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15 Rewarding Bible Verses About Obedience (to God, Parents & the Law)

Bible verses about Obedience

15 Rewarding Bible Verses About Obedience (to God, Parents & the Law)

Obedience is defined as “the act or practice of obeying; dutiful or submissive compliance,” on Dictionary.com. To obey means to give up one’s own rights and submit to another’s authority.

In the Christian world, that authority is God the Father. Obedience shows a love and respect for the recipient, so whether you are obeying authority, your parents, or the Lord Himself, you are displaying how deep your love and respect goes.

Bible verses about Obedience to God

The most important obedience is to the Lord. When you obey Him first, obeying parents and authority will not be as difficult. Romans 11:36 states, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” He is the beginning and the end. We only know how to obey because of the love He has placed deep in our hearts for Him and others.

John 14:23 images pictures quotes
  1. “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14:23

Your obedience to God shows your love for Him. If you truly love Him, then you will keep His commandments. The same can be said of a parent-child relationship. A child’s obedience to their parents shows the depth of their love. The benefit of obeying Him is experiencing the unending love God has for you. You will understand and appreciate His love more fully if you obey out of your love for Him.

Deuteronomy 28:1 images pictures quotes
  1. “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:” Deuteronomy 28:1

God looks highly upon you when you obey Him. He considers you high above all nations of the earth when you follow His will instead of the world. If you are a Christian, then you must listen to His voice and follow after Him. The more you obey Him, the more you will recognize His voice.

Deuteronomy 5:33 images pictures quotes
  1. “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.” Deuteronomy 5:33

It is easy to listen to the voice of the world, but difficult to follow the narrow path that leads to life. Obedience always leads to life and life more abundant! Obedience brings joy and fulfillment. The way of the world leads to emptiness and depression. The world is a slave to sin, while obedience leads to righteousness and brings freedom.

Proverbs 10:17 images pictures quotes
  1. “He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: But he that refuseth reproof erreth.” Proverbs 10:17

He is life for the Christian. His words bring life, restore, and revive the weak and weary. He shows us the way we ought to live. He has mapped it out in the Bible. If we follow His words and the examples through other followers, then we will find life. If we do not heed his words and warnings, we will walk the road to destruction that leads to death.

1 Kings 2:3 images pictures quotes
  1. “and keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:” 1 Kings 2:3

Obedience brings prosperity. This does mean that we will have more material things if we follow Him, but instead we will be prosperous in joy and peace- the things that really matter. God is more than generous when His followers choose obedience over the fleeting pleasures of the world.

Bible verses about Obedience to Parents

God commands us as His followers to obey the people He has placed in our lives, especially parents. We show the strength of our faith when we obey our parents. He gave them to us for a reason, and more than likely we can learn a lot from their lives and experiences.

While there are some parents out there who are not following God, most of us can show God how much we love Him by obeying the ones He has given us. The following are some verses that teach us why we should honor and obey our parents and how we can better honor them

Proverbs 6:20 images pictures quotes
  1. “My son, keep thy father's commandment, And forsake not the law of thy mother:” Proverbs 6:20

Proverbs is known for the wise advise it gives. This verse especially gives strong, sound advice to children. Obey your father’s commandment. Keep the law of your mother. God placed them in your life for a reason. Listen to their teaching so you may not only honor them, but honor the Lord in doing so.

Ephesians 6:1-3 images pictures quotes
  1. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3

Why should someone obey their parents? These verses answer that very question; it is right in the eyes of the Lord.

He longs for us to live righteous lives both day and night, and we can do that by honoring parental authority. By obeying your parents, you will live long on the earth. Think about this for a moment.

When you get along with your parents, you are avoiding conflicts and strife; both of these things can add to the stress level and shorten your life. Obey so you can live and better serve the Lord!

Colossians 3:20 images pictures quotes
  1. “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” Colossians 3:20

The biggest reason to honor your parents by obeying them is so that you will please the Lord. He has a plan for you and your family and part of that plan is obedience. So when you obey, you are in the will of the Lord. When you do not obey, you are out of His will. You can bring joy to the Lord’s heart by obeying your parents.

