The Word of God cuts like a knife through the world we live in regardless of the time, culture, or season of life we find ourselves in. One of those particularly cutting verses is Peter’s claim before the Sanhedrin and Chief Priest,
“We must obey God rather than men.”
- Acts 5:29
Understanding how obedience, submission, wisdom, and authority work in this broken world is critical if we are to live the faithful Christian lives we are called to. Following Christ means we must be willing to break the “rules” for a higher loyalty and authority. But that must be done with wisdom, grace, and with a mature understanding of the consequences and rewards.
In Acts 5, we find several helpful clues that help us find peace and righteousness under the good authority of God.
1) Start with what is most clear
A general rule of thumb for biblical interpretation is to start with what is most clear and allow that to inform what is more ambiguous. In Acts chapter 5, Peter is confronted with two contradictory commandments. The first comes from Christ himself in Acts 1:8 when the apostles are commanded to share the message of Christ to the ends of the earth. The second is in Acts 4:17 when Peter and John are commanded by the Sanhedrin not to teach in Jesus’ name. The commands of men were opposite to Jesus’. In this circumstance, it is clear that the commandments of God are to take precedence over the attempts by earthly powers to suppress the teaching of the Gospel.
When human laws go directly against the explicit commands of God, we must follow God. Like Daniel when he was given the King’s unclean food (Daniel 1:8) or forbidden to pray (Daniel 6:10). Or like his three friends when they were commanded to bow down to the golden image of the king of Babylon (Daniel 3:18). They defied the command of the king because it expressly contradicted the command of God.
Clarity does not automatically make us courageous, but that is the standard set out for us in scripture. We need to mentally, prayerfully, and courageously prepare for the essential and non-negotiable realities of our faith that will stand in opposition to the lies of Satan, our flesh, and this fallen world.
2) Fill your mind with good things.
However, many of our choices are not explicitly addressed in scripture. These decisions are based on biblical wisdom and matters of conscience. In these cases, we need to depend on God’s Word, Christian wisdom, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make the right decision. The Bible describes how Godly and earthly authority interact.
Romans 13:1-3,
“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…”
And 1 Peter 2:13-15,
“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.”
There is a common term used in both of these passages: the purpose of government and the goal of our lives is that which is good. We know that “no one is good except God alone (Mark 10:18)”, so to be good citizens and be equipped to judge the actions and commands of earthly authorities, we need to be students of what is good. We need to fill our minds, lives, and hearts with the good words of God, the good lyrics of godly hymns, and the good and holy fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The apostles stood together in that courtroom, giving support and encouragement to Peter as he represented them and he claimed the explicit support of the Holy Spirit as he bore witness (Acts 5:32). Only when our hearts are full of God’s good word and Spirit can we be confident our judgements are good.
It is not enough to refuse to obey our earthly authorities because we don’t like them or what they stand for. Our motivation must always be the higher goal of God’s glory and will. Our obedience is not based on political theory, historical precedent, philosophical debate, or whatever other earthly wisdom we ingest day to day. Only that which is truly good will give us the proper perspective to choose the goodness of God rather than the evil of men.
3) Don’t make a scene
One of the remarkable juxtapositions in the stories of the apostles is the boldness of the claims they make contrasted with the meekness of their actions. In Acts, chapter 5, Peter witnesses to Jesus’ supremacy and authority, placing the blame for Jesus’ death squarely at the feet of the Jewish leaders (v. 30). But he also submits to being arrested (v. 18), put on trial (v. 27), and being beaten without cause (v. 40). Peter and the apostles could have used the threat of a growing mob to resist being arrested, but instead, they allowed themselves to be taken quietly (v. 26).
Peter and the apostles are modelling behaviour for us. We must be bold for the sake of Christ. We must take every opportunity to witness his glory and supremacy, not ours. We must trust the promise of Christ to give us words in those moments of persecution (Luke 21:12-19). But we should do so in such a way as to avoid creating a scene.
Don’t become an agent of disorder while testifying to the God who brought order out of chaos. Paul’s encouragement to Timothy is to pray for our leaders so, “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1 Timothy 2:2).” Therefore, whether we are obeying God’s command to submit to human authority, or courageously obeying God in defiance of unrighteous laws, we must do so in a way that reflects that peaceful life and brings glory to God alone.
4) Accept the consequences
When you read the account of the apostles’ trial in Acts 5, verse 40 is a bit unexpected,
“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.”
The beating the apostles received seems to be for nothing more than being an irritation to the Chief Priest and the Sanhedrin. It is injustice. This is the first beating the apostles receive because of their work for Christ, but it will not be the last. The apostles have stood up for God’s commands and truth, modelling integrity and humility. In a perfect world, these would be the qualities governments and authorities should commend and reward (1 Peter 2:14), not punish. Obeying our earthly authority and heavenly authority should be the same thing. Unfortunately, that is not the case in our post-Genesis 3 world. When we, as Christians, defy earthly powers for the sake of our greater loyalty to God’s commands, there will be consequences; just like Jesus. In Luke 21:16-17 Jesus prepares his disciples for days like these,
“You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake.”
To follow Christ means to suffer like Christ (Romans 8:17). We must anticipate opposition to our choice to follow God and not men and accept the consequences at the hands of those who hate us because they hated Jesus first (John 15:18). Our actions may be more righteous, more kind, and more loving than our adversaries, but that does not mean they will like us for it. Obeying God gives us confidence in avoiding the final judgement, not earthly persecution. Settle in your mind to be like the disciples, “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name [of Jesus] (Acts 5:41).”
5) You are free to proclaim
But perhaps the highlight of the entire account of Acts 5 is verse 42,
“And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”
This whole episode starts with the apostles teaching people about Jesus even though they were told not to. And it ends with the apostles teaching people about Jesus even though they were told not to. The freedom that the apostles experienced was not given so that they could escape to a safer and more tolerant climate; God rescued the apostles so that they might proclaim the message of salvation in the name of Jesus.
True freedom is being free to live for Christ. The freedom we have in God, whether to joyfully obey our civil authorities as unto the Lord or to prayerfully disobey them as unto the Lord, is not for our sake. It is always for the sake of the proclamation of the message of Christ.
If you have the privilege of obeying a Godly law that promotes righteousness and encourages human flourishing, witness to the true motivation behind your actions by giving praise to God. Praise him publicly for giving common grace to humanity and invite others to see God’s favour to them and respond with faith and repentance.
If you have the privilege of being counted worthy to suffer because you must obey God and not men, then do so with the message of Christ’s victory over sin and the hope of eternal blessings on your lips. Christ has given us the power and freedom to witness to others regardless of the opposition that stands in our way. “If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)!”
Conclusion
Obedience that confirms the love and loyalty we have for our Saviour only comes by the power of the Holy Spirit. The courage and perseverance that the apostles showed in the early Church sowed a harvest of righteousness that we still benefit from 2000 years later. That same Spirit lives in Christ’s people today. The call of Christ is to die to yourself and live for Him alone. That includes obeying the earthly authorities He has put over us for our good, and defying them in exchange for a higher obedience to Christ. All of it is to Christ, for Christ, and in Christ. May God grant us wisdom and help in our time of need as we seek to testify to his supremacy in all things.
