Why Obedience to God?

So, a common theme in many religions is obedience to the will of God

For instance the word "Islam" translates into "submission to the will of God"

And if you look at the bible (both the NT and the Hebrew Scriptures) it is clear that God wants to be obeyed

But why?

What does he get out of it?

Or does he insist that we obey him because he knows what's truly best for us?

Or is it all just made up by humans, as a kind of social mind-control?

Eddi said:

What does he get out of it?

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Maybe God wants people to be less impulsive and more restrained? If so, God gets people who are more thoughtful? Mindful? Respectful?

Eddi said:

So, a common theme in many religions is obedience to the will of God

For instance the word "Islam" translates into "submission to the will of God"

And if you look at the bible (both the NT and the Hebrew Scriptures) it is clear that God wants to be obeyed

But why?

What does he get out of it?

Or does he insist that we obey him because he knows what's truly best for us?

Or is it all just made up by humans, as a kind of social mind-control?

Click to expand...

This:
obey him because he knows what's truly best for us?

If an expert doctor gives advice from her medical knowledge, would you not want to follow it?

If a dear friend who knows you through and through offers suggestions based on his knowledge and compassion, would you not want to take it seriously?

If manifest and unmanifest Divinity speaks to your heart based on the law of love, would you not want to pay heed?

For all of these are manifestations of concern and care for you in one form or another.

Well... my hunch is that you can't be disobedient to God. You can view "what ifs", very unpleasant. "Lead us not into temptation..."

Eddi said:

What does he get out of it?

Or does he insist that we obey him because he knows what's truly best for us?

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So far the counsel of the bible has never failed me. In fact if I had started listening to what I believe to be God's word earlier, it would have saved me a lot headaches.
If God loves humans the way I think he does, when we obey Him that makes Him happy because it's a sign of trust and respect, and since He knows what we need, obeying God translates in personal gain for us as individuals.

Eddi said:

Or is it all just made up by humans, as a kind of social mind-control?

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Unfortunately, some religions might use it that way.

Vee said:

So far the counsel of the bible has never failed me. In fact if I had started listening to what I believe to be God's word earlier, it would have saved me a lot headaches.

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As long as you don't heed its advices on selective breeding, medecine, military strategies, sexual relationship or children's education you should be fairly good.

Eddi said:

...And if you look at the bible (both the NT and the Hebrew Scriptures) it is clear that God wants to be obeyed

But why?...

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In Bible, God’s law, or will is basically in love God and love your neighbor.

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Mat. 22:37-39

And love God means to person obeys God’s commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.
1 John 5:3

And all other commandments are basically in the “love your neighbor as yourself”.

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not give false testimony," "You shall not covet," [TR adds "You shall not give false testimony,"] and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love doesn't harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:8-10

So, everything is really about loving your neighbor as yourself, because the first commandment directs person to do so. And because it all is about how you treat people that you are in contact with, I think it is not really about God, but about that people would not do anything evil to others. Why God wants so you may ask and my answer to that is, because God loves us. And love means that person cares without conditions.

Eddi said:

Or is it all just made up by humans, as a kind of social mind-control?

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Bingo.

No matter how you define your god, his priest benefits more from your obedience then the god.

dybmh said:

Maybe God wants people to be less impulsive and more restrained?

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Less impulsive and more restrained than he designed us to be in the first place?

sun rise said:

If an expert doctor gives advice from her medical knowledge, would you not want to follow it?

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Would an expert doctor ask me to obey? Or would she advise me to get a second opinion?

If a dear friend who knows you through and through offers suggestions based on his knowledge and compassion, would you not want to take it seriously?

Click to expand...

Would my dear friend ask me to obey? Or would she advise me to get a second opinion?

If manifest and unmanifest Divinity speaks to your heart based on the law of love, would you not want to pay heed?

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Would manifest or unmanifest Divinity ... - who am I kidding? Of course s/he/it would be the bully and authoritarian.

9-10ths_Penguin said:

Less impulsive and more restrained than he designed us to be in the first place?

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yeah.

Eddi said:

So, a common theme in many religions is obedience to the will of God

For instance the word "Islam" translates into "submission to the will of God"

And if you look at the bible (both the NT and the Hebrew Scriptures) it is clear that God wants to be obeyed

But why?

What does he get out of it?

Or does he insist that we obey him because he knows what's truly best for us?

Or is it all just made up by humans, as a kind of social mind-control?

Click to expand...

I think those 'obedience' concepts were more acceptable to people of an earlier age but not so much so with advanced modern thinking people. I think that is why in this day we are seeing a decline in traditional Abrahamic religions in modern thinking countries. This decline has produced more of a 'spiritual but not traditionally religious' thinking. In this more modernly palatable view 'love of others' and not 'obedience' becomes the central concept.

Eddi said:

So, a common theme in many religions is obedience to the will of God

For instance the word "Islam" translates into "submission to the will of God"

And if you look at the bible (both the NT and the Hebrew Scriptures) it is clear that God wants to be obeyed

But why?

What does he get out of it?

Or does he insist that we obey him because he knows what's truly best for us?

Or is it all just made up by humans, as a kind of social mind-control?

Click to expand...

