What the Bible says about Obeying
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Reminding Israel that He owns the land and therefore has the power to make good His promises, God demands Israel's loyalty, its commitment to obey His voice. His expectation is for Israel to be faithful to the terms of the covenant. With the words "My voice," God refers to the Ten Commandments, which He "spoke" (Exodus 20:1) from Mount Sinai, as well as to the statutes and judgments (which He also spoke to Moses) recorded in Exodus and Leviticus. God reiterates His requirement for obedience in Exodus 23:21-23.
Charles Whitaker
Searching for Israel (Part Three): The Old CovenantRelated Topics: Covenant | Covenant , Conditions of | God's Ownership of Everything | Obedience | Obeying | Old Covenant
God's soul, the seat of His feelings, will not abhor them. In verse 30, conversely, if they do not obey Him, He says, "I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you."
John W. Ritenbaugh
Image and Likeness of God (Part Three)
Jesus takes the opportunity of this miracle to call His disciples into a Teacher - student relationship with Him. He figuratively catches Peter in His net before commanding him to "catch men" for the Kingdom of God. Immediately, Peter, Andrew, James, and John leave their boats and nets behind and follow Him. They now understand that Jesus is more than capable of supplying their every need.
We are to apply this lesson in our own lives. When Christ speaks, it is always about obedience to God's way of life. In this case, His teaching affected the disciples' livelihoods. Worship and work form major parts of our lives, too, and in both we must consistently maintain righteousness.
Had Peter failed to obey Christ's command, he would have failed to experience both the miracle and the resulting blessing. No one serves God without being compensated for his service. When we serve, sacrifice, testify, or stand for Him, He will suitably reward our efforts. When God asks us to invest our time, effort, talent, or anything else, we must not resent the opportunity. No one pays dividends on an investment as abundantly as God does - "good measure, pressed down, and running over will be put into your bosom" (Luke 6:38).
Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Great Catch of FishRelated Topics: Blessing | Blessings | Disciple | Disciples, Making | Disciples, Role of | Disciples, The | Discipleship | Discipleship, Cost of | Dragging imagery | Fish as Metaphor | Fishers of Men | Jesus Christ's Miracles | Miracles | Miracles and Faith | Miracles of Jesus Christ | Obedience | Obeying | Sacrifice | Sacrificial Attitude | Sacrificial Giving
Jesus announces to them that He is leaving. Because they want to be where He is, they want to know the way to get there. When He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," He is basically saying that it is through a unique combination of a relationship with Him, which consists of being justified through Him, following His example, and obeying what He commands.
Christianity is a way of life. The disciples ask, "Show us the way." Where was Christ going to be? In the Kingdom of God. How does one get to the Kingdom of God? There is a way! It is not "all roads lead to heaven," but there is one way to get there.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Two)Related Topics: Christ's Example | Jesus Christ's Example | Law and Grace | Law and Grace Complementary | Law or Grace | Obedience | Obeying | The Way | Way of God | Way of Life | Way, The
Within our relationship with God, a measure of reciprocity always exists, even though our part is but a tiny percentage of the overall amount. It must be this way because love cannot be one-sided, or the relationship will not exist for very long. This is a major reason why Jesus says in John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." Obedience is the way we reciprocate His love toward us.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Christian Fight (Part One)Related Topics: Commandment Keeping | Commandments, Keeping | Law Keeping | Lawkeeping | Love as Keeping Commandments | Obedience | Obeying | Obeying in the Lord | Reciprocal Relationship | Reciprocation | Reciprocity | Relationship with God
Paul is paraphrasing what Jesus said: "Obey the laws of God. Don't steal. Don't lust. Don't covet. Don't be a drunkard - because you are justified."Paul gives justification as the very reason they should obey the law of God - because they had been justified. He says, "Choose life because you have been justified." Justification is given as the reason - indeed, the obligation - for voluntarily choosing life, for choosing not to sin.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Four)Related Topics: Choices | Choosing Life | Justification | Law "Done Away" | Law and Grace | Law and Grace Complementary | Law Breaking | Law Keeping | Law or Grace | Lawkeeping | Obedience | Obeying | Obligation | Obligation, Sense of
A vital step to overcoming covetousness is to study, pray, fast, meditate, and obey. Consciously practice God's way of life. This takes sacrifice and discipline, but it fills the mind with God's thoughts. This will eventually make sin foreign to us because we simply will not think to do it!
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Tenth Commandment (1998)Related Topics: Covetousness | Discipline | Fasting | Meditation | Obedience | Obeying | Obeying in the Lord | Overcome Evil with Good | Overcoming | Overcoming, Mankind's Participation in | Prayer | Sacrifice | Studying | Tenth Commandment | The Ten Commandments