Christian Civil Disobedience
A Biblical
Perspective
By:
Steven R. Cook
Table of Contents
i.
Introduction…………………………………………………………
ii.
A
Biblical Definition of Submission………………………………..
iii.
The Need
for Authority……………………………………………..
iv.
Two
Spheres of Authority for the Believer…………………………
v.
Biblical
Examples of Legitimate Civil Disobedience………………
vi. Historical Examples of Christian Civil Disobedience and Resultant
Consequences……………………………………………………….
vii.
The Same Rule of Faith Applies
Today……………………………
viii. The Authority of the Believer…………………..…………………..
ix. Conclusion………………………………………………………….
x. Bibliography………………………………………………………..
Introduction
According to Scripture, there are two groups of persons in the world at any given time; the saved and the lost. That any person would come to Christ by means of faith in His finished work on the cross is in itself a miracle demanding applause from both heaven and earth. That every person should come to Christ is the desire of God; however, the reality from both Scripture and experience is that most will be lost. Because believers live in a world where the majority of those they encounter are not saved, and those unbelievers follow another master, there will always pervade an authoritative tension which pulls from two antithetical directions. That tension is the result of two systems of authority: one from God which speaks to all Christians, and whose final word is the Bible; the other is from Satan, who speaks to everyone who has rejected Christ and the Bible and whose final word is arbitrary.
Before anything else in life, a believer is to take the name Christian. Before being a spouse, he is a Christian. Before being an employee on the job, he is a Christian. Before being a citizen of his country, he is a Christian. Being a Christian means placing God and His directive will above all else. When a person believes in Christ, that person enters into the family of God and thus comes under the authority of God. To the Christian, there is no greater authority than that which God commands through His written Word and there is never a time when a believer can reject that authority and be justified in doing so.
Human systems of authority are found everywhere one turns, whether considering parents over children, husband over wife, boss over employee, Judge over criminal, Pastor over congregant, politician over citizen or any other area one might think of. God stands behind and supports human institutions of government because they produce freedom with stability. However, because human forms of government are comprised of both the saved and lost, there will arise occasions where the laws of a governmental system will contradict the absolute laws of God. When such a situation occurs, a decision must be made as to who is Lord of one’s life: God, or man?
Throughout
this paper the following issues will be addressed:
·
A biblical definition of submission
will be covered, since submission is what authority demands.
·
The need for governmental authority will be addressed.
·
Two spheres of authority addressing the question of ultimate
submission will be covered.
·
Both biblical and historical examples of civil disobedience will
be considered.
·
The consequences of defiance to civil authority will be presented.
·
Finally, the understanding that the same rule of faith applies to
believers today.
A Biblical Definition of
Submission
The
word submission comes from the Koine Greek upotassw (hupotasso) and was first used as a military term meaning
to rank under. The word means “to be
obedient”(1).
In relation to God, Submission is
the believer submitting himself to God’s divine authority. In relation to man, Submission is one
person subjecting himself to the divinely delegated authority of another. The relationship between authority and its
subordinates will be observed in the following verses (2).
The word hupotasso is used of
believers submitting to God:
Furthermore,
we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not
much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? Hebrews 12:9
Submit therefore to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7
Submission
to God is for the purpose of recognizing His authority over us as
believers. When we submit we will be
found living an obedient life as we follow the commands of His written
Word.
Hupotasso
is used of the believer being in submission to governmental authority:
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God,
and those that exist are established by God. Therefore it is necessary to be in
subjection, not
only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. Romans 13:1, 5
Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for
every good deed. Titus 3:1
Submit yourselves for the
Lord’s sake to every institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or
to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of
those who do right. I Peter 2:13-14
These verses speak directly to the topic of submission to governmental authority. To a believer, there exist clear commands to obey those given charge over him by God. Paul wrote the above Titus passage while in prison under the reign of Nero, who was a malicious ruler. Paul understood that Nero’s authority came from God and that Christians were to submit to government. A Believer’s submission is not based on the character of the one to whom he is submitting. There may be times when the authority of another is unreasonable, even harsh, but this is not grounds for rejection. The only ground for rejection of authority is when that authority attempts to supercede or contradict the authority of God. Where the Scriptures are silent, there must be a willingness on the part of the believer to submit to the government he is under. Any refusal to submit, which is not based on Scripture, can only be viewed as non-Christian.
