Bible Verses About Abiding By The Law

Dear friends, obeying the law and submitting to governing authorities is an important theme in the Bible. God has established law and order for our good, though no human system is perfect.

We see in Scripture that Jesus and the apostles lived peacefully under Roman rule. Though they faced persecution at times, they taught respect for laws and paid taxes. Jesus said “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

The apostle Paul wrote extensively about obeying rulers. He said “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” We are to obey laws both for God’s sake and to keep a clear conscience.

Of course, if laws violate God’s higher moral law, we must obey God rather than human authorities. The apostles preached the gospel though it was illegal. Daniel continued praying to God against the king’s decree. However, these were exceptions – in general, Scripture teaches us to be good citizens.

In everyday life this means not cheating on taxes, not speeding or stealing, not deceiving others, and living quietly and peacefully. We represent Christ through upright behavior. Ultimately our citizenship is in heaven, but while on earth we honor Christ by respecting earthly laws and authorities.

Dear friends, now let’s look at some Bible scriptures below that talk about “Abiding By The Law”.

Respecting Authority and Governance

Romans 13:1
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God”

Titus 3:1
“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work”

1 Peter 2:13-14
“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well”

Romans 13:5
“Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake”

Proverbs 29:2
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn”

Acts 5:29
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men”

Upholding Justice and Fairness

Leviticus 19:15
“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour”

Proverbs 21:15
“It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity”

Isaiah 1:17
“Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow”

Micah 6:8
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Proverbs 28:5
“Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all things”

Jeremiah 22:3
“Thus saith the Lord ; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place”

Following God’s Commandments

John 14:15
“If ye love me, keep my commandments”

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

Deuteronomy 5:33
“Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess”

Joshua 22:5
“But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul”

Psalm 119:4-5
“Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes”

Matthew 19:17
“And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments”

Paying Taxes and Dues

Matthew 22:21
“They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s”

Romans 13:7
“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour”

Mark 12:17
“And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him”

Luke 20:25
“And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s”

Proverbs 3:27
“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it”

Exodus 30:13
“This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord”

Seeking Righteousness

Matthew 5:6
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled”

Proverbs 21:3
“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice”

Hosea 10:12
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord , till he come and rain righteousness upon you”

Amos 5:24
“But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream”

Proverbs 15:9
“The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord : but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness”

Zephaniah 2:3
“Seek ye the Lord , all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord ‘s anger”

Being Loyal to One’s Country

Jeremiah 29:7
“And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace”

1 Timothy 2:1-2
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”

Psalm 137:5-6
“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy”

Acts 17:26-27
“And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us”

Daniel 9:4-6
“And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land”

Genesis 41:46
“And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt”

Living Peaceably Within Society

Romans 12:18
“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men”

Hebrews 12:14
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”

1 Peter 3:11
“Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it”

Psalm 34:14
“Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it”

Proverbs 16:7
“When a man’s ways please the Lord , he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him”

James 3:18
“And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace”