My Pastor Says I'm Supposed to Obey the Scriptures. Is That True?
If you've spent much time in church, you've probably heard phrases like:
- "We just need to obey the Bible."
- "The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it."
- "God commands us to obey the Scriptures."
At first, that sounds obvious. But it's worth asking a deeper question. What exactly are we supposed to obey? That may sound strange at first, but it's one of the most important questions you can ask.
The Bible Isn't One Kind of Book
The Bible contains:
- stories
- poems
- songs
- laws
- letters
- prophecies
- wisdom literature
- biographies
- apocalyptic visions
We don't read all of those the same way. You don't "obey" Psalm 23. You don't obey the book of Ruth. You don't obey the genealogy in Matthew. You don't obey the book of Acts. Those books are doing something different, they're telling a story. They are teaching wisdom, recording history and revealing God's character. So before asking whether we should obey Scripture, we first have to ask:
What kind of writing am I reading?
Sometimes the Bible Is Describing...
...not prescribing.
One of the biggest mistakes Christians make is assuming that because something happened in the Bible. God expects us to do the same thing. The Bible records wars polygamy, lying, violence and human failure. Those stories are part of God's story. They are not necessarily examples for us to imitate.
The first question isn't, "How do I obey this?" It's, "Why did the biblical author include this?"
Jesus Didn't Simply Tell People to Obey More Rules
When Jesus summarized the Law, He didn't hand people a longer checklist. He summarized everything with two ideas. Love God. Love your neighbor. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus continually challenged people who knew the Scriptures but had missed the heart behind them. He wasn't lowering the standard. He was redirecting it.
The Goal Isn't Rule Keeping
One of the biggest assumptions many Christians inherit is that the Bible is primarily a rule book. The Bible certainly contains commands. But it is much more than that, it is God's story. As we understand God's character, purposes, and mission, we begin to see why those commands exist in the first place. The goal isn't simply external obedience. It's transformation. God isn't merely interested in changing our behavior. He is shaping our hearts, our thinking, and ultimately our character so that we become more like Jesus.
Read Before You Apply
Before asking, "How do I obey this?"
try asking:
- Who was this written to?
- Why was it written?
- Is this describing something that happened?
- Is this giving a command?
- Is this wisdom?
- Is this poetry?
- What does this reveal about God?
Only then are we ready to ask, "How should this shape the way I live?"
Following Jesus Is More Than Following Rules
The New Testament doesn't invite us simply to become better rule followers. It calls us to become disciples. Disciples learn grow, change, love, serve and forgive. Live in the way of Jesus. Obedience is certainly part of discipleship. But obedience divorced from understanding can quickly become legalism. Understanding without action can become empty knowledge. The goal is neither. The goal is to become more like Jesus.
So... Am I Supposed to Obey the Scriptures?
Yes...but not in the simplistic way the question is often asked. We're not called to flatten every page of the Bible into a list of commands. We're invited to understand God's story, listen carefully to what each author was communicating, and allow that story to shape the way we think, live, and follow Jesus.
That's very different from simply asking, "What rule do I obey?"
It's asking a much bigger question. "How is God inviting me to become more like Jesus?"
Resources: