Civil Obedience is Necessary, but Limited
In the first part to this article series, I had touched on 3 of the 4 principles contained in Romans 13, in reference to our Christian ethic as it relates to the State and its governors. On this occasion we will touch on the fourth principle: civil obedience.
Romans 13 shows us that there are two reasons as to why we ought to submit to our authorities, even when they are unbelievers. The first is to avoid punishment; and the second, perhaps the most important, is for the sake of conscience. When a Christian understands that governors are authorities delegated by God, only in a different creational sphere (different to the family, the church, etc.), it is easy to submit to them; not simply to avoid punishment, but to glorify God who placed them as an authority; as Proverbs 8:15 affirms “By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just.”
Does this then mean that our civil obedience to the State should be blind and absolute? No. Civil obedience is limited because there are occasions in which disobeying the government brings glory to God, such as: when the State requires or obligates citizens to do that which God prohibits, or when it prohibits that which God commands. In those cases, disobedience is not just a possibility, but a Christian duty.
Consider some examples where this principle is found in Scripture:
- When the civil authorities prohibited the disciples from preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:18-19), their response was: to obey God before men. This principle was not established by them, instead we see this in all of Scripture.
- In Exodus we see Pharaoh passing a law for the midwives, requiring them to kill Hebrew baby boys, but they, out of fear of God, disobeyed (Exod. 1:17 and 20). In spite of disobeying their governing authority, God blessed them, and the people multiplied and were fortified greatly.
- 2 Chronicles 22 narrates for us that Queen Athaliah gave the order to exterminate the royal line of David, from where the Messiah would come. Jehosheba, daughter of the king, disobeyed, took one of the descendants of David’s line and hid him. When the boy was old enough, the priests conspired against the queen and he was coronated as the legitimate king. It was a political insurrection, but God blessed this action because it restored just order.
- When Nebuchadnezzar obligated the people to bow down in worship before an erected statue, the only ones who disobeyed were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and God blessed them and they prospered.
- The case of Esther, who, when she found out that there was a law to exterminate her people, decided to approach the king, even though it was against the law and put at risk her own life.
- In the New Testament we see the murder of Christian martyrs for political reasons, since from the perspective of the Roman Empire they were in disobedience to the State and in “heresy” for not worshiping either Caesar or the gods of the Empire, given that they solely worshiped Jesus as the only God and Lord.
We have other cases in recent history, such as: the church’s defiance of Hitler’s Nazism, as well as of Europe’s communism and socialism. Theologians like Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, for example, are considered by the German government as resistance heroes against Nazism.
When South Korea was suffering the Japanese invasion, reformed Christians fought for their freedom and emancipation, and they succeeded. Many pastors died as a result of resisting the injustices that the Japanese imposed on them.
Under what Contemporary Circumstances might Civil Resistance to Government be Necessary?
Civil resistance is a necessity when the government loses its legitimacy in the eyes of God. Such as when it no longer serves God’s purposes, His righteousness, and His commands according to the creational order; and when rulers legally demand or impose what God forbids, or forbids what God commands. For example:
- If the Government were to promote genocide, the murder of children born or unborn (abortion), we should resist and fight strictly by legal and formal means – because the church does not hold the sword of justice (that pertains solely to the State), it holds the gospel.
- If instead of protecting private property the state appropriates it, civil disobedience is necessary, since it is against the precepts of God. Here I mention some examples given to us by the Bible: When King Ahab confiscated Naboth’s property, God cursed him. Of the 10 commandments, two protect private property, in the sense of not appropriating what the other has: wife, land, livestock, etc. When God told the Hebrews not to choose a king like the other nations, He warned them in 1 Samuel 8:18 that this king would take their properties: like taking their sons to the army; taking their horses; confiscating their lands and overwhelming them with taxes.
- The expropriation of private property is not a matter for government. God is the one who prospers you as He so wills, and the state is there to protect what God gives you, not to take it away from people. For this reason, socialist, authoritarian, or totalitarian systems such as communism and Nazism have proven to be amongst the worst before the face of God in this regard, for in the name of “equality” they deprive everyone of their freedoms, taking complete ownership of their lives. An example of this is the more than 100 million people murdered between the two systems because of their ideals.
“Equality” is not equal to “equity”. The government must seek equity not equality, because if in the name of equality the state is going to take away from one to give unto others, it is unfair and unjust, because it is taking away from what God has given. Jesus never fought for equality, but for the gospel. Even in heaven we will not receive equal reward!
- If the government gets in the way of the progress of the gospel and promotes or supports other religions from the executive or legislative body, it becomes illegitimate.
- When a state uses the Bible to promote its ideology, it is also illegitimate. This was the sin of King Uzziah when he entered the temple and assumed the authority to administer the sacrifices, which belonged to the priests. He was stricken with leprosy and died.
In summary, when a government ceases to be a legitimate authority on God’s part, because it serves not the purposes of God but those of its parties – whether of the majority or of Satan – it is no longer worthy of respect or civil honour, and must be legitimately confronted by the Christian church.