It is possible to obey God all the time

Many Christians will plainly deny the possibility of actually obeying God at all times and in all places. They dismiss the Lord’s ability to obey the Father at all times as being a function of his godhood, but there are others who also obeyed him at all times. We read that Noah “was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God,” (Genesis 6:9) that “Asa’s heart was perfect with the Lord all his days,” (1 Kings 15:14) and that “there was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” (Job 1:1) The Psalmist wrote:

22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. (Psalms 119)

If these people obeyed God at all times, why can’t you? You may be tempted to dismiss these and other examples of people who managed to stop sinning by claiming that they could only do so because they were exceptional, and that it was easier for them than it would be for you. You would be wrong on both counts. Even the most righteous people have to overcome the same struggles we all face.¹ The Lord himself was “...in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

What makes a person exceptional is not what they begin with, but how much they are willing to receive from God through submission to him. Submission to God isn’t a question of the greatness of the one who does it, but recognition of the greatness of God. You would not have heard of any of the aforementioned people if it weren’t for their submission to God. It is your realization of your nothingness that enables you to receive more from God, not the presence of your greatness. When Jeremiah was overwhelmed by what God asked him to do, the Lord reassured him by pointing out that all he had to do was do what he was told.² Obedience to God does not require exceptional strength or virtue, just a willing heart and all the strength and virtue you currently possess. A willing heart is a choice with a willing mind³—a choice we already have every reason to make.

Modern Christians treat obedience to God as requiring some mythical level of sacrifice. The truth is that any sacrifice we could make pales in comparison to the sacrifice that God has already made —not just in the life and death of Jesus Christ, but in the continued gift he gives of our lives and every good thing within them.⁴ All good things we have, will have, and could have come from God. Every person already has every sufficient reason to willingly and gratefully sacrifice all things—up to and including their very lives—in order to obey God.⁵

It is fully within your ability to permanently and completely forsake sin. God has promised that we will never be commanded beyond our capacity to obey.⁶ You have the power to overcome any temptation you face.⁷ You have the power not to sin.⁸ The test of mortality is whether you will begin to obey God all of the time or not.⁹