Let me begin by saying the topic of civil disobedience is not a simple topic. On this topic the same arguments can be made for both sides. Our goal in these conversations is not to be right but to be righteous: not to find Scripture that supports our position, but to allow Scripture to inform our position, to see the issue at hand through the lens of God’s Word and take the position that aligns with His will. This is the very reason freedom should be the point upon which we agree.
This post is not an attack on anyone’s personal choice, but it is a commentary on what the government is doing in the current culture and how Christians should respond. Also, I have heard pastors preach sermons like the one I mention in this post across denominational and religious lines, so this is not an attack of a specific pastor, church, or denomination.
I recently listened to yet another sermon on the Christian and civil disobedience which implied we have no reason to rebel at this particular time in history. This sermon left the impression that true Christians will obey the government mandates because they don’t force us to break God’s law. I say it left the impression because in reality, the sermon was vague, as are many. These sermons tend to get muddy because they draw on biblical examples of civil disobedience while at the same time stating that civil disobedience is wrong.
Principles for Civil Disobedience
The following principles are generally listed as the rule of thumb for the believer when it comes to civil disobedience. We can rebel if:
- The government commands what God forbids, or
- The government forbids what God commands.
This seems pretty simple until you realize that much of what we are facing is not explicitly addressed in Scripture. The Bible doesn’t tell us if wearing a mask is a sin or not. The Bible doesn’t mention vaccines. The word “abortion” does not appear in Scripture. And there is certainly no reference to #freedomconvoy2022. But just because something isn’t explicitly mentioned doesn’t mean we can’t apply lessons we learn from biblical accounts.
The Conscience and Civil Disobedience
A popular argument in favor of civil disobedience is the idea of conscience. We will say things like, “that goes against my conscience, so I can’t do it.” It is important to remember that our consciences must be molded and guided by the Word of God. Many will say that there is no room for conscience in this conversation. If your conscience is telling you not to obey the government, then your conscience is wrong because we are told over and over in Scripture that God has placed those in authority, and we are to submit to them (Romans 13:1-7, Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:13, etc.). But the truth is that if your conscience has been molded by the Word, if you are spending time with God regularly and are studying the Scriptures, your conscience can play a valuable role in your decision making.
Biblical Examples of Civil Disobedience
Several examples from Scripture are used to show when civil disobedience is appropriate. Usually, these examples are used to show the extreme cases presented. In Exodus 1, Pharaoh orders the killing of all of the male, Jewish babies. The midwives did not comply. In Daniel 3, we read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were told to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. They did not comply. In Daniel 6, we read the account of Daniel’s decision to pray even though it was against the law. These are all examples of when the government commanded something God had forbidden, or forbade something God had commanded.
Let’s pull these examples into modern day.
The midwives didn’t kill the Jewish baby boys because they understood that life is sacred. Our government wants to use the tax money we are required to pay to fund abortions, thus negating the sanctity of life. This is grounds for civil disobedience.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not bow down to the idol because God forbids idol worship. We are to worship only God (Exodus 20). But idol worship is not limited to carved, golden statues surrounded by a shrine and lit candles. An idol is anything that takes the place of God, anything we trust more than we trust God, anything we fear more than we fear God. Our society has turned Covid and the vaccines into idols. The authorities have destroyed jobs, livelihoods, childhoods, and futures in order to force everyone to bow down. Let me remind you, this is not a statement about your choice but about what the government is doing. The government is pushing us to worship at the altar of Covid to the god of Fauci. This is grounds for civil disobedience.
Daniel broke the law when he prayed to God as he had always done. And he would’ve paid with his life had God not intervened. There is such a thing as an unjust law. It is unjust for parents to lose custody of their children because they choose not to get vaccinated. It is unjust to refuse a life-saving medical procedure because the patient is not vaccinated. It is unjust to force children to spend eight hours a day behind a mask because adults are scared of illness. It is unjust to discharge military personnel who have pledged their lives to protect our freedom because they made the “wrong” medical decision. When we allow unjust laws to go unchallenged, we quickly decline into tyranny and genocide. This is grounds for civil disobedience.
Truth and Fear
Think back to what you know about our own American revolution. It could be argued that England, the authority over America at the time, was not commanding something God forbids or forbidding something God commands. On paper at least, it came down to taxes. Yet no one argues that America should not have fought for her independence because we all know it was about something much deeper than taxes. Much like today, when our conflict is about something much deeper than a mask or a vaccine.
The Bible is clear that Christians are to speak truth and live in truth no matter the consequences. Our current authorities want us to refrain from speaking truth in many areas of life. They want us to lie about the efficacy of masks, about the potential side-effects of vaccines, about the moment life begins, about biology, about “race,” and the list goes on and on. This is grounds for civil disobedience.
Scripture commands us over and over again that we are not to live in fear. The King James Version uses the phrase “fear not” 365 times, but the idea is present in the Word much more often. Our governing authorities want us living in fear. We are to fear Covid, fear our neighbors, fear killing our relatives, fear the loss of our livelihoods, fear not going back to “normal,” fear shortages, etc. This is grounds for civil disobedience.
In the most recent sermon I heard, the preacher made the statement that “the difference between the revolution in England and the revolution in France came down to the presence of Christians.” Yet he implied that Christians should stand down. He claimed that Christians in England kept the revolution from devolving into a bloody massacre, yet he urged Christians now to stay out of the fight.
Our churches should be leading the charge to stand up for truth. When governments are requiring things that fly in the face of truth, it is grounds for civil disobedience.
*Another great resource on this topic is God vs. Government by Busenitz and Coates. You can read my review of the book here.
Powerful…and beautifully written!
I love this! Such great points.
Very well said!