November
7 Bible Reading: Acts Chapters 4-6
We should OBEY GOD rather than PEOPLE!
But
Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God
rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by
hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and
Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His
witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to
those who obey Him." (Acts 5:29-32)
It is worth
noting that the apostles had prayed previously for boldness to speak God’s Word
(Acts 4:29). God had answered their prayers fully, and now with courage from
above they insisted that their obligation was to obey God rather than men. In
fact, they had left the Sanhedrin the last time with these parting words: "Whether it is right in the sight of
God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the
things which we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:19-20)
Now, Peter
and the other apostles pled guilty to the charges countered against them but
justified themselves by the authority of God. We should note that through this
justification, Peter was not sanctioning civil disobedience as he makes clear
in his first epistle (1 Pet. 2:13–17) and Paul makes it clear as well (Rom.
13:1–7). Peter was not so much advocating open defiance against the state as he
was placing his absolute dependence
upon God!
In
responding to the accusation of disobedience to authority, Peter had put that
charge in its proper context. Before his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had
departed, this was the direct command that he had received from Jesus: "…you shall be witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem…" (Acts 1:8) Now, the High Priest and the religious council
were telling them: "Did we not
strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled
Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!"
(Acts 5:28) Whose command was Peter and the apostles to obey now? The Word in
Life Study Bible mentions five ways
how Peter and the other apostles reacted to this conflicting issue:
- Their aim was to serve and glorify
God. They were not
motivated by ego or out to protect their own power.
- Their point of disobedience was
specific and particular. They did not resist the authority of the Jewish council in total.
- They approached the situation with a
spirit of submissiveness toward both the council and God. They did not harbor rebellious anger
toward authority in general.
- They delivered a positive, factual
message about God’s plan and power in loving truth. They did not slander or show
disrespect to their superiors.
- They accepted the cost of being loyal
to the truth without rancor or bitterness. In fact, they departed from the council rejoicing
that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus (v. 41)
What should we do when faced with a
conflict between human authority and God’s authority? When faced with such a dilemma, we
need step back and realize that ‘all
authority comes from God’. When any authority commands us to do what God
has forbidden, or forbids us to do what God has commanded, we (as God’s
children) must obey the origin of all authority: God Himself. We submit to
governmental authority because it is God who has instituted that authority. When
we submit to the dictates of government, we are actually submitting to God.
However, when there is a direct contradiction between God and human authority,
our answer should be the same as Peter: “We
will obey God rather than people!” (v. 29)
This is the only position for us to have when we have God’s Word on our side. We should hold on to this position by conviction rather than just an opinion. We should normally obey civil government, but when it goes contrary to the explicit commands of God we must obey God and be ready to suffer the consequences. It is worth noting what Peter and the other apostles continued to do after being beaten and commanded not to speak anymore in the name of Jesus (v. 40): "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." (Acts 5:42)
