

Ephesians 6:5-9 ESV / 37 helpful votes

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

1 Samuel 15:22 ESV / 29 helpful votes

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.

James 2:24 ESV / 27 helpful votes

You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Romans 8:28 ESV / 25 helpful votes

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Hebrews 12:5-6 ESV / 20 helpful votes

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

2 Thessalonians 1:8 ESV / 17 helpful votes

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.

Matthew 7:14 ESV / 16 helpful votes

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Acts 2:38 ESV / 14 helpful votes

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:1 ESV / 12 helpful votes

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV / 12 helpful votes

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 2:9 ESV / 12 helpful votes

For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.

Luke 5:1-39 ESV / 12 helpful votes

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ...

Acts 22:16 ESV / 11 helpful votes

And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

Deuteronomy 1:41 ESV / 11 helpful votes

“Then you answered me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV / 10 helpful votes

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

1 Corinthians 11:1-34 ESV / 10 helpful votes

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. ...

Isaiah 1:19 ESV / 10 helpful votes

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

John 3:16 ESV / 9 helpful votes

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Genesis 14:11-23 ESV / 9 helpful votes

So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. ...

Hebrews 5:9 ESV / 8 helpful votes

And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

Romans 4:4 ESV / 8 helpful votes

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.

John 3:16-17 ESV / 8 helpful votes

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Acts 13:1-3 ESV / 7 helpful votes

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Isaiah 50:4-9 ESV / 6 helpful votes

The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. ...

Romans 3:23 ESV / 5 helpful votes

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Deuteronomy 27:1-26 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today. And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you. And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; ...

Job 36:11 ESV / 4 helpful votes

If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness.

Exodus 21:2 ESV / 3 helpful votes

When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.

Bible Verses about Obedience To God