Authority: Resistance or Obedience

America was founded as a Christian nation, yet as a Christian nation we found it

necessary to fight a revolution for our God-given freedoms. Here are a few
highlights of what Christian pastors said in their sermons.

The proclamation made by the town of Marlborough in 1773: Death is more eligible
than slavery. A free-born people are not required by the religion of Jesus Christ to
submit to tyranny, but may came use of such power as God has given them to
recover and support their laws and liberties...We implore the ruler above the skies,
that He would make bare His arm in defense of His church and people, and let
Israel go.

Johathan Mayhew of Boston: It is blasphemy to call tyrants and oppressors God’s

ministers...When magistrates rob and ruin the public, instead of being guardians of
its peace and welfare, they immediately cease to be the ordinance and ministers
of God, and no more deserve that glorious character than common pirates and
highwaymen.

How did these men and others understand that their Christian faith did not require
them to blindly obey Caesar? Because their pastors taught them so, using Romans
13, I Peter 2 and Titus 3!

John Tucker, pastor of the First Church of Newbury, preached an election sermon n
May of 1771 using as a text I Peter 2.13-16, one of the very texts used today to
justify submission to Christless, humanistic authority. It says, Submit yourself to
every ordinance of man. Note the comments concerning that sermon made in the
history book The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution by J.T. Headley: “While
acknowledging that government is the work of man, he declares it derives all its
powers from God, and hence its enactments must be in accordance with His will,
and boldly asserts that ‘the people as well as their rulers are the proper judges of
the civil constitution they are under and of their own rights and principles.’ When
he comes to apply the test in requiring submission to rulers he enters into a full
consideration of what kind of submission is due. He says the duties of ruled and
ruler are reciprocal, and ‘Universal submission is not due to a government in a free
state.’”

In 1773 Charles Tucker delivered this sermon, using as a text Romans 13. He boldly
asserted that it was their duty to interfere where the liberties of the land are
assailed stating, for religious liberty is so blended with civil that if one falls it is not
to be expected that the other will continue.

Samuel West of Dartmouth delivered this sermon in 1776 and used for his text
Titus 3. He said, in part: ...tyranny and magistry are so opposed to each other that
where one begins the other ends. He also declared that God never gave any man
the right to trample on the liberty of His people and “no number of men can confer
a right they do not possess, viz, to take away liberty.” Then still using the same
text in Titus that most pastors use for passive submission he made the following
points, any people, when cruelly oppressed, had a right to throw off the yoke, and
be free.

Continuing...Reason and equity require that no one be obliged to pay the tax that
he has never consented to.
But, if they have the right to take our property from us without our consent, we
must be wholly at their mercy for food and raiment, and we know, by sad
experience, that their tender mercies are cruel.

Bible Case Law Reveals Correct Interpretation on Authority

Blind, passive obedience to those in position of authority is not the rule when
various Bible stories are considered. Take, for example, the Hebrew midwives in
Exodus 1.15-20.

After reading this, note that the midwives disobedient to the highest authority in
the land, e.g., they did not obey Caesar or, in this case, Pharaoh. As a result of
obeying God, they were blessed.

The story of Rahab in Joshua 2.1-3, is another example. Rahab was not in
submission to her governing authorities. She too lied, and she too was rewarded.
Her example is in the New Testament, Hebrews chapter 11 - the ‘Faith Hall of
Fame.’

Another example is in Daniel chapter 6, when he refused to obey a law about

worship.

In John 19.8-9, we find Jesus refusing to obey the authorities, in this case Pilate:
When Pilate therefore heard this statement, he was more afraid and he entered
the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave him
no answer. This example is equivalent to a police officer or judge demanding to see
a man’s I.D. or driver’s license and being refused because of no probably cause.

The apostles opposed the authorities in Acts 4.18-19 and Acts 5.27-29. And for this,
they were beaten and imprisoned.

Proper understanding of the authority of Romans 13 and related texts

In Romans 13 and elsewhere, there are two types of governing authorities. In verse
1 it is identified as authority which comes from God, There is no authority except
from God. In verse 2 of the same book and chapter, it further identifies the
authority as that which is in keeping with the will of God, that is, executing His law:
he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God. Verse 3 identifies the
authority as an authority that one need not fear if he is doing no wrong: For rulers
are not a cause of fear for good behavior but for evil. and as an authority which
praises good behavior. Verse 4 shows the authority which punishes evil doers as a
minister of God: For its is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the
one who practices evil. Finally, verses 6 and 7 teach that for such authority taxes
are paid. It goes without saying that said authority or rulers must be financed and
ought to be financed by Christian people who: render to all what is due them; tax
to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom
honor.

The authority the Scripture speaks of comes from God, does His will, executes His
law, punishes evildoers, and gives no cause to fear to those who do good. It is not
a governing authority that would protect homosexuals, forbid Bibles and Jesus in
school, finance and promote the murder of babies in the womb, slaughter our
youth in unconstitutional no-win wars, forbid Christian parents from giving their
children a Christian education, forbid travel without a license, forbid preaching
without a license, deny the first fruits of our labors, etc. For all of this is not in
keeping with the law of God. It is an evil governing authority that causes those
who do good, such as hold church in their home or have prayer in class, to be in
fear. If you do good and are not in fear, as Romans 13 says, it’s because of a Godly
authority. And it is that which is spoken about.

