Claim: The Bible says we should always obey the government, and always trust the government.
What does the Bible say? Let's go to the source.
I will first make the point that obeying the Government and trusting the Government are two completely different things; many people lately have claimed that they are the same thing, but they certainly are not.
While the New Testament is very strong in saying we should obey the authorities, the Bible as a whole is even stronger in saying when and why we should not obey them.
And the Bible is unanimous in saying we should not put our trust in fallible human beings, but in God.
PASSAGES THAT SAY WE SHOULD OBEY THE GOVERNMENT
These passages are self-explanatory; they speak for themselves. Under “normal” circumstances we should obey the government.
Romans 13:1-5 ESV
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
1 Peter 2:13-15 ESV
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
Titus 3:1-2 ESV
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
PASSAGES THAT SAY WE SHOULD PAY TAXES
Jesus’ instruction to pay taxes is also completely self-explanatory.
Luke 20:19-26 BSB
When the scribes and chief priests realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against them, they sought to arrest Him that very hour. But they were afraid of the people.
So they watched Him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of the governor. “Teacher,” they inquired, “we know that You speak and teach correctly. You show no partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
But Jesus saw through their duplicity and said to them, “Show Me a denarius.c Whose image and inscription are on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they answered.
So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
And they were unable to trap Him in His words before the people; and amazed at His answer, they fell silent.
PASSAGES THAT SAY WE SHOULD NOT TRUST THE GOVERNMENT
The Bible is not very flattering about governments, over all, particularly the individuals who make up a government.
While there is an implied trust in the government in the statement in 1 Peter (quoted above) about obeying governors as sent by Him (God) to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good - do we not need to watch carefully what our governors and leaders are doing?
If they are punishing those who do good and praising those who do evil, then we should not trust such a government. Whether we should keep obeying them is another question.
Humans are not only fallible, but their plans perish when they die. The following passages are just some of many passages throughout the Bible that tell us not to trust mortal human beings, but rather, to put our trust in God.
Psalm 146:3-4 BSB
Put not your trust in princes,
in mortal man, who cannot save.
When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground;
on that very day his plans perish.
Psalm 118:9 BSB
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
Isaiah 31:1-2 BSB
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD. Yet He too is wise and brings disaster; He does not call back His words. He will rise up against the house of the wicked and against the allies of evildoers.
Isaiah 2:22 BSB
Put no more trust in man,
who has only the breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?
Jeremiah 17:5-6 BSB
This is what the LORD says:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind,
who makes the flesh his strength
and turns his heart from the LORD.
He will be like a shrub in the desert;
he will not see when prosperity comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
PASSAGES THAT TELL US WHEN WE SHOULD DISOBEY THE GOVERNMENT
Now it says in the Romans example above, rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad - but what about when rulers are actually a terror to good conduct, and reward bad conduct?
There are several notable instances in the Bible of people disobeying evil instructions given by the lawful authorities, and receiving the favour of God.
WE SHOULD DISOBEY THE GOVERNMENT WHEN THEY TELL US TO DO SOMETHING THAT IS HARMFUL TO OTHERS
The story of the Hebrew midwives in Exodus chapter 1 is a wonderful example that tells us that we should disobey the government when they are telling us to do something that is wrong and harms or kills others:
Exodus 1:15-21 BSB
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”
The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”
So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.
James Tissot - c 1900 - Pharaoh and the Midwives.
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This might well have an application today.
Let us say, to use a hypothetical example, that a government authority commanded nurses to give an injection or vaccine to children that was very harmful to them, much more harmful than the disease they were being vaccinated against. If the nurses in this hypothetical instance injected those children with a saline solution instead of the harmful vaccine it appears that they would be doing the will of God. If the nurses were then questioned about this, and lied, saying (for instance) “Oh, it must be a different batch”, I believe this scripture indicates, on the basis that the Hebrew Midwives were approved, that these hypothetical nurses would also receive God’s approval.
I should say a nurse in such a situation must turn to God and seek His will. God will surely show the right way to go, to someone who is seeking Him.
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CHRISTIANS SHOULD DISOBEY THE GOVERNMENT WHEN THEY TELL US NOT TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS’ DEATH AND RESURRECTION
The next example is very clear. If the authorities tell us not to tell people the gospel, that is, the good news about Jesus’s death and resurrection and the forgiveness of our sins, we should not obey them.
Acts 5:25-32 BSB
…someone came in and announced, “Look, the men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people!”
At that point, the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles—but not by force, for fear the people would stone them. They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.”
