Is Civil Disobedience Biblical?

There has been alot of discussion in the media lately about civil disobedience over the Obama Administrations contraception mandate. I don't usually comment on politics mostly because of how often pulpits and pastoral positions are used as a political stump. But I felt that this was important for each of you to know what your role is as Citizens of the Kingdom of God. There are serious problems with the mandate because on many levels it forces Christians and churches to go against conscience and against the teachings of Scripture. As citizens of the Kingdom, we pledge our allegiance first to King Jesus. When any government places demands on Christians to comply with a law or mandate that is contrary to the scriptures, violates conscience, and forces us to choose Caesar over Christ, then Christians not only are free to disobey - they must! This includes matters of justice and mercy which are at the heart of the gospel. The Jewish Sanhedrin mandated that Peter and John stop preaching Christ. But Peter and John replied: “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19–20) Another fine example is when the Hebrew midwives refused to obey the mandate of Pharaoh to kill all of the newborn Hebrew males. "The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live...So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own." (Exodus 1:17–21) A modern example is the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s over the unjust treatment of Black Americans. 

But there are some rules we must follow when speaking out on issues or disobeying the government over its unjust mandates. If you read the full account in Acts 4, Peter and John graciously AND courageously interact with the Sanhedrin. Paul also says: "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6) Furthermore, Peter and John kept Christ at the center of their interaction with the Sanhedrin. In their defense they preached Christ to the men there. Often Christians interact with politics in a way that is Christless. We must remember we represent Christ, not a political party! Therefore we must keep Christ at the forefront of our interaction with the world or with politics. Ultimately that is what all clashes with the civil authorities is about. 

If you would like to read more on this particular matter, some insightful articles have been written recently. Click on the links below.    - Pastor Dave

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/02/14/evangelicals-leaders-call-for-civil-disobedience-against-u-s-government/


http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/01/23/why-christians-should-be-concerned-about-the-obama-administrations-contraception-mandate/