I would say yes to this... Or does he insist that we obey him because he knows what's truly best for us?
I'll also add, it is because it allows for everything to work harmoniously for good.
Think of a school. The headmaster wants all to obey the rules because it makes for a good school reputation, and function.
Similarly a harmonious universal family makes for a good reputation and function.

Eddi said:

So, a common theme in many religions is obedience to the will of God

For instance the word "Islam" translates into "submission to the will of God"

And if you look at the bible (both the NT and the Hebrew Scriptures) it is clear that God wants to be obeyed

But why?

What does he get out of it?

Or does he insist that we obey him because he knows what's truly best for us?

Or is it all just made up by humans, as a kind of social mind-control?

Click to expand...

I think the questions would have different context if you spoke of god not as a person but as an idea. Instead of "what does he get out of it?" maybe more "What is the reason behind X teaching 'about' god's laws?"

Instead of "he insist we obey him" which makes him a being, entity, or person dictating things and laws apart or not dependent as a ghost in the sky. Maybe more "what is best for me 'according to' what's written by scripture."

When you change god from being a person who can do and think and punish or so have you and make "god's voice" based on your experiences, you can say instead.... according to my experiences, I'm called to obey. According to my experiences, I want to or called to be submissive to god (not because he verbally said so). According to my experiences in god, I know what's best for me.

It makes god into an experience-something that keeps you going and something you tap into (say christians say about love and grace) not a person/entity/being/a god that can dictate what you do/say/feel. THAT is what makes people loose their faith, confuse, ask questions, and so forth. It's how people teach the bible more so than going by the experiences (say the holy spirit) in which god's "voice" talks through and by.

These are my thoughts about it. As for belief, that's a totally different matter.

Eddi said:

So, a common theme in many religions is obedience to the will of God

For instance the word "Islam" translates into "submission to the will of God"

And if you look at the bible (both the NT and the Hebrew Scriptures) it is clear that God wants to be obeyed

But why?

What does he get out of it?

Or does he insist that we obey him because he knows what's truly best for us?

Or is it all just made up by humans, as a kind of social mind-control?

Click to expand...

Because he knows what's truly best for us. When people sin it's really self destructive. If you understand that everything is basically rendered by a kind of programming code called the Word of God then going against the Word of God has ... consequences. Basically, it's self destruction. You're essentially unravelling yourself. Undoing creation.

The ancients believed God created everything from a primordial sea called different things in different cultures (the Sumerians called it the abzu) but basically what this sea is in my opinion ... is it's everything that can exist all mixed together. So nothing can really exist in that sea because it's chaos. So for God to make anything that made sense he needed to separate between things. Bring order to chaos. This is where the Word of God came in. God is pictured as calling for things to come out of the sea and appear. This calling forth was the Word of God. The Word of God gives order or structure to the universe. The point is that without the Word of God everything returns to chaotic form from whence it came. This is why sin is so destructive.

Eventually God will correct all the errors and return everything to being in line with the Word so that creation will be perfect again. This is the new heaven and earth the Bible speaks of.

Jesus came "The Word made flesh" to restore all things to the Father. How Jesus is able to accomplish this is by the resurrection. If Jesus dies once and rises from the dead immortal, perfect and holy then he becomes the foundation for a new creation that is perfectly in line with the Word of God; which He literally is. So whatever is constructed by the pattern of Jesus Christ is part of the new creation and that's how Jesus reconciles all things to the Father. Basically Jesus is the new source code or the "new covenant" mentioned in scripture. By being one with Jesus we are also aligning ourselves with that new creation which is perfect in the eyes of God.

Eddi said:

So, a common theme in many religions is obedience to the will of God

For instance the word "Islam" translates into "submission to the will of God"

And if you look at the bible (both the NT and the Hebrew Scriptures) it is clear that God wants to be obeyed

But why?

What does he get out of it?

Or does he insist that we obey him because he knows what's truly best for us?

Or is it all just made up by humans, as a kind of social mind-control?

Click to expand...

These questions baffle me. There are just certain things that kind of go along with my understanding that God exists. Like, if there is a God, he knows what is best for us. If there is a God, he by nature is worthy of my obedience.

IndigoChild5559 said:

These questions baffle me. There are just certain things that kind of go along with my understanding that God exists. Like, if there is a God, he knows what is best for us. If there is a God, he by nature is worthy of my obedience.

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But it's this approach of yours that baffles me, though:

- if we're talking about a God that designed and created the universe, then we're talking about the God that set us on the course we're already on.

- if we're talking about a God that designed and set the natural laws of the universe, then we're talking about a God that's already limited what we can do in all sorts of ways.

... so the idea of having to deliberately "obey God" doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Supposedly, God had every opportunity to set things up so that we just obeyed God as a matter of course, or that disobeying God would be as physically impossible as falling upward.

For us to need to "obey God" as deliberate act, a lot of things would have had to happen that all would suggest that obedience isn't really a high priority for God.

It also suggests that God's creation - and therefore also God's ability as a creator - is imperfect. If we need to make a conscious effort to obey God, then this implies that God was unable to fully express his will in his finished product.

9-10ths_Penguin said:

- if we're talking about a God that designed and set the natural laws of the universe, then we're talking about a God that's already limited what we can do in all sorts of ways.

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Clearly there are no limits on obeying him.