OK to stand against government injustice

The way some folks teach Romans 13:1-7, you’d think God’s intention was to turn all of his people into slaves.

They’d have to do whatever any government officials wanted them to, whenever they wanted it done.

To go in depth in this crucial passage would require a book-length work, and not one short article in the newspaper. If the reader is interested in that larger effort, I have written one, and it’s available in paperback and Kindle formats at Amazon.com. Look for “Resistance to Tyrants: Romans 13 and the Christian Duty to Oppose Wicked Rulers.”

For now, though, let’s be a little less ambitious. Here are some biblical considerations that ought to make you rethink the idea that Romans 13 is telling you to yield unqualified obedience to government.

First, in terms of overall Bible context, the Scripture never tells believers to yield unqualified obedience to anyone other than God.

Abigail defied the wishes of her foolish husband and wound up saving many lives. If she had obeyed him, a slaughter would have ensued (1Samuel 25).

Conversely, Sapphira paid a steep price for going along with her husband’s wishes (Acts 5).

In like manner, the Gospels and Acts are filled with instances in which even the direct orders of the religious establishment were righteously defied. Also, Peter anticipates that Christian slaves will suffer for disobeying unrighteous orders from their masters (1Peter 2:18-21).

So, the point is that within family government and church government, the legitimate holders of authority are not to expect unlimited obedience. Authority that comes from God should be judiciously wielded according to God’s commandments. As soon as these authorities step outside that boundary, they are no longer to be obeyed.

But some teachers come along and suggest that all forms of civil government must be meticulously obeyed, even to points of obvious ridiculousness like not removing your mattress tags. Why? Because Romans 13.

This makes no sense.

This slavish view would oppose much of what the Bible itself refers to as positive, heroic action. The Hebrew midwives and Rahab of Jericho all lie to their tyrant kings and earn mentions of honor in the New Testament. Heroes dispatch oppressive kings in the book of Judges. And the Apostle Peter boldly declares, to a council that wielded civil authority, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Slavish obedience to unjust government is never modeled or advocated by the Bible’s heroes.

Finally, in terms of the wording of Romans 13:1-7, the government is referred to as God’s servant, or minister. Government’s job is to punish evildoers and reward those who do right. It deals out God’s own vengeance against those who do wrong.

Now, consider for a moment: If it’s God’s servant, dishing out God’s vengeance, whose definitions of right and wrong, do you suppose, it ought to be enforcing? Its own?

Be assured, I’m not equating righteous disobedience with armed rebellion. Far from it. There are many ways of defying tyranny that do not demand violence.

I’m also not suggesting that this defiance should be undertaken lightly, without weighing all options against the Bible’s instruction.

I am saying, however, that both the Scripture and American history stand squarely in the corner of those who would take a bold stand against injustice, even when it’s being enforced at the business end of government arms.

Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at:

[email protected]