But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
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WE SHOULD DISOBEY THE GOVERNMENT WHEN THEY TELL US TO WORSHIP FALSE GODS
The next example from Daniel is about a situation where a governing authority sets up an idol and commands everyone to worship it.
Daniel tells us that Nebuchadnezzar set up an idol and commanded people to worship it, otherwise he would throw them in a dreadful fiery furnace; probably the furnace in which the golden idol was made.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s reply to this command was very wise. They said, “We will not obey you and bow down to the idol, you can throw us in the fire, God is able to deliver us, but even if he doesn’t deliver us, we are still not going to obey you.”
This is very wise, because our obedience to God (and disobedience to the State when it commands us to do something that we know is against God’s law) shouldn’t depend on what the consequences turn out to be.
Our faith doesn’t have to be sufficient to save us from the consequences; we don’t have to bear that burden of thinking we failed if something bad happens when we obey God.
That is what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were saying - Yes, God is able deliver us from the consequences, but even if He doesn’t, we will still obey God, and disobey you, Nebuchadnezzar!
We must not think that they managed to do any of this without persistent prayer and dependance on God and complete trust in Him.
Daniel 3:13-18 BSB
Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious with rage, summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden statue I have set up? Now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue I have made. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If the God whom we serve exists, then He is ablee to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.”
Images from the Ishtar Gate, from the ruins of Nebuchadnezzar II’s palace; now in the Pergamon Museum.
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BUT ESPECIALLY DON’T OBEY A GOVERNMENT THAT SAYS YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO BUY OR SELL UNLESS YOU TAKE A MARK ON YOUR WRIST AND FOREHEAD.
The main thing that we should take from all these readings is that whenever the government wants us to do something that is against God’s will (which is summed up by the two greatest commandments, loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbours as ourselves), we must be prepared to obey God and to suffer the consequences of disobeying the government.
The next example is prophetic, from the book of Revelation.
Beasts in apocalyptic literature are kingdoms, empires, world powers. Exactly what world power the second beast is, I will not venture to guess or explain; but what I can tell you is that to refuse the mark on the wrist or the forehead is unquestionably an act of civil disobedience. To not take that mark and to refuse to worship that beast is quite simply, to disobey a government.
Unless we are abiding in Jesus, in other words, spending time in God’s presence in prayer and resting in Him, we will surely not even notice if an occasion comes up in our lives when we should be disobeying the government. It is very important to spend time in prayer and rest in God’s presence. Otherwise we will not be ready for the testing times when they come; not just times when we might have to disobey a government, but perhaps times of trial involving job problems, or family issues, or unjust persecution or other troubles. We all must go through troubles, and to be ready for them, we must pray and seek God.
Revelation 13:11-15 & 14:8-12 BSB
Then I saw another beast (the second beast) rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.
And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.
And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.
Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is Six hundred and Sixty Six.
…Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
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PASSAGES THAT SAY GOD WILL LOOK AFTER US
If we were find we are living in the times spoken of in Revelation 13 and 14, it would be better to die of hunger than take the mark of the beast, which will have eternal bad consequences.
Nonetheless, we always need to remember that God has promised look after our daily needs for food, clothing and shelter.
So even if, in some future or present circumstance, Christians can’t buy or sell because we have decided to obey God rather than the authorities, or Christians find themselves persecuted and excluded because of our faith, God makes many promises in the Bible that He will look after our daily needs in those circumstances.
Nonetheless, we must ask Him for help. We must spend time in prayer, both individually and communally.
This teaching has an application for many of us who after prayer and much anguish believed that God did not want us to take the Coronavirus vaccine, and so we have consequently suffered the loss of our jobs.
This teaching was relevant to those who did not take an oath to the Communist Party in the USSR or Eastern Germany, during the Communist Era, when it was required for employment or education.
Such situations require prayer and trusting God; it’s no use refusing the oath and not saturating the situation with prayer. God will see us through but we must ask Him for help. In A Christian in East Germany by Johannes Hamel, SCM Press 1960, Hamel, a Lutheran pastor, recounts miraculous answers to prayer in response to such situations. For instance, when a young man is about to enter university, he is required to say an oath to the Communist Party in order to do his studies. Through a series of circumstances it is discovered that this student didn't say the oath, nonetheless, he is allowed to continue his studies; something that is certainly an answer to this family’s prayers.
I’ve collected three scripture passages that reassure us that God will look after believers in every circumstance.
Matthew 6:25-34 BSB
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?f
And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
1 Kings 17:1-6 BSB
Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead,a said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”
Then a revelation from the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook.
