Obedience is divided into five overall sections. The first two are preliminary introductions: the first introduces Tyndale's central concept of experiencing God through the reading of scripture; the second discusses the church's disobedience (of God) in teaching ecclesiastical law rather than scripture. The book proper contains three overall topics: God's laws of obedience, how one should obey and rule in life (addressed to all of English society), and a discussion on the literal interpretation of scripture. Throughout the text, Tyndale also discusses the intrusion into daily life, on both local and national levels by the church and, especially, the Pope, and how the church actively distorts scripture to fulfill its own needs.
