John 7.24; Acts 14.23; Titus 1.5

Parents, prophets, and rulers: these are the primary authorities God has established to bring order and blessing to the community of His people. Just as we should not curse our parents or revile those who, as God’s spokesmen, bring us His Word, so we should not curse or revile our rulers. They may not be the best rulers, and they may even be wicked at times; still, we must guard our tongues in speaking about them, as Paul showed (Acts 23.1-5).

When we speak ill of our rulers the danger is that we will demean the office and, hence, contribute to the undermining of God’s ordained order. There are proper ways of speaking about the decisions, actions, or character of rulers, and we must do so as often as is necessary, for this, too, protects the integrity of the divinely-appointed office. However, we must be careful in all our criticisms that we not condemn or curse those whom God has appointed to rule. Wicked rulers must not be obeyed, but not even they may be made subject to our cursing and reviling. If we must disobey a wicked ruler, we must do so honorably, as the Lord Jesus and the apostles, following the prophets, demonstrated.

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.