In these divided times, there are two polar views of how Christianity is expressed. Postmodernity has polarized society more and more each day. One regularly sees the back and forth of this manifesting public discourse and in the chapel.
One view of Christianity has equated spirituality with civil obedience. Within this view, a believer may cite Romans 13:1-7 (ESV), namely, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities,” Titus 3:1, “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient,” and 1 Peter 2:13-17, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.” They will compare piety to submission when it aligns with their political allegiance. This is amplified with Christian-American theocratic rhetoric that is washed in a selective historical analysis attempting to equate America as a perfect Christian nation. Within those limits, one might conclude that all America’s rules are equal to God’s rules.
Most of this is because the systems of power are easier to maintain when one’s political opinions align with the party in power. When the church wields this power, it can appear to be right because there is an assumption that the church is speaking from a position of truth or as an oracle of God. This is dangerous because culture wars have created a quest for power, and by all measurements, the church has been losing power for some time. So a vocal minority within the church has presented an alluring reality where the church should embrace its power to mandate change. (For a much deeper look at this, read Reckoning with Power: Why the Church Fails When It’s on the Wrong Side of Power by David Fitch.)
The Christian has a responsibility to use and wield power properly; their first power is their autonomy. So when a Christian faces a circumstance that is pointing outside of their moral compass, should they submit to the government because God ordained it’s very presence, or should they resist the government because its rule is oppressive to the Kingdom of God?
One cannot ignore the above scriptures when thinking about civil obedience, but more importantly, shouldn’t one consider the whole counsel of scripture regarding civil disobedience? The outcomes of civil obedience in these circumstances would have been dire for our faith. Moses would have never delivered Israel (Exodus 1:17-21). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have bowed to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue (Daniel 3:16-18); their obedience would have been idolatry but also would have meant that the theophany would not have happened. Daniel would have stopped praying to honor the king’s decree (Daniel 6:10), and Esther would have remained silent, allowing her people to perish (Esther 4:13-16), and Mordecai would have thus been executed.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list but rather to cause us to think: Is civil obedience required of the believer? Isaiah speaks prophetically: “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people.” (Isaiah 10:1-2). God is interested in making sure that governments make just laws. God is the power by which all government can have authority, and from that, His character is made clear: “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).
Romans 13 is not a call to submit to evil, but to submit to just governance under God’s law. His kingdom is “not of this world: “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is “not of this world.” (John 18:36). There are times when our conscience tells us that a law is oppressively unjust, and in those moments, we should resist the temptation to participate in the oppression of others, seeing it in parallel to the temptation of Christ: “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” (Luke 4:5-8).
📚 Suggested Reading:Reckoning with Power: Why the Church Fails When It’s on the Wrong Side of Power
As followers of Christ, we are called not just to believe in justice but to actively pursue it. Civil obedience, when it enforces oppression, is not a virtue but a betrayal of the gospel’s call to love our neighbors. The early church thrived not because it blended with the empire but because it stood apart from it, embodying the Kingdom of God in ways that challenged unjust authorities.
Christians today must reclaim this prophetic witness. We are called to defend the vulnerable, to resist laws that contradict the character of God, and to stand with the oppressed. We cannot be silent in the face of injustice; rather, we must use our voices, our influence, and our resources to advocate for all people.
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20). May we live in such a way that our allegiance to Christ is unmistakable, resisting injustice wherever it seeks to pervert the justice of God.