If
a believer is going to reject any human authority, it should be for the
ultimate purpose of submission to God’s authority. If the believer is going to reject human
authority, the believer should make sure he understands the Bible and all the
commands God has given. Any act of civil
disobedience from a believer, who is grossly ignorant of the Scriptures, can
never consider his actions warranted, because he has no doctrinal base from
which to act. At best the believer is
operating on emotions, or a skewed conscience; at worst, his behavior is demonically
directed. Any action apart from a clear
biblical position is to be rejected.
The Need for Authority
Human authorities should be viewed as protectors and
regulators of freedom. When any system
of human authority breaks down, it fails to regulate the balance between law
and freedom. Law and freedom are
necessary for each other. Law without
freedom is tyranny. Freedom without law
is anarchy. Both principles are
beneficial when they are complimentary.
Either principle without the other is destructive and will fail.
Law without freedom = TYRANNY!
Freedom without law = ANARCHY!
Balance between law and
freedom = SECURITY!
(Balance) Security
(Law) Tyranny
(Freedom) Anarchy
God has ordained the
state as a delegated authority; it is
not autonomous. The state is to be an
agent of Justice, to restrain evil by punishing the wrongdoer, and to protect
the good in society. When it does the
reverse, it has no proper authority.
It is then a usurped authority and as such it becomes lawless and is tyranny.
(3)
There are different branches and levels of government in
the
Two Spheres of Authority
Pressures to comply with the law must come externally in the form of actions or threats of action by others regardless of whether a person wants to obey the law or does so out of habit…these external actions or threats always involve coercion or force…those who implement the coercive threats are individuals whose official role is to enforce the law (4).
If laws are going to be obeyed, then there is a need to enforce them. The ability of the enforcer to enforce becomes important when considering whether or not to defy.
Governmental
Law
Governmental law is created and enforced for the purpose of securing freedom and protecting people’s rights to life, liberty, and the possession of property. However, because governments are comprised of people, there will inevitably be weaknesses because of those who govern. Governmental law is only as strong as those members who legislate, and who consistently enforce what laws are agreed upon as right and best for all subordinates. Often, those who govern reveal their inability to be aware of all infractions and also their inabilities (or lack of desire) to enforce what laws exist. A human governmental system with its weaknesses can be demonstrated in the diagram below:
Governmental Law
(Weak/Flawed)
Wall signifies area of strength
Gap signifies area
of weakness
Divine
Law
Divine law is set forth in God’s
Word and expresses His direct will for His children. Divine law is perfect and never breaks down
because God Himself is perfect and never fails.
God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, righteous, just, loving,
sovereign, eternal, truthful, faithful, and immutable; therefore God is aware,
present, and able to uphold all that He commands. Though a believer may be able to fracture
human laws without repercussion, He will never be able to get anything past
God.
This writer believes that divine law
speaks specifically to believers, and not unbelievers. The Bible does not tell the unbeliever to be
good, moral, obedient, loving, just, or anything else. The only time the Bible speaks to the
unbeliever is when it addresses God’s righteous demands upon sin, the finished
work of Christ on the cross, and faith in the gospel. Therefore, if any person rejects Christ’s
offer of salvation, then that person has no dealings with God and cannot be
expected to conform to His will. The
following diagram is a reality only for the believer.
Governmental Law
(Weak/Flawed)
Divine Law
(Strong/Flawless) (5)
One can think of how human authority is weak at times and
how necessary it is for God to rule supreme.
There will be conflicts between human and divine authority, and God’s
laws must always be given priority.
Divine law is always higher than human governmental law. Special attention will now be given to
consider Biblical examples of defiance to human governmental authority.
Biblical Examples of Legitimate Civil
Disobedience
When a believer is confronted with a conflict between obeying
two antithetical commands, a decision must be made regarding ultimate
authority. Dr. Francis Schaeffer asks
“what is the final relationship to the state on the part of anyone whose base
is the existence of God?” (6) . Schaeffer divides humanity between those who
take the name Christian, and those who do not.
