Whose Will has Preeminence?
When the will of the government collides with the will of God, whose do you follow? More than likely, most people’s initial response to this question would be, “I would follow God’s.” This may seem like a straightforward question, but it can be a little murky in light of what Scripture says about being subject to governing authorities.
Romans 13:1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God (NASB, read verses 2-9).
Obviously, part of obedience to God is to be obedient to the authority He places over us. If a person will not submit to those whom He places in authority, he is not in full obedience to God. We are not to obey just any authority; rather, it is the those put in place by God. The Church at Macedonia gave an example of this principle.
2 Corinthians 8:5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
Before submitting to Paul and those with him, they first submitted to the Lord, and then by His will, they submitted to theirs. Here’s a simplistic example: if you live in one nation, you are not subject to the laws of another; unless of course, you visit that nation. Similarly, if the Lord leads us to a church, we are to be submissive to its authority.
Sometimes laws and directives may seem innocuous; however, they may actually be in conflict with the Word of God. This is where things might cause some confusion. On one hand, we read, Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well (1 Peter 13-14). This includes paying taxes (see Romans 13:7) -sorry!
On the other hand, what happens when the Word of God opposes a law or an ordinance placed by the governing authority? We’ve seen this play out in history over the years. It may cause conflict for some. We want to submit to governing authorities, out of obedience to God, so it might feel disobedient to resist or outright disobey the law or ordinance. Some might be blatantly clear that we cannot follow them. Others might not be so obvious, because they appear harmless.
Unfortunately, some Christians have actually endorsed things deemed “lawful” that are in direct violation of the Word of God. Sure, maybe they do not directly involve themselves with such practices; nonetheless, they support those who do. In some cases, they are not clearly thinking about the narrative behind the justification of the practice. Several, go along to get along. Some things sound good, until you actually critically think about them. Why would anyone endorse something that actually is detrimental to the practitioner, especially when there could be eternal consequences?
Lawful Civil Disobedience
The idea of resisting authority can be unsettling for some, and quite enticing for others -rascals (just kidding). The first place to start is asking God for wisdom and direction. We can ill afford to lean on our own understanding. One may need to ask for courage and boldness, because occasionally there is a price to be paid for civil disobedience (see Acts 4:1-37).
It is a good idea to see if there are examples in the Bible pertaining to our actions. Of course, Holy Spirit may lead us to take courses of action that do not have specific examples in the Bible; nonetheless, they will not contradict biblical principles. Let’s look at one illustration: Peter and John before the religious leaders of their time (see Acts 4:1-37).
During this confrontation, the religious authorities commanded them not to speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). It might behoove us to take to heart how they responded.
Acts 4:19-20 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
The bottom line is simple: do and say what the Lord commands, in spite of what governing authorities might say. For us, civil disobedience is obedience to God, even when it goes against the laws and edicts of the land, regardless of the consequences. We are not rebellious in nature; quite the contrary, we are obedient. Obedience occasionally causes conflict.
