And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Gen 2:16-17
Obedience is, in a general or abstract sense, a readiness to carry out or perform the ordinances of another, i.e. to put the design of another into execution, and thereby satisfy the will of another person or persons. The word, then, signifies the capacity to hearken to any one’s advice, directions, or orders. In religion obedience must be animated by love.
“Obedience is the supreme test of faith in God and reverence for Him. It was the one important relationship which must not be broken. “Hath Yahweh as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Yahweh? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1Sa_15:22). It was the condition without which no right relation might be sustained to Yahweh. Thus it is seen that the test of fellowship with Yahweh in the Old Testament is obedience. The bond of union with Christ in the New Testament is obedience through faith, by which they become identified and the believer becomes a disciple. “
The close association of faith and obedience is manifested in several ways. Obedience is used as a synonym for conversion (Acts 5:32; 6:7; Rom 1:5; 15:18; 16:26; 1 Peter 1:22), and as a primary characteristic of believers (Rom 6:17; 16:19; 2 Cor 2:9; 7:15; Philem; 1 Peter 1:2); hence, believers are called “children of obedience” (1 Peter 1:14). When they are misled and cease to “obey [peíthœmai] the truth” (Gal 5:7), they require reproof and correction in order to avoid judgment (Rom 2:8).