Schaeffer writes of the unbeliever as one who has “no reason to obey the state except that the state has the guns and
has the patronage” (7). By dividing the
world between those who take the name Christian and those who do not, Schaeffer
is able to clearly distinguish the issue of final authority in the lives of
men. Schaeffer goes on to say:
The civil government, as
all of life, stands under the law of God.
In this fallen world God has given us certain offices to protect us from
the chaos which is the natural result of that fallenness. But when any
office commands that which is contrary to the Word of God, those who hold
that office abrogate their authority and they are not to be obeyed. And that includes the state. (8)
There is a time when a believer will find himself at odds
with whatever government he is under. “The bottom line is that at a certain
point there is not only the right, but the duty, to disobey the state”
(9). The believer must decide that
either God is Lord, or the state is Lord; either God or Caesar (10). The decision the believer makes reveals his
allegiance.
Norman Geisler writes along similar ground when he says
“There is a general agreement among Christians that there are times when a
Christian should engage in civil disobedience” (11); “where the line should be
drawn” (12) is the subject of much contention.
The issue of when a believer
is to defy civil authority lies at the heart of the debate. However, the Bible has not left us without
examples from which to draw principles.
When considering the issue of legitimate civil disobedience, the Bible has much to say; not only by way of explicit command, but also by way of examples. One need only consider the story of Exodus 1 and 2 to observe how a mother defied the Pharaoh’s command to kill all Hebrew male children. Rather, the mother kept her child and sent him down the river in a wicker basket where God led the child right to the Pharaoh’s own household. Then there is the story in Daniel 3 where a few Hebrew children defied a king’s edict to bow and worship a golden statue, and were delivered to the flames of a furnace. Next there is the story in Daniel 6 where Daniel defied his king who commanded everyone in the kingdom not to pray to any one other than him. Finally, the story of Peter and John stands at the pinnacle of legitimate civil disobedience when they were told not to preach any more in the name of Jesus; they answered appropriately “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) (13).
Historical Examples of Christian Civil Disobedience and Resultant
Consequences
Persecution is the suffering or pressure, mental, moral, or physical, which authorities, individuals, or crowds inflict on others, especially for opinions or beliefs, with a view to their subjection by recantation, silencing, or, as a last resort, execution (14).
In
the new era of the Church age, Christians would learn to suffer some of the most
horrible persecutions and forms of death imaginable. Extreme forms of persecution in the early
Church probably started to escalate around the summer of A.D. 64. There was a massive fire in
Nero had hung Christians on tall posts (about fifty at a time) and would light them on fire in order to illuminate great feasts which he had in his gardens. Eventually the persecutions became so great under the reign of Nero that it became the hope of many Christians to die a quick death by beheading. For those Christians who were not Roman citizens their death experiences were most horrific (16).
The
Roman emperor Domitian was probably one of the cruelest persecutors of
Christians.
Even though the persecutions started out, in part, as a misunderstanding, it quickly turned into a sport for many Romans. Domitian would persecute men, women, and their children; not so much to try to get them to change their ways as much as he wanted others to be afraid of becoming a Christian. Some of the persecutions are here presented at length:
Some, suffering the punishment of parricides, were shut up in a sack with snakes and thrown into the sea; others were tied to huge stones and cast into a river. For Christians the cross itself was not deemed sufficient agony; hanging on the tree, they were beaten with rods until their bowels gushed out, while vinegar and salt were rubbed into their wounds...Christians were tied to catapults, and so wrenched from limb to limb. Some...were thrown to the beasts; others were tied to their horns. Women were stripped, enclosed in nets, and exposed to the attacks of furious bulls. Many were made to lie on sharp shells, and tortured with scrapers, claws, and pincers, before being delivered to the mercy of the flames. Not a few were broken on the wheel, or torn in pieces by wild horses. Of some the feet were slowly burned away, cold water being dowsed over them the while lest the victims should expire too rapidly...Down the backs of others melted lead, hissing and bubbling, was poured; while a few ‘by the clemency of the emperor’ escaped with the searing out of their eyes, or the tearing off of their legs (17).
