Question 1

What motivates us to disobey God?

Accepted Answer

Hebrews 3:12Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.Hebrews 3:18-19To whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.Hebrews 4:2,6This good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. . . . So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God.An unbelieving heart leads to disobedience. We cannot accept the good God offers if we do not believe.Numbers 20:24“He [Moses] will not enter the land I am giving the people of Israel, because the two of you rebelled against my instructions concerning the water at Meribah.”Isaiah 1:2Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the Lord says: “The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.”Ezekiel 2:3“Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day.”A rebellious heart leads to disobedience. Every person is born with a heart that is prone to rebel against God.Psalm 78:8, 57They will not be like their ancestors—stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God. . . . They turned back and were as faithless as their parents. They were as undependable as a crooked bow.1 John 3:10So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.A disloyal, unfaithful heart will turn to disobedience.Hebrews 3:7-12That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried my patience.” . . . Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.A hard heart will lead to disobedience. We may desire to disobey because we have turned away and want nothing to do with God.Ephesians 2:1-2Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.A heart that has not yet turned to God will turn us toward disobedience.Exodus 16:19-20Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.A greedy heart will lead to disobedience.Genesis 3:6The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.Joshua 7:20-21Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them.”James 1:13-15Remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.A heart that desires things it cannot have will lead to obedience.2 Corinthians 11:3I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.A deceived heart leads to disobedience.Exodus 32:23They said to me, “Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”1 Samuel 13:8-14Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So . . . Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” . . . “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”An impatient heart unwilling to wait on God’s timing will turn toward disobedience.John 7:13No one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.John 12:42Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue.Galatians 2:12When he [Peter] first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision.A fearful heart leads to disobedience.Exodus 5:2“Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”2 Chronicles 26:16When he [King Uzziah] had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.A proud, arrogant heart will turn to disobedience.John 14:24“Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.”1 John 2:9If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.1 John 3:15Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.A heart that does not love God or love others will turn to disobedience.Deuteronomy 8:11-14“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, . . . be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God.”A forgetful heart will lead to disobedience. We tend not to pay as much attention to God and his Word when things are going well.Joshua 18:1-3Now that the land was under Israelite control, the entire community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle. But there remained seven tribes who had not yet been allotted their grants of land. Then Joshua asked them, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?”A procrastinating heart, possibly fueled by laziness or fear, leads to disobedience.Psalm 106:25Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord.A grumbling, frustrated heart leads to disobedience.Isaiah 42:20“You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.”An indecisive heart can lead to disobedience.Zephaniah 1:12“I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the Lord will do nothing to them, either good or bad.”Hebrews 2:2-3The message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?An indifferent heart leads to disobedience.Deuteronomy 21:18“Suppose a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they discipline him.”Nehemiah 9:16, 29“But our ancestors were proud and stubborn, and they paid no attention to your commands. . . . You warned them to return to your Law, but they became proud and obstinate and disobeyed your commands. They did not follow your regulations, by which people will find life if only they obey. They stubbornly turned their backs on you and refused to listen.”A stubborn heart leads to disobedience.

Question 2

How does our disobedience to God hurt us?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 1:43-45“This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the Lord’s command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight. But the Amorites who lived there came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased and battered you. . . . Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but he refused to listen.”Deuteronomy 3:26“But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more.’”2 Samuel 22:27, 41-42“To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. . . . You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me. They looked for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer.”Jeremiah 11:10-11“They have returned to the sins of their ancestors. They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods. Israel and Judah have both broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am going to bring calamity upon them, and they will not escape. Though they beg for mercy, I will not listen to their cries.”Lamentations 3:8, 39-44Though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers. . . . Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins? . . . Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, “We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us.”Micah 3:4“Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble! Do you really expect him to answer? After all the evil you have done, he won’t even look at you!”Disobedience to God hinders prayer.Hosea 4:16“Israel is stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. So should the Lord feed her like a lamb in a lush pasture?”Disobedience to God separates us from God’s guidance.1 Timothy 1:18-20Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.A pattern of deliberately disobeying God renders us unable to hold true to our faith.Ezekiel 20:13-17“But the people of Israel rebelled against me, and they refused to obey my decrees there in the wilderness. They wouldn’t obey my regulations even though obedience would have given them life. They also violated my Sabbath days. So I threatened to pour out my fury on them, and I made plans to utterly consume them in the wilderness. But again I held back in order to protect the honor of my name before the nations who had seen my power in bringing Israel out of Egypt. But I took a solemn oath against them in the wilderness. I swore I would not bring them into the land I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful place on earth.”Disobedience to God forfeits God’s best for us.Numbers 20:12The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”Disobedience to God limits our future opportunities.Titus 1:16Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.A lifestyle of disobedience renders us ineffective for doing anything good.

Question 3

How can my disobedience hurt others?

