I tend to be a bit obsessive. I get on a topic or task and drill down deeper and deeper. My recent obsession is the topic of civil disobedience. I’ve already preached two sermons on the subject. I recently shared several principles for breaking the law in a righteous man. Before that, I did a quick study of 5 people celebrated in the scriptures for breaking human laws. You may also want to check out my previous post on this topic. Today’s post is the first in a series of four posts about people in the Bible who bravely broke man-made laws in order to honor a higher law from God.
Let’s begin by considering Peter and Paul, whose lives were marked by obedience and righteous resistance. Paul’s comments in Romans 13:1-3—calling believers to submit to governing authorities—have often been invoked to justify compliance with human law. However, Peter and Paul’s actions reveal a deeper truth: obedience to earthly rulers is not absolute when those rulers act in opposition to divine justice.
Romans 13:1-3 states, “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.” On the surface, this passage seems to advocate unwavering submission. But Peter and Paul’s lives—filled with defiance against oppressive leaders—demonstrate a profound understanding that earthly laws are only legitimate when they align with God’s justice.
Peter’s writings also speak of our duty to (as a rule) submit to earthly authority. In 1 Peter 2:13-17, he wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”
Yet time and again, Peter & Paul challenged the status quo by disobeying earthly authorities and man-made laws that didn’t square with God’s justice. They were imprisoned multiple times for preaching the Gospel, directly violating governmental decrees that sought to silence them. They stood before rulers, not in meek compliance, but in bold assertion of divine truth. Their writings and actions together form a dynamic message: human laws are only just when they uphold righteousness and protect the dignity of all people.
In our own time, this tension remains deeply relevant. Here in Springfield, Ohio, immigrants and refugees face the threat of deportation under policies that fail to reflect true justice and compassion. If Paul’s life teaches us anything, it is that faith demands action in the face of injustice. Just as he resisted laws that sought to silence truth and oppress the vulnerable, we too are called to stand for those who suffer under unjust systems. We must be able to distinguish just laws from laws that deny justice.
Consider this passage from Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail on the Christian’s duty to disobey unjust laws:
One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all….A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.….Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. …. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.
Paul’s legacy and that of Martin Luther King challenge us to recognize that faithful obedience to God transcends human legislation. When we choose righteousness over mere compliance, we honor his teachings and actions. By speaking out against injustice, we affirm the sacred duty to follow God’s higher moral law, shaping a future where justice, love, and human dignity prevail.
King also wrote, “But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day, I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.”
The last sentence rings true today. One factor in the “de-churching” of America is the loss of the church’s prophetic voice, particularly the recent compromises of the evangelical church in its alignment with political leaders whose vision of law and order and a just society is at odds with the good news of the gospel and the bible’s teaching on caring for the poor and welcoming immigrants and refugees.
Perhaps, if the church follows the example of Peter, Paul, and Martin Luther King, Jr., they will return.
