Christians and Civil Disobedience
July 7th, 2008
(By John MacArthur)
Can Christians Participate in Civil Disobedience?
We believe the Scripture teaches that we are to submit to government even if that government does not function entirely (or even primarily) by biblical principles (Romans 13:1-7). That principle is explicit in Peter’s message to servants (1 Peter 2:18-19), which directly follows his more general comments regarding government (vv. 13-17). And that epistle teaches the same thing over and over again in varied ways: Submit even if you suffer, because in doing so you identify with Christ and are blessed (cf. 2:21-24; 3:1-2; 4:12-14; 5:9-10). There are times when we must obey God rather than men, but we believe that we should disobey the authorities only if they command us to do something directly against God’s law (e.g. Acts 5:29 and its surrounding context).
That is a fine distinction, but it is precisely where the issue lies. If we say that Christians are only required to obey their government when it is functioning by scriptural principles, we then nullify the teaching of Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 in just about any age of history–especially the time during which those passages were written! The Roman government was as corrupt and godless as any in history, and yet Paul and Peter told Christians to “live in subjection,” “submit to every ordinance,” and “honor the king.”
So we believe that civil disobedience is justified only when government compels us to sin, or when there is no legal recourse for fighting injustice. The reason we draw the line there is simply because all the scriptural examples of civil disobedience fall squarely into those two situations. Any other kind of activism has no precedent in the Word of God and violates the spirit of Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2.
Thank you for your minestry…..ya’ll are so helpful in these perilous times.
I lived on the dark side of life for so long, but Jesus met me on skid row….dusted me off and has been running point on this marvelous adventure He has set for me.
Ya’ll seem to be a part of that adventure….i am blessed with learning and encouragement from your website.
The days are dark indeed….but when one keeps his eyes on Jesus…..things get to looking up indeed.
Thank you once again….and have a great day in The Son.
OK but a government or society may be as defined as much by what it ALLOWS as by what it commands. What do Christians do when the law says it is OK to kill babies in the womb? The U.S. government is not (yet) commanding such a thing. But China does. What then?
Excellent! I remember a so-called Christian on the radio once who refused to pay the percentage of taxes that went to military spending because of an imaginary commandment “Thou shalt not kill” instead of the real one “Thou shalt do no murder”. This error is similar to ‘civil disobedience’ for various worldly causes. If only Christians today read their Bibles they would fall into neither trap due to ignorance.
David M.
Good answer. I just thought of this: Does that same person (who equates paying taxes to a nation at war with murder) consider paying his non-believing employees to be complicit with whatever ungodly activities that employee will do with the money?
How true it is that civil disobedience needs to be restricted to not obeying laws that require sinful actions on the part of it’s citizens.
Daryl,
Really! Are godly employers finanicng the kingdom of darkness by paying workers their due? You simply can’t think that way. Thanks!
So, I’d like to read everyone’s thoughts on speed limit laws.
There is a considerable amount of research that obeying the speed limits is generally more dangerous than driving 10 mph faster. Standard civil engineering principles say that speed limits should be set at the 85th percentile of the speed at which traffic would naturally travel on a road. So, obeying speed limits, rather than driving the normal speed of traffic, could actually put people in danger. What should Christians do?
To complicate the matter even more, any sensible person knows the government does not actually want most people to drive the speed limit. Slower traffic would further congest roads and would drastically reduce government revenue flows from writing tickets; and most jurisdictions actually need the revenue from tickets. That’s part of why they make speed limits artificially low, but then only enforce the law on a very limits basis. If the government wanted people to drive slower, it would be easy to enforce 100% of the time with traffic cameras and the electronic toll passes.
Bruce,
If you really can come up with a way to monitor the traffic of all the people who live in (for example) Los Angeles County, California - and do it successfully you will be making more than Bill Gates. It cannot be done. It’s pretty well understood that as far as speed limit laws go they are only enforced as a safety measure. For example, if I drive 66 in a 65 no cop is going to pull me over. If I am going 96 in a 65 I will be lucky if I don’t have a line of cop cars behind me. Certain laws are just there to be enforced as a safety measure. And you can be pulled over for going the speed limit or under it just as easily if the road & traffic conditions make it appropriate.
Christians should drive with the flow of traffic and use some common sense, thus setting an example for those who don’t have it
Everyone still feel comfortable celebrating the 4th of July?
I disagree profoundly with Dr. MacArthur’s post. If you read the Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2, I believe the context is quite clear that the only subjection required is in submitting to criminal punishment for doing evil. These passages have nothing whatsoever to do with obeying civil legislation. Let me ask this question. There are millions of pages of laws in our country, and they are changing constantly. Legislative bodies routinely pass bills into law that are hundreds or thousands of pages long. Not even the best of Philadelphia lawyers has the legal knowledge to scratch the surface of the body of civil law.
Can anybody prove to me that you not only know all of these laws, but you actually obey them - ALL OF THEM - each and every day of your lives? If not, why not? If not, you are in a place of dreadful sin before God. Be careful with your answer because man’s law contradicts itself all over the place. Do you obey both contradictory laws? Again, be careful, because you believe that you are commanded by Scripture.
If you think about it for a while, God gives each of us authority in every area of life. Husbands, wives, parents, ministers, property owners. Civil governments have very little authority at all. If I’m the head of my house, then civil family law doesn’t apply to me at all because I’m the head of my house. God says so. If you believe that we are really to obey the civil laws, then you must by logical extension believe that Caesar has veto power over God who gives me authority over my house. Look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. Against such things there is no law. Civil law included.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
I struggled with this very topic during a recent sermon series at my church. I absolutely respect Dr. MacArthur’s knowledge on the Bible, but I would love for him to comment regarding what I would consider to be some very UN-civil disobedience and violatoin of the authority at the time. Did the rebellious fellows that wrote the document I have quoted above sin?
Richard,
I believe that John’s point was that when Man’s law contradicts God’s Law, we should always obey God first. I would like to add that, that if, in our obedience to God, we are disobedient to civil law, that we submit ourselves to those same authorities when and if we are charged and possibly convicted.
Also, we are told to pay our taxes. No conditions were put on this command. If you don’t like where your tax money is going, then use your vote, among other lawful things to change it.
John,
I don’t see anything wrong with the points that you made. I do question the last paragraph, (this is just a hunch), but I’m sensing by your use of the word “activism” in your final paragraph that you are trying to make a greater point concerning our involvement in politics as Christians (”The Gospel and Politics”) than one might first assume you’re making up until that point. If I’m wrong, please forgive me.
The “legal recourse for fighting injustice”, in my mind, is a definition that would just about opens the doors for any involvement in political activism that is lawful.
Two cents
Thanks again for your ministry John
P.S. If I had a question that I would like for you to consider for topic, is there any way that I could submit that question to you?
Steve,
Was your post a response to Bruce’s comment? Are you really just looking for an excuse to speed?
I appreciated Dr. MacArthur’s teaching on this topic and do agree with him I do have a question as it regards the application to a specific area of concern. Does the injustice of abortion rise to the level where civil disobedience is allowed or even expected? If abortion does not warrant civil disobedience on the part of the church, then what would? I understand that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and that we are to be pro-occupied with the proclamation of truth. I also understand that we can not be side-tracked by every social issue that comes our way. But as it regards this one specific topic, I am wondering what our obligation is as a church, if any, in conjunction with prayer and the preaching of the word. Apparently my previous post asking this question was deemed inappropriate and was deleted. If that is the case with this post, would someone care to send me a response via my e-mail? Thank you so much. I love PULPIT and value your insight and instruction.
Steve Scott
Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Yet we know that there is always someone who may refuse to be at peace with us.
Likewise, though there are many laws, some of which we are ignorant of, we are charged to do our best to obey them. Ignorance of a law does not allow us an excuse from the penalty of breaking it. We are to submit to authorities should they choose to enforce the minutia of law out there. Each day we submit to various laws just to keep some order to our daily lives as we live shoulder to shoulder with other people.
