Some Biblical principles about a Christian’s obedience to governing authorities

This essay is a brief synopsis of relevant passages of Scripture. It is not a diatribe against the government. It is to explore the boundaries between obedience to God vs. obedience to earthly authorities, and how we must love our neighbour.

In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus summed up all the law and prophets:

³⁶ “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”

³⁷ He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Matthew 22

No one questions that these are the greatest commands, but how this works in practice has been hotly debated by Christians for the last 2000 years. But from the above, we can deduce some basic principles.

Principle 1: No other Gods before me. We are to obey God, before man.

¹⁰ Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

Matthew 4

Serving God includes obedience to his commands. But part of serving God is submitting to those in authority over us. Whether it be our parents, teachers, pastors & elders, or the government. We’ll assume for the purposes of this essay that it is a lawfully appointed government, and we’re not in a country where different groups are claiming to be the government.

It should be axiomatic that God has put governments on Earth to do two key jobs, (a), ensuring that justice is seen (i.e., encouraging righteousness and punishing evil); and (b) ensuring that people are not exploited. The goal being that God’s people may serve Him unhindered in a myriad of skills and talents He gifts His people (1 Timothy 2:.1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12). Thus, the legitimate job of government is to advance God’s kingdom. But, God may choose to do this with righteous or unrighteous rulers and laws.

The Roman government was never particularly kind to Christians; their loyalty didn’t lie with the empire, and they did not believe that Caesar was god. Sometime after Paul, Christians were even burned alive for street lighting. But Paul wrote (Romans 13) that we obey and honour God by respecting the authorities he has placed on Earth.

Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. 2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgement on themselves. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. ⁴ For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. ⁵ Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience. ⁶ And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks. ⁷ Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honour to those you owe honour.

Romans 13

Some have used the above passage to cause Christians to support many evil acts from government, including, but not limited to murder, genocide, abortion, transgender and homosexual teachings, communism, etc. But it should be noted, Paul is describing a government that holds no terror for those who do right (v.3); he is not describing a government that brings terror for those who do do right. When we are in a context that we may be thrown in jail for speaking against abortion, or ungodly sexual practices, or in jail for preaching the gospel, or trying to save a person from child trafficking/pornography, etc, etc, this is not the government that Paul is describing.

1 Peter 2:13-20 echoes Paul’s sentiment of Romans 13; Governments are established by God for our good.

But what happens when the government is not good or only partly good? And who decides this?

The cleanest indication we have that disobedience to lawful authorities is in Acts. The apostles were quite direct, that they were to obey God’s commands even if it meant disobeying the ruling authorities commands. Acts 4:19 & 5:29 come to mind.

¹⁹ Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide;

Acts 4

²⁹ Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people.

Acts 5

While Paul wrote Romans 13 he submitted to punishments without complaint, but he didn’t go quietly: he resisted arrest and escaped a city-wide lockdown. (Acts 9:25; 2 Corinthians 11:33). 

There are many other notable cases of civil disobedience:

1. Midwives in Egypt disobeyed a command from Pharaoh to murder babies, and then lied to cover up their disobedience. God blessed the midwives. (Exodus 1)
2. David ate the showbread and gave some to his men, even though it was unlawful.
3. Peter associated with gentiles, even though it was unlawful for Jews.
4. Soldiers defended Jonothan when Saul ordered his son’s death.
5. Unlawful to heal on the Sabbath
6. Unlawful to “reap” on the Sabbath
7. Esther appeared before the King which was against the law
8. Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, despite the King’s law requiring him to do so.
9. The wise men heeded a dream and did not obey Herod’s request to tell him the location of the child.
10. Rahab committed treason and let spies escape
11. Jesus defending the woman caught in the act of adultery
12. Daniel not eating the King’s food
13. Shad Rad and Benny refusing to bow to the statue
14. Daniel not stopping to pray to God
15. Elijah/Elisha hid 300 prophets from Jezebel who ordered their deaths
16. Jesus’ refusal to answer questions on trial (Luke 23:9)
17. Jesus assaulted people twice (John 2:13-17)

There is not one example of ridicule of those in authority, no attempt to usurp lawful authority, or attempt at rebellion.

So clearly, there are two systems of laws (Matthew 22:21) that we are called to follow, and sometimes they are at war with each other. Interestingly, Jesus’ condemnations (Mark 7:9-13; Matthew 23:23) that the people taught the traditions of man (man’s laws) in place of the commandments of God, meant that they were due special condemnation. They set aside God’s commands, to keep man’s commands. Jesus goes further elsewhere and states that whoever teaches you to disregard even the least of God’s commands shall be least in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19). Thus if a command of man, expects us to put aside even the least of God’s commands, we ought to disobey the law.

