The Holy Bible is clear that Christians
should respect and obey the government and its officials:
“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. Therefore
whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who
resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct,
but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what
is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for
your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in
vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on
the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid
God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you
also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this
very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are
owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor
to whom honor is owed.” (Romans 13:1-7 ESV)
“Be
subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to
the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish
those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will
of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish
people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up
for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the
brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1Peter 2:13-17 ESV)
Remember that the Roman
emperors Caligula, Claudius, and Nero were all contemporary to the Apostles
Peter and Paul. They were all vicious
dictators who persecuted Christians brutally. Yet, Paul tells us that we
should pray for those in authority.
“First
of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high
positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in
every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our
Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given
at the proper time.” (1Timothy 2:1-6 ESV)
When the government or other
human authority requires us to disobey God, however, the Bible teaches us that
we are to disobey the government. Peter and the
apostles with him told the Jewish ruling council, “We must obey God rather than
men.” It is binding on Christians today,
as much as it was then.
The example of the Apostles
was one of civil disobedience – not violent rebellion. That should guide our conduct if we are
required to disobey the governing authorities.
“Now
many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the
apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the
rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more
than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and
women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid
them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on
some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem,
bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all
healed.
“But
the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the
Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put
them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord
opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ‘Go and stand in
the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.’ And when
they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
“Now
when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together
the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to
have them brought. But when the officers came, they did not find them in
the prison, so they returned and reported, ‘We found the prison securely
locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found
no one inside.’ Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests
heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this
would come to. And someone came and told them, ‘Look! The men whom you
put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.’ Then
the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they
were afraid of being stoned by the people.
“And
when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high
priest questioned them, saying, ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in
this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you
intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.’ But Peter and the apostles
answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers
raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him
at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and
forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the
Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.’
“When
they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a
Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by
all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little
while. And he said to them, ‘Men of Israel, take care what you are about
to do with these men. For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to
be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was
killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After
him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of
the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were
scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men
and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will
fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You
might even be found opposing God!’ So they took his advice, and when they
had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the
name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the
council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the
name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not
cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.” (Acts 5:12-42 ESV)
President Abraham Lincoln believed
that our American system of government is government by the people, and it exists
for the people. Our government exists to
serve the people.
In recent years, however,
many of our people have been misled to believe that a Socialist society would be
more equitable. However, in a Socialist
system the people exist to serve the government. We all must sacrifice “for the good of the
collective.” That is why they continually try to force people of faith to
violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.
They want to force people of faith, and others who oppose them to conform.
Their goal, then, is to have governmental
authority surpass the authority of God’s word.
We should not develop a “martyr
complex,” or seek out reasons to oppose the authorities. However, if it is
forced upon us we must stand strong for God.
Like the Apostles, we will
be punished for disobeying the government and other human authority. Jesus said that this should be an occasion
for rejoicing, and He promised us a heavenly reward. (Matthew 5:11) Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would sustain
us if we are persecuted:
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves,
so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they
will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you
will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before
them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how
you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given
to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your
Father speaking through you.” (Matthew
10:16-20 ESV)
