Best Christian Books on Obedience: 10 Classics to Read Free
The best short book on obedience is Andrew Murray's The School of Obedience. It is a set of addresses Murray gave to students in South Africa, and you can read it in about two hours. He shows how much the Bible makes of obedience, how Christ Himself learned it, and how a believer enters into it: not by gritting your teeth, but by daily time with Christ the Master and a heart given up to do whatever He says.
The old writers were careful here. Obedience doesn't save anyone. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. But faith that is real obeys, and they had no patience with a faith that stayed in the head. They taught that the Ten Commandments still show us what pleases God, that obedience must come from the heart and from love, and that it covers everything: the home, the workplace, the money, the tongue, and Christ's last command to take the gospel to the world.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15
Here are ten of the best books on obedience in TheWay Library, all free to read.
Start here
1. The School of Obedience, by Andrew Murray
Murray begins with obedience in Scripture, from Eden and Abraham to Christ, then turns to the obedience of Christ, who received the Father's will day by day. Chapter 5, on "the morning watch," is the practical center: the daily quiet time in which we take our orders. The last address is on obeying the Great Commission.
God did not reveal all His will to Christ at once, but day by day, according to the circumstances of the hour.
The School of Obedience, The Obedience of Christ
Obedience is the one certificate of Christian character.
The School of Obedience, Obedience: Its Place in Holy Scripture
See Who Was Andrew Murray? Read The School of Obedience.
2. Weighed and Wanting, by D. L. Moody
Moody's addresses on the Ten Commandments, framed by the handwriting on Belshazzar's wall: "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting." He takes each commandment and asks you to step on the scale. No one passes, and that is the point. The last chapter points to Christ, who blotted out the handwriting that was against us.
Whatever comes between my soul and my Maker is not a help to me, but a hindrance.
Weighed and Wanting, Second Commandment
See our guide to D. L. Moody's books. Read Weighed and Wanting.
3. Discipleship, by G. Campbell Morgan
A small, practical book on following Jesus. Morgan explains that becoming a disciple means coming under Christ's teaching and authority, then follows the disciple everywhere: at home, at business, at play, as a friend, in sorrow and joy. Good for new Christians.
The disciple of Jesus, recognizing his calling in life as of God, cannot possibly treat it carelessly or with any measure of indifference.
Discipleship, The Disciple at Business
See Who Was G. Campbell Morgan? Read Discipleship.
Obedience in the Bible
4. Notes on the Book of Deuteronomy, Volume I, by C. H. Mackintosh
Deuteronomy is Moses' farewell call to obey, and Mackintosh draws out its lessons on obedience from the heart, the authority of Scripture and guidance by waiting on God. His notes on chapters 5 and 6, the commandments and the Shema, are the heart of the volume.
A loving heart finds its very deepest joy in obeying all God's commandments; and nothing is of any value to God but what springs from a loving heart.
Notes on the Book of Deuteronomy, Volume I, Chapter V
See Who Was C. H. Mackintosh? Read Notes on Deuteronomy.
5. Samuel the Prophet, by F. B. Meyer
Meyer's study of Samuel is also the sad story of Saul, the king who obeyed God partly and lost everything. The chapters on Saul's failure, where Samuel says "to obey is better than sacrifice," are a sober warning about doing God's will halfway.
The man who is after God's heart is the man who will obey God to the letter, who will wait for God to the last moment…
Samuel the Prophet, The Cause of Saul's Downfall
6. The Book of Joshua, by William Garden Blaikie
Joshua is the book of a people who obeyed and took the land, and of one man, Achan, whose hidden disobedience brought defeat on everyone. Blaikie follows the story chapter by chapter and draws plain lessons for Christian life, starting with the command to be strong and courageous and to do all that is written.
All that is right is religious; all that is according to the will of God is spiritual.
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Joshua, The Distribution of the Land
See Who Was William Garden Blaikie? Read The Book of Joshua.
7. A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of James, by Thomas Manton
James is the New Testament letter on obedience: be doers of the word, not hearers only. Manton's Puritan commentary is very long, so use it a passage at a time. His pages on James 1:22-25 and on faith and works in chapter 2 are the place to begin.
That is good, when we hear things that are to be done, and do things that are to be heard.
A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of James, James 1
More Puritans are in our guide to the best Puritan books. Read Manton on James.
Obedience in practice
8. The Ideal Life, by Henry Drummond
Fifteen addresses published after Drummond's death. The closing series asks what God's will is and how to know it, and it is some of the most practical writing on guidance in the library. The address on ill-temper is a hard look at a sin most people excuse.
Or this is the will of God that you should gain holiness, for holiness is heaven.
The Ideal Life, The Relation of the Will of God to Sanctification
See Who Was Henry Drummond? Read The Ideal Life.
9. An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians, by William Carey
The short book that helped start the modern missionary movement. Carey asks whether Christ's command to teach all nations was only for the apostles. His answer is no: it still binds every Christian. He answers the excuses and calls the church to pray and to send.
I wish with all my heart, that every one who loves our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, would in some way or other engage in it.
An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians, Sect. V
See our guide to the best books on evangelism. Read Carey's Enquiry.
10. Morning Bells, by Frances Ridley Havergal
For children. Thirty-one short morning talks, each giving a child a text or motto to carry through the day: following the Holy Child Jesus, pleasing others, being His soldier. Good to read aloud at breakfast.
Oh, resist the devil, and do what you know is right, and trust God for all the rest!
Morning Bells, Twelfth Day
How to read these books
Start with Murray and read it slowly, one address a day. Then read Moody on the commandments, and let them search you before they comfort you. If you ever start to think obedience earns God's favor, go back to Moody's last chapter, on Christ who blotted out the handwriting against us. If you start to think it doesn't matter, read Meyer on Saul.
Obedience grows out of surrender. See our guide to the best Christian books on surrender, and for a whole life shaped by God's will, the best books on holiness. More of these authors are on their pages: Andrew Murray, D. L. Moody and F. B. Meyer.