In a representative democracy, the government is supposed to represent the will of the people, not their own preferences. Representative democracies are essentially our neighbours’ voices. We’re also signatories to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Nuremberg Code. In doing so, we have created three co-equal branches of the government, and have we put the laws we create to be assessed directly in line with the command to love thy neighbour? Meaning, that if it is not something we can biblically demand from our neighbour, is it lawful? Or as Paul puts it, the law is good, if it is used lawfully (1 Timothy 1:8). Some have argued that regardless of the mechanisms of elevation to office, God has put them there and they have the same authority as would any king of the Old Testament. The counter to that is that representative democracies were specifically created to reduce the power of those in authority – the authority was only to be exercised with the consent of the governed. The response to the extent we ought to submit to authorities may boil down to the question: is the government of Queensland the same as a king, from the same biblical perspective?

What does this mean? 

God’s commands and examples trump man’s laws and ordinances. Where they are at odds, we’re not to overthrow them or mount rebellion. That means we do not submit to laws and commands that are inconsistent with godly living, and we submit to those that are. We are respectful to those that God has put there and we are to pray for them.

David is probably the best example of this: he had been anointed as king, and yet he was not willing to remove the person God had placed there before him. Nevertheless, David did not submit all of Saul’s commands, nor did Saul’s servants, who frequently protected David from Saul.

In short, we honour and respect those in authority over us, we obey all the commands that are consistent with righteousness. We encourage others to do the same. We pray for those rulers. We do not seek their death or revenge, we do good to them. We bless and do not curse. We trust God who makes all things right in his time.

If we are persecuted for obeying God’s commands, it is a blessing to us (Matthew 5:10-16; 1 Peter 2:19-25). That means we submit to their punishments. Jesus submitted, even to death.

Principle 2: Love our neighbour as ourselves

¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.

1 John 3

¹⁶ He took up the case of the poor and needy;
then it went well.
Is this not what it means to know me?
This is the Lord’s declaration.

Jeremiah 22

¹¹ Rescue those being taken off to death,
and save those stumbling toward slaughter.
¹² If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”
won’t he who weighs hearts consider it?
Won’t he who protects your life know?
Won’t he repay a person according to his work?

Proverbs 24

‘Do unto others, as you would have them do to you’ (Matthew 7:12) is called ‘the golden rule’. It is frequently used by non-Christians, and even Christians at times, to set aside the commands of God; to be ‘nice’ to your neighbour; to not criticise their behaviour. This mindset is so common, that simply offering help or even asking if we can pray for someone is considered abusive, attracting fines and imprisonment.

It is clear from 1 John and from Jeremiah, that loving our neighbour includes providing and defending the cause of the needy and elsewhere in Scripture, to uphold the innocent.

To love my neighbour, we would not serve contaminated food to someone, we practice good hygiene, we get vaccinated – or so the arguments go. But surely there are constraints? Does loving your neighbour mean doing things that are only pleasing to them or at least, not offensive? What happens when we are to preach the Gospel, a rock of offence (1 Peter 2:8)? Clearly, we can talk about things that offend them, see the lives of the apostles and of Jesus (Matthew 15:12).

We are to defend & rescue the weak (Genesis 14:13-16; Psalm 82:4; Proverbs 24:11; Isaiah 1:17, 23; Jeremiah 22:16). That’s love. That may mean defending them against a government that seeks to do them harm. Christians took and hid Jews and Pols and many others, from the Nazis. Remember that it started with Nazis condemning the abhorrent sexual practices of the people, to then Jews wearing yellow stars, “For your safety”, then people were encouraged to report “unlawful” behaviour, and then Jews, Christians and others were being burned in mass ovens or gassed. At trial, the soldiers’ defence was that they were submitting to lawful authority. The prosecution simply asked, is there not a law above these laws? History is replete with governments that have done great harm to sections of their society, some overtly, some covertly (Matthew 2:7; 26:4; Acts 6:11; Mark 14:1). Governments have murdered, poisoned, disenfranchised, banished, experimented on, and many other awful things. We have not passed from history into utopia. Thus loving my neighbour must mean disobeying commands that harm them. History is also replete with whole populations that have supported the evil their governments have done. We must be watchful, because loving my neighbour means not seeking to prevent the government or businesses or other neighbours bring ungodly harm to them.

We often see civil disobedience to protect the weak against the government throughout scripture:

• Rahab and the Spies
• Jonothan spared from execution
• Paul escaping the city under lockdown
• Elijah hiding prophets from execution
• Midwives protecting babies
• Jesus defending the woman caught in the act of adultery

It is love to expose the lies and reveal the truth. A lying government or authority is abhorrent. Loving our neighbour means to expose and root out corruption and things that harm others (Ephesians 5:11 cf Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 3:1-6). We file petitions and appeals to lawful authorities, we make public announcements (as watchmen warning of danger), we actively intervene and protect; we are not silent and inactive.  James 4:17 – If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

We are to warn people of danger – to not do so, is not love, and God will hold us accountable. God had some stern words to Ezekiel:

The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, speak to your people and tell them, ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman. ³ And suppose he sees the sword coming against the land and blows his ram’s horn to warn the people. ⁴ Then, if anyone hears the sound of the ram’s horn but ignores the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his death will be his own fault. ⁵ Since he heard the sound of the ram’s horn but ignored the warning, his death is his own fault. If he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. ⁶ However, suppose the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn’t blow the ram’s horn, so that the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives. Then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’

⁷ “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warning from me. ⁸ If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked one, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. ⁹ But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn’t turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have rescued yourself.