We are to live godly lives (1 Timothy 4:7) wherever we are, and in whatever circumstance. And those same governments who control the evil, at times also come against those who are obedient to God. We are to submit to them as Paul did, Peter also did, and the remaining apostles, and other disciples since.
Steve,
I am not sure I follow your argument. The original article clearly states:”So we believe that civil disobedience is justified only when government compels us to sin, or when there is no legal recourse for fighting injustice.” Dr. McArthur clearly establishes that God is the final and ultimate authority and is to be obeyed rather than man. I in no way infer from his article that “Caesar has veto power over God”. I apologize if I misunderstand the spirit or logic of your response to the article. May you have a great day.
Richard, GOOD point!! Such as them passing the gay marraige deal. Or what about the ‘hate crime’ that is going to work its way to the U.S.?? Some of the government rules are down right an abomination in Gods eyes.
Pat Kruse
Excellent response! The Bible says, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matt 5:9). Because we are peacemakers, we should live as ambassadors of Christ as Paul explains in 2 Co 5:17-20:
[17] Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. [18] And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; [19] To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. [20] Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Obedience to the laws of the land strengthens our ability to reconcile men to God. A child of God doesn’t want to be seen as a hypocrite. As Dr. MacArthur said, as long as the laws of the land don’t cause us to sin against God, it’s imperative that we obey them. As citizens of citizens of a heaven kingdom, Christians set the example concerning obedience and this includes obedience to an imperfect government, whether you live in the U.S. or in Cuba.
I repeat: Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God (Matt 5:9).
CORRECTED COPY
Pat Kruse
Excellent response! The Bible says, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matt 5:9). Because we are peacemakers, we should live as ambassadors of Christ as Paul explains in 2 Co 5:17-20:
[17] Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. [18] And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; [19] To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. [20] Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Obedience to the laws of the land strengthens our ability to reconcile men to God. A child of God doesn’t want to be seen as a hypocrite. As Dr. MacArthur said, as long as the laws of the land don’t cause us to sin against God, it’s imperative that we obey them. As citizens of a heavenly kingdom, Christians set the example concerning obedience and this includes obedience to an imperfect government, whether you live in the U.S. or in Cuba.
I repeat: Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God (Matt 5:9).
I would certainly like some clarification on the founding fathers of this nation, many of whom I believe were Christian men, and whether or not by Bilical standards they would be considered outside of God’s law. Could unfair taxes be considered injustice?? These men rebelled against the authority placed above them and wound up damaging property, i.e., quite a bit of tea that was dumped into Boston Harbor. Do you believe there was any divine inspiration in the events that led to the rebellion that forged our nation?
John says, “when there is no legal recourse for injustice”, but what happens when there is a disagreement on what constitutes “injustice”?
Bryan,
If I may…
You said “but what happens when there is a disagreement on what constitutes “injustice”
I think that is inevitable and so, as with anything involving conscience, we need to be sure in our own mind, be confirmed by wise and godly counsel and able to (reasonably) demonstrate our claim if asked. If we are unable to aptly address the disagreement, perhaps we should reconsider our position.
In any case, I suspect civil-disobedience in any instance that isn’t requiring us to sin (as in, throw the male babies into the Potomac) we need to constantly re-evaluate and be willing to change our mind.
There will always be disagreement and we need to remember that we could be wrong.
About your first paragraph, I would suggest that there is divine inspiration/direction/will behind any act by anyone. That doesn’t justify sinful actions but it does allow us to say “God used sinful men, in their sin, to build a nation he wanted built.” (Not saying that the Revolution was sin or not, just using the example)
So…all that to say, we need to be careful to examine our hearts and actions, and to let them be examined by others. And we need to remember God is sovereign when examining past happenings, both to acknowledge that if it happened, it happened because God wanted it to, and that if men sinned, they are culpable before God.
Bryan,
I recommend to you John’s book “Why Government Can’t Save you.” In the first few chapters he talks about why rebellion is sinful, and how that relates to our nation’s founding. I won’t spoil his conclusion for you, but if it is a topic that interests you, that is the book to read.
