Christians, Civil Liberty and Resisting Authority

With the health and economic situation going on in our country and the world right now, there are all kinds of various opinions, feelings and beliefs on how the virus should be handled and what rights the government has over personal freedom even in a time of crisis.

I have seen a few Christian organizations that have written articles arguing for the Christian’s obligation to submit to governing authorities – specifically right now with the stay-at-home orders etc. While they do make some valid points, and while Romans 13/1 Peter 2 do indeed have a lot to say to us today, there are some very key points that I believe these authors have neglected.

1) In America, our supreme “governing authority” is the Constitution, not the governing leaders themselves. Our leaders are supposed to be subject to the Constitution; “we the people” hold the true power and are responsible to hold our elected leaders accountable to the Constitution. Romans was written to Christians under Rome, indeed a pagan government but still different in structure than ours. There are indeed applications we must make, but they were not under the Constitution like we are today. Therefore, it is not an equal or simple application. To simply quote Scripture without considering these societal differences is not good exegesis at all. Is it right to allow our elected leaders to ignore and/or misuse the Constitution they, under oath, committed to defending? It is one thing to respect the office someone holds; it is another to do nothing while a person abuses that office.

2) There are always limits to our submission to authority, and that includes many “gray” areas of conscience. Complete, unquestioned submission is NOT Biblical. Clear Biblical violation is obvious, we are called according to Scripture to obey God rather than men, but in areas of conscience where the Word of God is not so clear it gets very complicated. (We have this problem in churches and families too.) Some of the authors acknowledge there is a time for “civil disobedience” but are vague about what this means, and they do they acknowledge any issues of conscience. We cannot just tell others they should “submit to governing authority” when it’s not a clear-cut Biblical issue and their conscience tells them that what the government is requiring is not right or lawful. To quote Scripture like that is a cop-out and, I believe, an abuse of Scriptural authority.

3) I wonder if these authors have considered that if we did follow “submit to governing authority” the way they are suggesting that we most certainly would not be where we are right now. The American Revolution very likely never would have happened – and even if it had, our country would certainly not have been built nearly entirely by God-fearing men (although not all Christians by any means). None of us would be sitting where we are right now, perhaps we would not even exist. Slavery would still be legal. The Civil Rights movement wouldn’t have happened, and neither would hundreds of other movements that have built us a (mostly) better society.

4) At least one article quoted 1 Tim 2:1-6 (“Pray for your leaders so that you may lead quiet, godly lives…”) and said we should “strive” to live quiet and godly lives but gave NO application for what this actually means. If our leaders allow us to do this well then great, but what if they don’t? Does being “quiet and godly” mean submissively laying down under the whip? Are we not allowed to defend ourselves when we are being unjustly treated? Does it mean we should not seek to hold our leaders accountable to the oath they took to defend our Constitution? I think Micah 6:8 is a little more specific: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to seek justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” We are called to stand for truth and justice, and to seek to be kind and merciful towards all.

5) And then there's Jer. 29:7, where the Israelite's are instructed to “seek the peace and prosperity” of the foreign nation where they dwell. This is not talking about the internal peace God gives us despite suffering or hard circumstances. This peace is more external, and has a lot to do with security. To ultimately feel secure you need to be free to live your life as you believe is right and good. Peace is freedom from oppression, unrest, injustice. This cannot be a short-term freedom/security either; you can’t have peace if you are uncertain about future security. We as Americans seek the peace of our nation by seeking order and justice (adherence to the law, ultimately the Constitution), and also by seeking to get along with/tolerating others even though you may have disagreements. To have peace, sometimes you have to compromise on issues (although there are lawful and moral limits of course). I don’t know about you, but all this reminds me a lot of the phrase “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (from the Declaration of Independence).

6) They neglect Human Responsibility in the nurturing and preservation of truth and justice. This is rather connected to the last point. Like parents are responsible for the raising of their children, like pastors are responsible for their flock, we, as citizens of this country, are responsible for her preservation. The results are always God’s, but we will be held accountable for our stewardship. There are consequences for inaction as well as action. You reap what you sow. “...whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor 9:6).

To conclude, in respect to government, we as Christians are called to:

1. Trust God’s sovereignty, remember this world is not our home, etc. This should be a given, but we do need to be reminded from time to time.

2. Pray (and support, and vote) for leaders who will allow us to live peaceable, godly lives. Absolutely!

3. Respect authority, give honor to wear honor is due - remembering that our ultimate authority (and therefore due the most respect) in America is the Constitution.

4. Seek the peace, prosperity  and preservation of our nation – by seeking justice and respecting the laws and protecting the liberty we are blessed to possess.
5. And of course, try our best to be kind and gracious towards those who think differently. 

So Christian, humbly seek wisdom in how you should honor God, trust, pray, be respectful to that which is the authority. Seek peace and security, stand up for truth, for what is right and just and lawful. "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." – Ben Franklin

I highly recommend everyone watching this video:  Freedom versus Fear video

“These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the

sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their

country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of

man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have

this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more

glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly:

it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how

to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if

so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated”
 -Thomas Paine, The Crisis