Christian Obedience

Does God expect us to blindly obey Him?

Photo by Davide Cantelli on Unsplash

Today I was discussing Christian obedience with a friend. He was having a hard time with the concept. He told me that the thought of blindly obeying anyone, even God, makes him want to rebel. Yet his pastor kept emphasizing that the Bible tells us we must obey.

I told him I understood how he felt.

I pointed out to him that God created us with intelligence and a craving for freedom and independence. If God wanted obedient robots, surely He could have done that. But He didn’t. Instead, He gave us minds.

It’s not wrong to use what God gave us.

I pointed out that in the Bible God often compares Himself to our father. Do good fathers expect blind obedience from their children? How would blind obedience prepare the children for going out into the world?

Children who are blindly trained to be obedient to authority are not independent thinkers. Instead they are vulnerable to any power hungry demagogue.

I could not imagine a loving God wanting His children to manifest these characteristics.

I told my friend, “Instead of focusing on obedience, why not focus your attention on Jesus, on strengthening your relationship with Him? As you grow closer to Him, you will be more…