Thanks,
Jesse
Jesse,
My post wasn’t a response to Bruce’s; his wasn’t posted yet. But it does apply perfectly, and Bruce is exactly right. There are two laws that contradict one another. The basic speed law is not to drive faster than it is safe. If the flow of traffic is going 85mph (Like on I-5 between SF and LA), and the speed limit is 65, I will drive 85 out of my concern for the safety of myself, passengers and others on the road as opposed to trying to obey the California legislature who has no clue as to the road conditions at the time. In doing so, I would be loving my neighbor as myself. The second greatest commandment ever given is greater than some trivial whim of politicians.
No, I’m not looking for a reason to “speed.” “Speeding” to me is defined as driving at an unsafe speed, not as exceeding the speed limit. If everybody else were driving 120mph, I’d get off the freeway.
Pat Kruse and Bill Toothman:
Where I disagree w/ Dr. MacAuthur is in when to not obey civil government. Since they have no biblical authority to do anything other than punish evildoers (and God is the only One who gets to define evil), laws they write are meaningless when set up against Christian liberty. It’s funny how Christians will fight to the death against legalism (adding to God’s word) in the family and church, but adding to God’s word is quite welcome in the civil realm. Since the government has no other authority other than punishment, any laws they write are necessarily a usurpation of somebody else’s authority given to them by God. God gave authority in the family, for example, to fathers/parents. For the state to pass a law telling me how to run my family, it is usurping my authority given to me by God. If I act on my authority, and I am at perfect liberty to do so, how is it even possible for the state to accuse me as a wrongdoer? So it isn’t necessary to be compelled to sin for me to disobey. As long as what I do falls within Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit, there is no law against such things. If I do a good deed that happens to be against civil law, I’m not constrained to do that good deed only if NOT doing it is sin. For somebody to say that we need to obey civil government even when something we do can be good, then Caesar has veto power in that case. Am I clear?
Isn’t it interesting how Paul wrote Romans 14 to follow Romans 13? Anything we are at liberty to do cannot be legislated against. After all, Jesus really didn’t have to heal on the Sabbath, did He? He was never directly commanded by the Father, and there were six other days. No, He was at liberty to do so because He had the autority.
“Ignorance of a law does not allow us an excuse from the penalty of breaking it.” Uhhhhm, acutally it does. Did you read my first post? Do you know every law there is? Do you actively devour all lawbooks to know every law? If not, why not? Do you know all laws passed at midnight sessions in secret? Why not? I would never accuse you of breaking one of those laws as being a criminal. Ten commandments are easy to remember, ten million are not. That’s why adding to God’s word is a sin. The government sins.
Steve,
The basic problem with your reasoning is really simple. Paul, in Romans, tells us to submit to the authorities.
If that meant only that they get to adjudicate God’s law, then why wouldn’t he say “Submit to God’s law or the government will get you”?
The answer to that can’t be that submitting only means “take the punishment like a man” otherwise what does “Wives submit to your husbands” or “Submit yourself to God” mean? Husbands certainly don’t have the authority to discipline or punish they’re wives, and only the unsaved with face God’s wrath so submission to him, by that definition, is impossible to avoid.
No, submission is obedience to something or someone, and so submission to the authorities is obedience to the laws of the land with the exception of those laws that require us to sin. Those laws, thankfully, are currently quite rare.
Steve & Jesse
Your thoughts on speeding peeked my curiousity. I was down in CA for the Shepherd’s Conference and funny enough, found myself driving the speed limit without any cause for concern for either myself or my neigbours “whom I love.”
I think your comment about “an excuse to speed” is simply that - an excuse. The speed limit is posted for a reason and regardless if we agree with it we must follow it. This is one topic most christians like to debate which to me seems to be an issue of the heart. It’s posted - why debate it. Just follow it. I once read somewhere, “you can’t be a good christian and a bad citizen at the same time.”
It’s these types of issue that remind me of a verse in 1 Samuel 15:23 which reads, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” (NJKV).
