What is Biblical Civil Disobedience? (The Bible’s Answer for Justice, Part 9)
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By Ben Quine
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Proverbs 29:2)
God’s Word shows us the best way to live. Believers are supposed to live righteous lives marked by virtue. We are supposed to honor and obey the government. But when the wicked rule, they harm the people by enacting unjust laws and unbiblical policies. So Scripture also authorizes civil disobedience, that is, obeying God’s law when doing so requires disobeying human edicts.
But biblical civil disobedience doesn’t mean we can just do whatever we want, and it doesn’t mean we can disobey any law we don’t like. So what should we do when the government becomes unjust? And what should our civil disobedience look like?
First, we should speak out and hold wicked leaders accountable to God’s Word:
For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” (Matthew 14:3-4)
Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord. (I Kings 21:20)
Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. (II Samuel 12:7-9)
John the Baptist, the prophet Elijah, and the prophet Nathan stood firm in God’s truth, and spoke out against the evil practices of their rulers (Ephesians 4:15). The rulers did not regard their own behavior as evil in their own sight, but it was evil in the sight of God. Those who know and understand God’s Word are often the final check against an out-of-control government.
Next, quietly and simply disobey.
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives… “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. (Exodus 1:15-21)
Saving the lives of the babies from Pharaoh’s edict was noble and God-sanctioned. And while lying is evil, God apparently did not require the Hebrew midwives to incriminate themselves before Pharaoh. (See also the story of Rahab in Joshua chapter 2.) God approved of these actions and blessed the midwives with families of their own.
Vote and run for office.
In some countries the citizens are blessed with opportunities that were not available in Bible times — specifically, the opportunity to influence their government directly through elections. When we remember the groaning of the people who suffer under the rule of the wicked, there can be no doubt that voting for God-fearing leaders is an act of doing good (Galatians 6:9-10).
Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. (Exodus 18:21)
“In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular [party] of the candidate—look to his character… It is alleged by men of loose principles or defective views of the subject that religion and morality are not necessary or important qualifications for political stations. But the Scriptures teach a different doctrine. They direct that rulers should be men ‘who rule in the fear of God, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.’” (Exodus 18:21) Noah Webster, Father of American Scholarship and Education
Christians have a moral responsibility to vote when permitted, to safeguard free and fair elections, and to oppose ungodly leaders (like Haman, Ahab, or Nebuchadnezzar). We must always elect lawmakers like Daniel, Moredcai, or Nehemiah, who will write just laws according to God’s Word, and who will repeal any unjust laws.
We are not looking to elect perfect leaders (the only perfect leader is Jesus Christ, and when he returns as the conquering King, his headship will not be up for a vote!); we are looking instead for capable, virtuous, servant-hearted leaders. If there is no one with upright character on the ballot, then encourage able, godly believers to seek office, and prayerfully consider running for office yourself!
Is there anything we should NOT do when faced with an unjust government?
Don’t engage in any form of insurrection.
Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them… Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. (Judges 2:16-18)
God repeatedly raised up judges to free His people from neighboring countries and raiders who had overpowered and oppressed them. Allowing Israel to be plundered was a judgement and discipline from the Lord, and their deliverance was also His direct intervention. We see that God personally establishes and removes every king and kingdom (Daniel 4:17). So if a government is not fulfilling its God-mandated role, God Himself has the absolute right and authority to remove that government, as He did with Ahab, Jeroboam, Baasha and others.
During the First Century when the New Testament was written, believers experienced some of the most unjust, violent, and anti-Christian governmental persecution in history, at the hands of the Romans. Yet the New Testament authors did not encourage revolt against Caesar in any way. On the contrary, the book of Romans commands believers to be subject to the governing authorities (Romans 13:1-4). While this directive does not require that believers follow every edict of every government, it does connote refraining from revolution against the established government. (We’ll address the American Revolution in an upcoming article.) Therefore we can conclude that regime change through war and revolution is God’s prerogative only, and He will raise up appointed judges and deliverers, in His sovereignty.
Don’t Riot.
But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Exodus 21:23-25)
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19-21)
The Bible teaches civil disobedience (obeying God’s law when doing so requires disobeying human commands), but it never approves of breaking God’s law in order to follow man’s law. Individuals and mobs are never authorized to take the law into their own hands (revenge, rioting, looting, and lynching) because these acts of violence are false civil disobedience, exhibiting a defiance of God’s law and often hurting innocent people.
Justice is never realized through riots; they only bring more injustice (through the destruction of private property or loss of life). Mayhem and anarchy fail to punish the truly guilty and cause the protesters to become authors of injustice themselves, thus creating a vicious cycle of violence and injustice. Justice says that rioters who sow destruction and violence should be held accountable, and that they must make amends for the damage they inflict.
Believers should stand on the truth found in God’s Word and exhort ungodly governments and all those in powerful positions to follow God’s ways; believers should disobey any counter-biblical laws, they should work for justice and just leadership in their government, but they should not riot or engage in a rebellion to overthrow their government.
Now we’ve seen the appropriate responses for when our government turns away from God. What about when the culture turns away from God? How do we foster virtue in society? Let’s address that in our next article.
ABOUT BEN
Connect with him at Cornerstone Curriculum
Ben Quine, the second son of David and Shirley Quine, was blessed to grow up with a Charlotte Mason/Dr. Schaeffer/Biblical Worldview education -- a tremendous gift! Through the years, Ben has served as a Cornerstone consultant, assistant, and co-author. He has written several Bible studies for the Answers for Difficult Days series, which equips churches to address the issues our culture is wrestling with today, from the foundation of Scripture. Ben is also the editor of The Worldview Library, editions of classical literature with student helps that afford the reader a deeper understanding of the concepts presented in each work.
Trained as a classical pianist and instructor, Ben is committed to inspiring his students with the love of great music and equipping them with the tools to perform at the highest level. This training has resulted in his students' successful performances from local festivals and competitions to Carnegie Hall.
Ben loves Shakespeare, Dickens, photography, listening to recordings of "the great pianists", running, biking, and spending time with his wife Julie and their three sons.