Exodus 16:11-17 BSB
Then the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’ ”
That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may take an omer for each person in your tent.’ ”
So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less. When they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall.d Each one gathered as much as he needed to eat.
A PASSAGE OFTEN TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT
The next passage is an interesting one.
I have heard people quote the Bible, saying, “Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft,” with the intended meaning that someone who rebels against the government is as bad in God’s sight as someone who is doing witchcraft; (more literally, the word witchcraft could be translated divination). They are trying to say that we should not disobey the government because if we do, we will be as bad as witches or diviners.
This interpretation takes this passage grievously out of context.
RULERS WHO DISOBEY GOD ARE REBELS, AS BAD AS WITCHCRAFT
In fact, the real interpretation is the opposite of what they are trying to say.
You see, in this passage, Samuel is rebuking the King, Saul, who has rebelled against God. The King is in fact the rebel; so this Biblical passage is actually saying that the government leader that rebels against God is sinning as badly as if he/she was doing witchcraft.
Samuel 15:22-23 BSB
But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”
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KING SAUL AND DAVID
King Saul is in fact a very good example of a ruler or government who should not be obeyed.
David, in this situation, was the future King David. He escaped from Saul, who was trying to kill him. David’s escape was saturated with prayer – some of the Psalms were explicitly written by David during this period in his life. (Psalm 63, 59, 34, & 52)
The lesson of David’s time of persecution by King Saul is, if you are in a situation in which you are forced to disobey the government, it is essential that you turn to God in prayer and seek his help.
Samuel 22:11-21 BSB
Then the king sent messengers to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and his father’s whole family, who were priests at Nob. And all of them came to the king. “Listen now, son of Ahitub,” said Saul.
“Here I am, my lord,” he replied.
And Saul asked him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God for him so that he could rise up against me to lie in wait, as he is doing today.”
Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard who is honored in your house? Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of my father’s household, for your servant knew nothing of this whole affair—not in part or in whole.”
But the king replied, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!”
Then the king ordered the guards at his side, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they did not tell me.”
But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.
So the king ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests!”
And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests himself. On that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. He also put to the sword Nob, the city of the priests, with its men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.
But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.
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King Saul ordered his servants to kill the priests of the Lord and they disobeyed; unquestionably the correct decision.
If the government orders the police or the army to use violence against peaceful civilians, whose only crime is to disagree with the government about something, those orders must be disobeyed. The believers in God among Saul’s servants, who were Jews, refused to obey King Saul. So King Saul had to order an unbelieving foreigner, Doeg the Edomite, to kill the priests.
WHEN THERE WAS NO LONGER TRUTH IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE
But what about us? We can easily point to the evil our rulers are doing.
The more troubling question is: what do we do about the wrong that we ourselves have done?
Chesterton is supposed to have said, when the Times sent out an inquiry to famous authors asking, “What is wrong with the world?”
“Dear Sir,
I am.
Yours, G.K. Chesterton.”
The answer is, God sent a redeemer to save us from our sins.
Isaiah 59: 12-15, 17 BSB
For our transgressions are multiplied before You,
and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions are indeed with us,
and we know our iniquities:
rebelling and denying the LORD,
turning away from our God,
speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.
So justice is turned away,
and righteousness stands at a distance.
For truth has stumbled in the public square,
and honesty cannot enter.
Truth is missing,
and whoever turns from evil becomes prey.
The LORD looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no man;
He was amazed that there was no one to intercede.
So His own arm brought salvation,
and His own righteousness sustained Him.
He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on His head;
He put on garments of vengeance
and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.
“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who turn from transgression.”
GOD SENT A REDEEMER: JESUS.
For our sins, God sent a redeemer, Jesus, to save us by dying on the cross, so that our sins can be forgiven.
John 3: 15-21 BSB
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”
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LAST WORD ON CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
I certainly haven’t exhausted everything that the Bible says about this topic. If you have suggestions about more Bible passages I could add to this post, please put them in the comments!
You will see below that this post has caused me a lot of trouble and many revisions! I think that this is because I see this issue as one in which we who are living in the Western World need a lot of guidance in these days. I pray that God will guide you, dear reader, and I pray he will guide me as well, for we sorely need His guidance.
Let no one think he or she can safely disobey the lawful authorities without first asking for God’s guidance about the matter.
Revision History
3 April Deleted a section of explanation of Revelation that was too long and involved.
12 April deleted some superfluous repetitions and unpublished this post.
14 April revised again and republished