Keep the faith gentlemen . . . and the speedlimit
Joe M said:
“I think your comment about ‘an excuse to speed’ is simply that - an excuse. The speed limit is posted for a reason and regardless if we agree with it we must follow it. This is one topic most christians like to debate which to me seems to be an issue of the heart.”
Excuse? Hardly. Yes, it is an issue of the heart. I prefer not to have my conscience lorded over by politicians in Washington and Sacramento. It’s owned by Christ.
Steve,
So, if I understand you right, it’s more holy to disobey the law on principle (after all, God didn’t make a speed limit) than it is to obey the law?
You’re not thinking clearly I don’t think,
This is all fine in the theoretical. But what would you do if you lived in China?
Richard,
How would that be different? There would be more laws that would need to be disobeyed because they require a person to sin, but otherwise, same situation. No?
I once knew a man who was a board member of the church I was attending at the time who made this statement:
“I don’t care what the bible says, I like to speed.”
It is an issue of the heart
His heart was right… it was just where he chose to do it that made him in conflict with the bible. I recently took some customers to the Dale Jarrett Racing Experience at Talladega Raceway. We all got 40 laps each in a real NASCAR and I got up to 175 mph in mine. You can’t tell me that rush isn’t totally Godly. It lies in your male DNA, God’s code for who you are and who you will become. Speed is good!! Just don’t violate the laws of the land to do it.
And seriously, isn’t that what sin is?? Whether it is speeding, pre-marital sex, or just about anything that serves self, we say in our heart… God I know this is wrong but I am going to do it anyway. So can you really judge his heart? He was verbalizing what all of us do privately in our minds… The only time I can think of when sin is not this deliberate is when we fool ourselves by justifying it or by just being in denial.
Steve,
Is Romans 13 written to believers or to the governing authorities? It seems that you believe it is a prescription for how governments ought to be limited, not for how believers ought to behave.
Also, you insist that the text is dealing only with submitting to punishment by governments. This completely ignores the passage itself. Verse 2 states that punishment is the outcome of resisting authorities. Resisting the authority is the problem, not resisting the judgment.
Verse 3 says that “doing good” will result in praise from these same, and verse 4 says that doing evil will result in punishment. The warning is against doing evil (”be afraid”), not against failing to submit to the punishment which results.
Verse 5 states that you should be subject because of both wrath and conscience, indicating that the wrath follows non-submission. We are to be subject before the wrath happens. The point is to avoid wrath, not submitting to wrath when it comes.
You’re putting the cart before the horse here. It is a warning regarding wrath/judgment that follows non-submission, not a warning about submitting to that judgment.
In short, you said:
“I believe the context is quite clear that the only subjection required is in submitting to criminal punishment for doing evil.”
This statement completely ignores the text itself which clearly states that punishment for doing evil is a result of not submitting.
Just my two cents,
Keith
Daryl asks:
“So, if I understand you right, it’s more holy to disobey the law on principle (after all, God didn’t make a speed limit) than it is to obey the law?”
I don’t think you understand me, as in your analysis the second great commandment, “thou shalt love thy neigbor as thyself” (as a reason I might not obey the speed limit) is reduced to a mere “principle” while the whimsical dictates of a detached, uninformed, non-omniscient group of politicians are elevated to “the law.”
Yes, God didn’t make a speed limit because He knew that for such things a one-size fits all law is inappropriate. Salvation by law is always inappropriate. It’s also why He forbids adding to His law - which by the way the state has no problem doing and too many Christians gleefully accept. God intended for communities to govern themselves. Solomon makes this evident in Proverbs 6: “go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having NO CHIEF, OFFICER OR RULER, prepares her food in the summer, and gathers her provision in the harvest.” The sluggard needs some kind of one-size fits all law instead of using the wisdom and judgment God gives us to discern the best action for a given situation. And as Bruce said above when he introduced the speed limit to this discussion, the artifically low speed limit imposed by the state is actually more dangerous. Putting people in greater danger for the sake of obeying the state is a Christian virtue? (Psalm 94:20)
Would it have been a sin for Jesus to refrain from healing on the Sabbath in accordance with the dictates of the legitimate authority of the synagogue officials? After all, He had six other days to heal.