Proverbs 13:1 images pictures quotes
  1. “A wise son heareth his father's instruction: But a scorner heareth not rebuke.” Proverbs 13:1

If you take corrections from someone in authority like your parents, then you are wise. Matthew 7:24 says the wise man who obeys the Word built his house upon a rock.

Scorners do not listen and do not heed the advice of those wiser than them. They refuse to take correction or feedback. They never take others’ advice to heart. However, true believers who love the Lord to the instruction of others to heart.

1 Peter 1:14 images pictures quotes
  1. “as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:” 1 Peter 1:14

When you are obedient, you are listening to the Lord instead of your former lusts. You are putting your past and former life behind you and are looking to the future with the Lord. This is one of the best ways to avoid falling into sin again; simply obey the Lord by obeying others.

Bible verses about Obedience to Authority and the Law

One opportunity that every believer has in this Christian life is to honor God by obeying the authority He has set in place. Joshua showed us how to obey in Joshua 11:15, “As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.”

This can be very difficult for some followers to do. However, by respecting and obeying authority, you are showing God that you respect and honor Him.

The same is true when you do not respect and obey authority. Trust in the Lord and know that He would not place someone in a position of authority that would do anything beyond His control. He is always the one who is the ultimate authority.

Romans 13:1 images pictures quotes
  1. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” Romans 13:1

God is of the highest authority. He is the one who created all other authority. This verse says that every soul should be subject to Him and His power. He has ordained each of those in authority, and they cannot do anything outside of His power.

Trust Him and His authority over everyone and everything. Nothing surprises Him or worries Him. He always knows what to do. There is no authority on this earth that is there without the control of the Lord. He is still in charge whether the authority listens to Him or not.

Luke 9:23 images pictures quotes
  1. “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

To obey authority, you must give up your own desires, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow the Lord. Maybe the reason Jesus said this needed to be done daily was because He knew how difficult it would be to submit over to authority. However, when you are constantly putting yourself aside and thinking about the interests of others, you will be able to submit to and obey authority.

Hebrews 13:17 images pictures quotes
  1. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” Hebrews 13:17

In the end, everyone will give an account to the Lord when they get to the kingdom of heaven. All believers will answer for their words and their behavior. This includes authority. God does not ask you to keep them accountable, but instead obey as His faithful servant. You are to obey them because God has entrusted you to them and they will give an account for how they act toward you.

Romans 13:7 images pictures quotes
  1. “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.” Romans 13:7

This verse tells us to give honor and respect to those who are in authority. It says to pay them their dues and most importantly show respect to those above you by obeying them and giving them the honor God has given them. This is an act of obedience to the Lord Himself.

Titus 3:1-2 images pictures quotes
  1. “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.” Titus 3:1-2

These verses give us a picture of what believers should look like. When obeying authority, you should always be ready to do good work. This is your witness to the world. When you do good work, you are showing others the love of Jesus Christ. You should not slander or quarrel with anyone, but instead, show humility toward others.

In conclusion

The best part about obedience is that it brings you closer to the Lord. Jeremiah 7:23 says, “But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.” Obedience is the foundation for the Christian faith.

Obedience sounds simple but can be a lifelong task for believers. It is especially difficult when the authority is not acting godly, whether that be your parents, leaders, or even government. One way that makes submitting to authority easier is through prayer. I have found it easiest and most rewarding when I pray for those in charge.

First, it gives me new eyes to see them. I am more likely to obey and submit to authority when I am praying for them because it helps me see them as human and as people God has placed there. Second, when I pray for them, it gives me a purpose for obeying. I am closer to the Lord when I am communicating with Him in prayer.

Finally, by praying for authority I am showing respect to authority and to the Lord. Take some time today praying and asking God to help you submit to the authority in your life and that they may hear the Word and their hearts will receive it.