The proof of an opposing authority is found in Hosea 8.4: They have set up kings
but not by Me. They have appointed princes but, I did not know it. This passage
teaches that man can set up higher powers which are not the authorities God
intend for His kingdom.

The Origin and Purpose of the Two Authorities

The purpose of the authority or power of Romans 13 is born out in the text as: 1) To
enforce God’s law: he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God. 2)
To assure that good behavior has nothing to fear and bad behavior does: For
rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior but for evil. 3) To punish evildoers:
an avenger who bring wrath upon the one who practices evil.

The duty of a Christian to such authority is: 1) Obedience: Let every person be
subject to the governing authorities. 2) Financial support: For because of this you
also pay taxes for rulers are servants of God devoting themselves to this very
thing.

Think about this for a moment. If it’s authority that is not Godly, and most of them
are today, Christians who do good are punished by authority, not rewarded. And,
an evil government doesn’t punish evil, it rewards it, or at least, says ‘thank you’
for obeying the law.

Under an evil government, when one obeys an evil law, he is not punished, is
called a ‘good citizen’. If Romans 13 and other related verses are about any kind of
government, as is claimed by preachers today, then they are calling God a liar.
Hence, these people are not to be listened to.

We are in bondage because of disobedience to His Word. We read this throughout

the Bible, and it applies to His people today. Our rights such as Liberty come from
God and this it is God who justly removes them when we are not faithful to Him.

Humanists believe that man acts as his own god in deciding what is right and
wrong. Men taken collectively become the State, thus the State becomes God and
humanists demand obedience to the State.

With Repentance Comes Resistance

...and My people who are called by My name humbles themselves and pray, and
seek My face and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, then I will hear from heaven,
will forgive their sins, and will heal their land.

Many people have the mistaken idea that repentance is just something you do and
then God does the rest or that all you need to do is sit back and wait for “The
World Tomorrow.” Notice in the preceding verse that with repentance God’s people
must turn from their wicked ways and when that happens the governing authorities
begin to notice resistance.

Repentance without resistance is like faith without works. It is dead! 1 Peter 5.9
teaches a Christian to RESIST the adversary. Take for example, Christian parents
who repent of having turned their children over to humanist educators in public
schools and thus they take them out of public schools and put them in a Christian
home school in a state which doesn’t allow home schools. Such an action is active
resistance to the governing authorities or higher powers.

The motto throughout the Colonies was, “Resistance to tyrants is obedience to

God.”

Do you not know when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for
obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey... Rom. 6.16

He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. II Samuel 23.3. If
Christ is really your king, then when you resist earthly government that is not
Christian, you are not in rebellion to your king, but to the opposing one on earth. It
is the earthly ‘king’ that is in rebellion. For, when man rules over men, e.g., an
earthly king, he must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

when resisting, remember the admonition of Romans 12.18, If possible, so far as it

depends on you, be at peace with all men. Notice the words if possible and as it
depends on you. So, obviously, at times it is not possible to be at peace - it
depends on the situation. But we should do our best to be at peace.

When Jesus was approached by the authorities regarding paying a tax, He did not
lawfully owe, He used the situation to teach the people regarding who was subject
to pay and who was not. After He did so He decided the situation was such He
should pay anyway, yet He showed His resistance by not paying out of the regular
treasury kept by His traveling party, rather He chose to find a coin elsewhere. We
read in Matthew 17.24-27: And when they had come to Capernaum, those who
collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter, and said, ‘Does your teacher not pay
the two-drachma tax?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ And when he came into the house, Jesus
spoke to him first, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of
the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?’ And upon
His saying, ‘From strangers,’ Jesus said to him, ‘Consequently the sons are
exempt. But lest we give them offense, go to the sea, and throw in a hook, and
take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a
stater. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.’”

Another time when approached about paying taxes He did not pay but taught the
principle that if you were subject to Caesar (if Caesar is your true king or god) you
should pay and if not, then it was not necessary.

Jesus taught a needed point concerning resistance in Matthew 10.16-18: Behold I

send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents,
and innocent as doves. Be beware of men; for the will deliver you up to the courts,
and scourge you in their synagogues;...

The Key to Freedom

If rights such as liberty come from God then it can never be obtained without Him.
Jesus said He was the way and the TRUTH (John 14.6) and that truth shall set us
free (John 8.32). Romans 6.22 teaches that when a Christian is freed from his sin
he is also enslaved to God. As a slave to Christ one experiences liberty and
freedom from humanistic authority. Remember when Peter and John were
commanded by the authorities to stop preaching they dare not obey them. Their
response was We MUST obey God rather than men. They understood the meaning
of I Corinthians 7.23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves to men.
Yet, this is what millions do when they obey the many, many unchristian laws of
the land. Do you not know that when you present yourself to someone as slaves
for obedience you are slaves of the one you obey... Rom. 6.16