CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE IN THE BIBLE

In this post we will be looking at Biblical meaning of disobedience, why disobedience is a Sin and the consequences of disobedience in the bible.

INTRODUCTION

Since the inception of this world, God has always punished disobedience to His word or commands which is why our first parents were not spared when they sinned. In fact, all the disobedience we naturally have against God is due to the fall of our first parents Adam and Eve who were the first to disobey God and suffered the consequences for that. The consequences of disobeying God can be seen throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament as we will see as we continue our discussion on this topic. So, if you are a disobedient person who disobeys God and does evil, you will face the consequences of your disobedience sooner or later. With that said, let’s look at the 5 major consequences of disobedience in the bible that come when you disobey God’s word or commandments.

What Is Disobedience? Biblical Definition.

The simple definition of disobedience is simply going against what God has commanded in His word or not obeying what God tells us to do. When we disobey God, we go against His commandments or the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ He taught when He was on earth in the New Testament. Disobedience is what makes us stubborn and rebellious against God and this is due to our fallen sinful nature we inherited from our first parents who first disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.

Why Is Disobedience A Sin?

Disobedience is a sin because it’s a transgression of God’s law, which is why 1 John 3:4 in the New Testament tells us that sin is the transgression of the law. Secondly, disobedience is a sin because it shows rebellion and is caused when you don’t trust God or do not want anything to do with Him. We are all disobedient by birth because of our first parents who fell in the Garden of Eden by eating the forbidden fruit, the first act of disobedient man committed against God. God views disobedience as sinful because it portrays Satan’s character and nature in your life from where disobedience and rebellion all started and came. You need to remember that God expects obedience from all His children to whatever He commands and if we love God, we will obey Him.

Five Consequences of Disobeying God’s Word

Below are the 5 major consequences of disobeying God’s word to remind you that disobedience to God is never a good idea and only attracts punishment and judgment.

1. Disobedience Brings God’s Punishment: One of the major consequences of disobeying God is that it attracts God’s punishment on an individual because God has promised in Leviticus 26:14 that disobedience will always be punished. The punishment that comes when you disobey God can clearly be seen in the Old Testament in the case of the children of Israel who were punished by God when they disobeyed Him as we see in Jeremiah 30:1-24. In the Old Testament, we can see that God sent various punishments in the form of pestilences, diseases, defeat by the enemy, affliction, etc. to the Israelites when they disobeyed God’s word.

• Disobedience Attracts God’s Judgment: The other consequence that comes when you disobey God is that you attract God’s judgment upon your life for being a rebellious and disobedient child. One thing you need to know is that disobedience always brings wrath and judgment upon a person’s life especially if that person continues to live in willful disobedience. As a proof of this, we can already see in the Old Testament in the case of the Israelites where God rained down many judgments on them because of disobeying Him as we see in 1 Chronicles 21:14 onwards.

• Disobedience Attracts God’s Wrath: In the New Testament, the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:18-32 that God’s anger or wrath is revealed against all forms of disobedience, ungodliness, unrighteousness, and the people who suppress the truth in their wickedness and disobedience. From the above verse, we can see that being disobedient to God’s word always attracts God’s anger on anyone who disobeys Him by continuing to be stubborn in sin. We can see this happen in the case of the children of Israel in Judges 2:20 where the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel for their disobedience, which caused God to deliver them to the hands of their enemies, the philistines. Kind David the psalmist further reminds us in Psalms 7:10-12 that God is angry with the wicked daily, especially those who live in willful disobedience to His word and commandments written in the bible.

• Disobedience Damns You in Hell: The bible tells us that all the disobedience will finally be cast into hell fire where they will spend the rest of their eternity if they don’t repent. We are told in Proverbs 11:21 that the disobedient and the wicked who join hands to do evil won’t go unpunished and that they will eventually have to reap the fruits of their disobedience in hell if they die in their rebellion. Jesus Christ warned in Matthews 13:41 that everything that offends will be finally be cast in the fiery furnace of hell where the disobedient will be weeping and gnashing of teeth along with the devil and his fallen angels.

• Disobedience Hinders God’s Blessings: Last but not least, disobedience hinders you from receiving God’s blessing in your life. Instead, the plagues and calamities God promised in Deuteronomy 28:15 to the Israelites will be upon them if they rebelled and will also be in their life if they live in willful disobedience. Remember, the Lord can’t bless you if you want to have nothing to do with obeying His Word, and what He promised in Deuteronomy 28: 13,14 won’t apply in your life if you live a life that doesn’t, please the Lord. This is why we see that when the children of Israel disobeyed the Lord, they stopped enjoying that favor and blessing God promised them if they remained obedient to His word, He commanded them to do.