Ezekiel 33

This is not limited to issues of salvation. The first part of the chapter deals with threats to the person’s life. Note carefully: it is God who brings the sword to attack the city, and yet the watchman is to warn the people. He cannot lie back and say, ‘God is in charge and doing this, I cannot fight God, he has ordained this.’ To not warn someone of danger, or to ignore the danger, is not love.

Are there any limits to loving my neighbour?

Well duh! as the saying goes.

In Ezekiel 33, the watchman was not obligated to help everyone load their wagon. If the people did not heed the trumpet call, it was on them, not the watchman.

God does not require harvesters to work and collect a portion of the field and give that to the poor; rather they were to allow the poor to collect fallen grain from the harvest. (Judges 8:2; Leviticus 19:10).

For that, I am not obligated to continually provide free food or clothing, but I am bound to make it as cheap as possible (Leviticus 25:35-37). 

Other clear, biblical limitations to loving your neighbour:

• Not covet your neighbour’s wife or commit adultery.
• I do not kill my child to feed yours (2 Kings 6:24-30; Deuteronomy 28:53-57)
• I don’t share my wife with you, no matter how hot or not she is.
• I will not act as guarantor (Proverbs 17:18; 6:1-5; 22:26-27)
• I do not squander my children’s inheritance (Numbers 27:7-11, 36:7; Joshua 14:9; Judges 11:2; 1 Kings 21:3; 1 Chronicles 22:8; Ezra 9:12; Jeremiah 17:4; Lamentations 5:2; Ezekiel 46:16-18; Proverbs 13:22)
• I do not take food from my childrens’ mouths and give to my neighbour (1 Timothy 5:8)
• I do not have a common purse.
• I do not join with them in doing evil.
• I have a right to self defense (Nehemiah 4:16-18; Exodus 22:2-3; Luke 22:35-39)
• I have a right to survive (Matthew 25:7-9; Psalm 144:1; 18:34)

I can practice hygiene, such as washing my hands, cleaning surfaces, quarantining when sick.

The above is just a small set of limitations about what it means to love my neighbour. Love thy neighbour as thyself is not an open-ended licence to demand anything that is beneficial.

Principle 3: Submission ≠ obedience

The greek word ‘Submit to’/’subject to’ is “hupo-tasso” in non-military use, it was “a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden”. It is used in Ephesians 5:22 to encourage husbands and wives to submit to one to another; it is used of Jesus toward his parents (Luke 2:51); It is used of the spirits of prophecy is subject to the prophets (1 Corinthians 14:32); and where we are told to submit one to another (Ephesians 5:21).

The greek “hupo-kouo” always refers to obedience, as in children are to obey their parents & slaves their masters; it is never used to describe a Christian’s relationship to the government.

Children are called to obey their parents; husbands and wives are called to submit one to another; Christians are called to submit to the government. There is a distinct difference.

Jesus had a very clear distinction:

• He told his disciples that when the Pharisees are sitting in the seat of Moses (i.e., reading from God’s law), they were to do all that they were commanded. BUT, they were not to do as they did (Matthew 23:1-15)
• His disciples were to beware the teachings of the Pharisees (Matthew 16:12)
• His disciples were to beware the leaven of Herod too (Mark 8:15)
• Jesus also rebuked authorities from teaching man’s “traditions” (which is known as common law) instead of God’s law. (Mark 7:1-13).
• He further criticised authorities for obeying some parts of the law, while ignoring weightier matters, like justice, mercy etc. (Matthew 23:4, 23)
• Jesus did not respond to Herod’s questions (Luke 23:9)
• Jesus paid the temple tax as demanded, where he hadn’t previously (Matthew 17:24-27)

We see that Jesus did not regard all laws or teachings or persons as requiring obedience. He remained in submission (Philipians 2:8) but was not obedient.

We see this exemplified in the lives of the disciples:

• They refused to stop proclaiming the gospel even when ordered to do so
• They escaped lockdowns
• When arrested, they accepted the punishments, whether it was jail, flogging, being sawn in two, thrown to the lions.

As a result we can disobey the government, while still being subject to it. The question we must all answer is where is that line?

If I use the word obey in the context of government, please understand that it means submission, not obedience.

Summary

There are two great commands and their interaction is full of apparent conflicts and challenges. We are to submit to government; but a government is supposed to be a terror to those who do wrong, not to those who do right. We are to love our neighbour through what we do and don’t do, but there are limits on what God expects us to do in obeying that command. However, there is much that we can do. Part of that includes making appeals to authorities to changes laws to reduce the burden on our neighbours, not to increase; it means warning our neighbours of dangers that are coming including where the government is deceitful.

Christians ought not be divided over these things and we are to bear with those who have weak conscience (1 Corinthians 8).