Accepted Answer

Titus 3:3Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.Disobedience negatively affects our relationships. It affects and infects those we love.2 Kings 17:41So while these new residents worshiped the Lord, they also worshiped their idols. And to this day their descendants do the same.Jeremiah 16:11-12Then you will give them the Lord’s reply: “It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word. And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me.”Disobedience sets a wrong example and leaves a sinful heritage for future generations.Exodus 7:22-24So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted. Pharaoh returned to his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind. Then all the Egyptians dug along the riverbank to find drinking water, for they couldn’t drink the water from the Nile.Jonah 1:4The Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.Our disobedience can physically endanger the people around us.

Question 4

What are some of the potential consequences of disobedience?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 3:14-19Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.”God’s judgment is a consequence of disobedience.John 3:36“And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”Ephesians 5:6Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.God’s anger is a consequence of disobedience.Leviticus 26:14-18“If you do not listen to me or obey all these commands, and if you break my covenant by rejecting my decrees, treating my regulations with contempt, and refusing to obey my commands, I will punish you. . . . I will turn against you, and you will be defeated by your enemies. . . . And if, in spite of all this, you still disobey me, I will punish you seven times over for your sins.”Jonah 1:10-12The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?” “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”Matthew 7:21“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”2 Thessalonians 1:8-9They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.Hebrews 2:2-3The message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?God’s punishment is a consequence of disobedience.Genesis 3:21-24So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.Proverbs 3:11-12My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.Disobedience leads to God’s discipline.Judges 2:2-3“You disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”Disobedience leads to exposure and vulnerability to temptation.1 Samuel 13:13-14“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”Disobedience leads to lost opportunities.Deuteronomy 2:14-15“Thirty-eight years passed from the time we first left Kadesh-barnea until we finally crossed the Zered Brook! By then, all the men old enough to fight in battle had died in the wilderness, as the Lord had vowed would happen. The Lord struck them down until they had all been eliminated from the community.”Deuteronomy 11:28“But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.”Deuteronomy 28:15“If you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you.”Disobedience leads to troubles of many kinds.Hosea 14:1Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down.Amos 7:9“The pagan shrines of your ancestors will be ruined, and the temples of Israel will be destroyed; I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to a sudden end.”By our disobedience, we may bring about our own downfall.Genesis 3:7-13At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”Isaiah 7:20In that day the Lord will hire a “razor” from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people.Jeremiah 34:17“Therefore, this is what the Lord says: Since you have not obeyed me by setting your countrymen free, I will set you free to be destroyed by war, disease, and famine. You will be an object of horror to all the nations of the earth.”Nahum 3:5“I am your enemy!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “And now I will lift your skirts and show all the earth your nakedness and shame.”Disobedience leads to humiliation, shame, and guilt.Leviticus 10:1-2Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. So fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord.1 Chronicles 13:10Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had laid his hand on the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God.Exodus 19:12“Mark off a boundary all around the mountain. Warn the people, ‘Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Anyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death.’”Disobedience can sometimes lead to death.

Question 5

How should we respond to areas of disobedience in our lives?

Accepted Answer

1 Samuel 13:12“So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”Ephesians 5:6Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.Any excuse for sin is never an appropriate response. When we try to excuse our sin, we have just made light of the glory of God, thus compounding our sin further.Psalm 51:1-4Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.1 John 1:9If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.Confession to God is always an appropriate response to areas of disobedience in our lives.Deuteronomy 10:12-13“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.”Romans 4:7Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.We are to joyfully accept God’s forgiveness, and then commit ourselves to obeying him.

Question 6

How can we be more obedient to God?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 119:2Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.John 14:15-16, 21-24“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. . . . Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” . . . “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me.”Hebrews 11:8It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.Commit to trusting God to guide your daily decisions, do what is best for you, and care for you as he promises. The more we trust God, the more we will want to obey him. Obedience is an act of faith.Hebrews 8:10“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”Commit to walking more closely with God. The closer we walk with God, the more we will want to obey him. Obedience is easier when it is an expression of love resulting from a personal relationship with God.Philippians 2:5-13You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. . . . Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.Commit to an attitude of humility, which gives us the proper perspective of who God really is and who we are. The more we understand who we are in relation to who God is, the more we will want to obey him. Obedience requires humility.Luke 6:49“But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”James 1:22-23, 25Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. . . . But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.Commit to not only listening to God (through prayer and reading the Bible), but acting upon what he tells you. The more we listen to God, the more we know what he wants and the more we will want to obey him. Obedience involves more than simply listening or knowing what is right or wrong.Deuteronomy 30:15-16“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.”Joshua 22:5“Be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”Commit yourself to make the little daily choices to serve God. Serving God with our lives begins with little decisions to serve him. The more we commit to serving God in the little things, the more we will want to obey him. Obedience is a life-long commitment to daily godly choices.