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A Time for Disobedience

October 8th, 2008 by Jeremy Sprouse

Obedience characterizes the life and faith of a true Christian. Obedience is the natural result of our love for God (John 14:15). By the command of God, we are also to submit ourselves (i.e., obey) to some human authorities (e.g., government, parents). Peter, however, tells us “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). While we are to peacefully submit ourselves to a few human authorities, if there should ever come a time where they require us to disobey God we should not obey them. It is a time for disobedience.
We are told to obey governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7). We are to do this to avoid God’s condemnation (13:2), the government’s punishments (13:3-4) and for our own conscience (13:5). As Jesus was sending out the twelve, he knew they would be disobeying the law and He warned them they would be dragged before the courts and scourged (10:17-19). Peter and John were commanded by Jewish rulers not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18, 5:27-28), but they did anyway. Should the government make it illegal to teach certain parts of God’s Word, we need to have the courage to teach them regardless of the cost to our lives.
We are told to obey our parents (Ephesians 6:1). God has always put special emphasis on this commandment and promises a better life if we follow it (Ephesians 6:2-3). Jesus, however, taught us to put Him above our own family (Matthew 10:34-38). In this passage, Jesus teaches His message will cause divisions in families. A man will be set against his father. A woman will be set against her mother (10:35). Jesus even says our enemies may be the members of our own household (10:36). Sometimes the members of our family can act as stumbling blocks taking us away from God (i.e., keeping us from attending, encouraging us to sin, etc.). I know a man whose parents told him they would kick him out of the house if he obeyed the Gospel. At the age of fifteen, he still obeyed the Gospel and was kicked out of his house. Nevertheless, he stayed faithful and committed to Christ. This is the kind of commitment Jesus desires in His disciples. We need to have the courage to follow Christ, even when our family isn’t.
There will never be a time in our lives when it acceptable to disobey God. There may be a time, however, when we need to disobey the government or our parents. If their actions and instruction tells us to go against God and His Word, we must disregard what they say and follow God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Bulletin Articles.

One Comment on “A Time for Disobedience”

  1. On October 9th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
    Steve said:

    Good Article

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