When Not to Obey (7)

And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them,they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. Acts 5.40, 41

The limits of civil government
In this series we have looked at some of the godly men and women in Scripture who, for one reason or another, disobeyed the civil authorities and received the blessing of God. We’ve seen that the time can come, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, when it is necessary to stand up to the authority of civil government and refuse to obey. The Hebrew midwives, Daniel’s three friends, the Apostles, and our Lord Jesus Himself made it very clear that God is the believer’s final authority, and whenever government tries to take His place, government must be challenged, even, if necessary, by disobedience.

We could have looked at many more examples – Rahab, for instance, who deceived her rulers by hiding the Hebrew spies; Jonathan who scoffed at his father’s foolish order and ate some honey anyway; the prophet Elijah, who continually exasperated Ahab and his wicked queen; Esther, as she made bold to appear before the Persian king; the prophets as they stood up to corrupt kings and rulers; John the Baptist confronting Herod, Paul before the Jewish authorities, and even the Lord Jesus Himself, defying religious and civil authorities alike.

The point is simply for us to remember that the powers-that-be in this temporal realm are neither absolute nor final. They do not govern by divine right but by divine mandate. And they must not be allowed to usurp the place of God or threaten the progress of His Kingdom. At the end of the day believers must obey Christ and not allow government in any way to assume the place of God or King Jesus in our lives and ministries.

Presently in this country we’re not under much threat of this; however, if you listen carefully, you can hear the thunder rumbling just over the horizon. Government regulators are probing areas where they may thwart Christian conviction and replace Kingdom values and practices with secular priorities. The days may soon be at hand when Christians will have to determine that, for the sake of the Gospel and the honor of Christ, even our own government, which we love and would die for if need be, must be disobeyed.

Know the consequences
At the same time, we must bear in mind that, while civil governments are neither absolute nor final, they do wield power, which they can wield, if they choose to do so, against those who oppose their policies and mandates. Ask John the Baptist. Ask the Apostles. Ask the martyrs of the early Church. Ask the pioneers of the civil rights movement. Ask Jesus Himself.

So we need to prepare ourselves, and church leaders need to prepare their members, for the possibility of disobeying the civil magistrate when necessary – and only when necessary, when all other recourse has been exhausted, and only with respect to the particular issue of offense.

But we also need to prepare to suffer the consequences of how the powers-that-be may respond. Here we need a strong consensus among Christians from all sectors of the Body of Christ that we will stand together and stand by one another in working to ensure that government fulfills its mandate from the Lord to be a minister for good, even if it means we must disobey the government at times.
 

While there is time
The success of the civil rights movement in this country was largely dependent on the willingness of thousands of courageous men and women, many of them staunch followers of Jesus Christ, to go to jail. Civil rights leaders and those who joined them in the movement understood the consequences of civil disobedience, and they exhorted the members of their movement to take to the streets, face the police dogs and hoses, aid and encourage and assist one another, and if necessary, refuse to obey unjust laws – and they did.

It’s one thing to make up our minds that we will disobey unjust governments on issues where they cross the line and offend against the honor of God and the moral law. It’s another thing to be ready to submit to the consequences of resisting a civil power. Let us prayerfully consider and determine that we will be ready, should the time come, for both.

And, in the meantime, while there’s still time, let us work diligently and lawfully to guide and shape our good government to follow the ways of God and the moral law, so that we make civil disobedience unnecessary. Civil government can be a very good thing, but only if people who know the ways of goodness stay involved, remain vigilant, and demonstrate – both by their responsible involvement and their willingness to disobey – that they are determined to keep government under God, rather than the other way around.

For reflection
1.  Do you think it’s realistic to expect Christians to disobey civil government, given the kinds of consequences that might ensue? Why or why not?

2.  How serious a matter is it that Christians understand and, to whatever extent they can, participate in the workings of civil government? Why?

3.  How about you: Are you prepared to stand up against civil government when it abuses its power and stands in the place of God or the progress of His Kingdom? What might that require of you?

Next steps: Share what you’ve learned from this series with some Christian friends. Make copies of the PDF of this series and give it to some of your friends, urging them to read it through carefully.

T. M. Moore

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This week’s study, When Not to Obey, is part 5 of a 5-part series on a Biblical view of government and politics, and is available as a free download by clicking here. We cannot understand God’s view of government, or how to function in a political environment apart from faith in King Jesus and His rule. Order T. M.’s books The Kingship of Jesus  and The Ground for Christian Ethics to supplement our studies of God and government.

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