This lengthy but well needed description demonstrates how many of the early Christians suffered or died for their allegiance to God. Legitimate civil disobedience for these Christians meant suffering severely. For many Christians there was not only the physical pain to be suffered, but also the emotional pain of watching loved ones put to a horrible death; and all because they would not deny their Lord Jesus Christ. These men, women, and children were defying civil authority because of their love for God and their willingness to be obedient, no matter the price.
Some might argue that it would be better to have tossed a little incense, or given some recognition to an emperor rather then to have suffered so greatly or to have watched family members be put to death. However, the demands of Christianity (now, as well as then) are such that a believer cannot compromise any substitute for the living Christ. Any compromise, no matter how small, would have would have been shameful in the face of so many who had testified of Christ with their life. Just as three Hebrew children in the book of Daniel stood before a mighty king and were willing to burn rather then deny their God, so hundreds and thousands of early Christian believers where empowered by the Spirit of God to face death with great confidence.
These early Christians had a monopoly on spiritual truth because they alone had the one true God. As they learned to walk by faith in their daily lives they came to understand that there were no situations or circumstances in life where God would let them down. Many came to grow in the faith which would carry them through anything! It was one thing for the early Christians to live by their faith and for their faith; however, to die for their faith became the greatest of all acts. From the non-Christian viewpoint, those early believers who defied Caesar were considered rebels and criminals, and should have been punished. From the Christian viewpoint, those early believers are heroes of the faith whose martyrdom is to be praised.
The Same Rule of Faith Applies Today
There is a present possible reality for the Christian today to know that he may suffer for ultimate allegiance to God. When a believer makes the decision to believe in Christ for salvation, he makes a choice to come under the authority of God. God has established His laws to His children and He expects His commands to be obeyed. God is the supreme lawgiver, police officer, judge, jailer, and parent. His laws are perfect and are designed to offer and protect freedom on every level. God has given His perfect system to His children and when they disobey, there is punishment which is perfectly equal to the crime. As a child of God there are only three possible reasons why a believer suffers punishment from governmental authority:
1.
He has
violated the laws of man (parental, social, or judicial,) which are ordained of
God and he needs to be punished to learn respect for divinely appointed
authority (Romans 13:1, 5; Titus 3:1; I Peter
2.
He is
innocent before man (parental, social, or judicial) of any wrongdoing, but he
is guilty before God of violating His word (Hebrews 12:4-11).
3. He innocent before both man and God (like
Job, Peter, Paul and Silas), and God is testing his faith (Job 1:1-2:10;
Though the third option is viable, it does not directly relate
to the topic of civil disobedience except with the possibility that God may use
government as the means by which He tests the believer’s faith. A believer will inevitably encounter a
situation where he MUST choose between God’s authority and man’s authority and
that believer’s decision will determine who is lord of his life.
The Authority of the Believer
Behind every act of civil disobedience is the question:
on what authority does one defy human government. The unbeliever has no authority except what
his conscience may dictate, or what the power of the state may force. A Christian may understand the arbitrariness
of the unbeliever and his decision to rebel against human authority; however,
he should never identify with it. For
the believer has something greater than his conscience to guide him, he has the
Word of God. To this end Dr. Charles C.
Ryrie writes:
However one interprets or interacts with the biblical teaching, it has the authority of God behind it, whereas all other criteria are man-made and thus authoritative only to the extent that any one or any group chooses to make them so. (18)
Though Dr. Ryrie finds legitimate cases of civil disobedience very rare today, he supports the understanding that legitimate scenarios may arise and that such cases are sanctioned, indeed demanded, by the Word of God. Looking back at the historical example of the Apostle Paul and the suffering he encountered under the hand of Nero, Dr. Ryrie writes:
Eight or nine years later, after having had much personal involvement with the Roman government under which he lived (including several imprisonments), Paul had not changed his mind about the teaching he had written before in Romans. He said again essentially the same thing: “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work” (Titus 3:1). Maltreatment at the hands of the Roman government had evidently not provided Paul sufficient existential grounds for changing his teaching (cf. 1 Thess 2:2). (19)
Modern issues, which the believer faces today, put him in a position to ask the question of ultimate allegiance. There are some who may take offense at issues like abortion, pornography, or alcoholism. However, none of these issues are commands from the government demanding the believer to conform, rather, the issues mentioned are merely freedoms (though destructive) that both the Christian and non-Christian may exercise by choice, and thus there is no command to defy. To speak out against the evils in a culture are legitimate, however, the believer should not confuse legal acts of protest as an act of civil disobedience.
