Songtime Q&A with Pastor Bob Burrelli

Question: All my Christian life I have been taught to submit to authority, both secular and Christian. Must I do this in every instance, even when authority is wrong?

The specific biblical commands for believers to obey those in authority over them, regardless if those authorities are Christian or not, abound:

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established (Romans 13:1)"; "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account (Hebrew 13:17)"; "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22)"; "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right (Ephesians 6:1)". Is this always right to do in every instance, even when the authorities to whom we submit are wrong? It all depends what you mean by "wrong".

Most of the time, it is not a matter of right or wrong, but a matter of preference. We might not like to buckle up when we drive, but government has passed a seat-belt law. Several in the congregation do not approve of the Elders' choice to have a Sunday evening worship service, but they must submit to spiritual leadership under God. A wife may consider her husband's solution to a great family dilemma to be inadequate and offer a better one, but in the end he has the final say. She must concede to his course of action. A child might honestly believe that his parents' decision to move to another state is wrong, because for him it means making new friends.

In these contexts, while we may find the decisions made by the authorities over us mysterious, illogical, not to our liking, or simply not the best, we would be sinning if we did not submit. God expects us to.

On other occasions, when "wrong" is understood as contrary to God's Word, we must disobey the authority over us in order to obey God. If preaching the gospel was against the law, Christians should prepared to go to jail. If the Elders were teaching a false gospel and refused to stop, a spirit-filled congregation should reject them. If a husband asked his wife to rob a bank with him, she should say no. If Christian children were ordered by their parents to shoplift for them, these children should refuse.

In these contexts, we are put into a situation where obeying authority means disobeying God. When that happens, we must disobey authority. God expects us to.

The biblical principle is this: God expects Christians to obey their authorities without disobeying Him (cf. Acts 4:19-20; 5:29). It may not be easy to practice in every situation, but it is absolutely necessary.