To submit, or not submit; that is the question? Without a thorough and clear understanding of what God expects of each believer in each dispensation, any submission or defiance to government is executed out of one’s conscience, and not the final authority of God’s Word. A believer cannot live what he does no know; therefore, knowledge must precede application. Understanding, believing, and applying the Word of God becomes the ONLY basis for legitimate Christian civil disobedience. Application of these truths for the believer today must rest solely in a thorough understanding of God’s Word and an attitude of no compromise when confronted with an antithetical governmental command.
Conclusion
There is a moment in every believer’s life, at a particular place, under specific conditions, where he will have to answer the question of ultimate allegiance. Whom shall he obey; God or Caesar? The decision at that moment determines the measure of that man, as well as his place among those called the “victorious”, or those call the “wounded”.
____________________________________________
Endnotes:
1 Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 848.
2 Unless otherwise stated, all verses will be taken from the New American Standard Bible (La Habra, CA.: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).
3 Francis Schaeffer, “A Christian Manifesto”. The Complete Woks of Francis Schaeffer (Wheaton Illinois: Crossway Books. 1982), Vol. 5, P. 468.
4 Steven Vago, Law and Society (New Jersey: Simon & Schuster. 1997), p. 8. It should be noted that Steven Vago, though an authority in the field of law and its relationship to society, is representative of that view point which places humanity at the center of the moral universe. Dr Vago, in his book does not recognize divine authority over man.
5 There are many other areas where people test human authority other than the government. Children often test the boundaries of law given by parents; students test the boundaries of expectations from teachers; some test the bounds of social (unwritten) expectations of conformity regarding dress, language, and music and so on. Civil disobedience is only one area where believers and unbelievers test for strength and weakness.
6 Francis Schaeffer, “A Christian Manifesto”. The Complete Woks of Francis Schaeffer (Wheaton Illinois: Crossway Books. 1982), Vol. 5, P. 467.
7 Ibid, p. 467.
8 Ibid, p. 468.
9 Ibid, p. 469.
10 Ibid, p. 468.
11 Norman
Geisler, “Biblical submission.”
12 Ibid, p. 440.
13 Kerby
14 G. W. Bromily, “Persecution” International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
(
15
16 Tacitus, The
Annals of Imperial
17 Herbert B. Workman, Persecution in the early Church (Cincinnati: Jennings and Graham Publishing, 1906), p. 285.
18 Charles C. Ryrie. “Christian Civil Disobedience”: Bibliotheca Sacra 506 (April 1970): 156.
19 Ibid, p. 157.
_________________________
Selected Bibliography:
Bromily, G.W. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Vol. III.
Dockery,
David S. Holman Bible Handbook.
Geisler,
Norman. “Biblical submission.”
Grant,
Michael. Julius Caesar.
Grant,
Michael. The Roman
Emperors.
Holy Bible.
The Ryrie Study Bible, NASB.
Liddell & Scott. Greek-English
Lexicon.
MacMullen,
Ramsey. Enemies of The Roman Order.
Ryrie,
Charles C. “Christian Civil
Disobedience”: Bibliotheca Sacra 506
(April 1970).
Schaeffer,
Francis. “A Christian
Manifesto”. The
Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer Vol.V.
Schaeffer,
Francis. How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought
and Culture,
Tacitus.
The Annals of
Trull, Joe E. Walking
in the Way.
Vago,
Steven. Law and Society.
Walker,
Williston. A History of
the Christian Church.
Workman,
Herbert B. Persecution in the Early Church.
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