Submit to the King

Gabriel Hudelson
Jul 12, 2020
17 min read

Busted…

If sincere Christians are going to offer any significant resistance to the anaconda of tyranny while it is around the ankles- and before it is around the neck- of the American people, they should want to be convinced from Scripture that such snake-stomping is the right thing to do. Dispensational, antinomian Christianity has left us sorely lacking the theological wherewithal to deal with issues of the public square, and if we don’t take a voluntary crash-course we are on our way to an involuntary one.

I cover this same topic in this podcast.

Let’s look at the primary texts in question (from the NASB):

Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Romans 13:1-4

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 1 Pet. 2:13-15

Brief observations:

God possesses complete sovereignty over the governments of the nations; He raises up and deposes kings as He pleases. (Dan. 2:21)
Christians should have a heart attitude of submission towards civil authorities

Do these passages teach unqualified obedience to government authority? The clear and obvious answer comes readily:

But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29

This much is clear: when the government commands something specifically forbidden by God, or forbids something explicitly commanded by God, the only faithful Christian answer is something along the lines of “nopety nopety nope.”

This means that there is clear Biblical precedent for the defiance of government edicts to close churches, restrict congregational singing, and otherwise interfere with Scriptural precepts regarding church life.

But is that the extent of the application of “obeying God rather than men?”

Say That Again, But Slower

There is an interesting pattern in both the Romans and the 1 Peter passages- both present governmental authorities as God’s ordained means for the punishment of evil and the protection of good. God defines what the government is supposed to do, and that is summed up right here in these passages.

When God gives jurisdictional authority He also gives restrictions on that authority. He claims ultimate sovereignty (Matt. 28:18-20, Ps. 2). The question then arises- what is the Christian response when those restrictions are disregarded?

Objection: “Caesar was not a righteous ruler; Paul and Peter wrote these instructions to Christians under pagan- and even persecuting- governments!”

Response: Quite right, but that is the point of our analysis here- an endeavor to rightly interpret these two passages in light of the full context of Scripture. So hold yer horses, pardner, and keep reading.

Biblical Resistance

Let’s go back to the Word. What Biblical examples and principles do we see that would apply to the question at hand?

1. Civil disobedience – the Hebrew midwives (Ex. 1:15), Rahab (Joshua 2), David (who ran from The Lord’s anointed when Saul was pursuing him unjustly rather than simply turning himself in), Naboth (1 Kings 21), Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel)

An example to consider in another jurisdictional context is the story of Nabal and Abigail. Abigail did something which was technically not submissive to her husband, and she did it in an area where she had not technically been commanded to sin. Yet she is held up as an example of wisdom specifically sent by the Lord because she went around her husband’s foolish wishes and acted in the best interests of all concerned. (1 Sam. 25)

NOTE: Please also notice that in multiple examples (David and Jonathan, the Hebrew midwives) deception was used in defense of the truth. Dishonesty is a Biblically valid tool when used faithfully in the war against lies.

2. Interposition by other jurisdictional authorities – the priests who stood against king Uzziah (2 Chron. 26:18)

3. Interposition by a lower magistrate – Jonathan, the prince, repeatedly subverted his father, king Saul, in his efforts to kill David (1 Sam. 19)

4. Interposition by the people – the people of Israel told the king not to put Jonathan to death unjustly (1 Sam. 14)

5. Violent resistance – Ehud’s assassination of Eglon (Judg. 3), Gideon’s uprising in the following chapters- actually the whole book of Judges, which chronicles repeated takeovers of God’s people by tyrants, the repentance of God’s people, and the following deliverance that He orchestrates through violent resistance.

6. Proclamation of God’s Word – the Old Testament prophets provided a constant stream of authoritative commentary on the cultural and political events of their day. Nathan the prophet confronted David (2 Sam. 11&12). John the Baptist confronted Herod (Luke 3:19). Jesus Himself had no trouble speaking disparagingly of Herod (Luke 13:32).

7. Utilization of existing government structures – Paul demands a personal release by persecuting officials (Acts 16:37), he appeals to Caesar (Acts 25)

8. Responsibility for our own. If the government shuts down your business they are preventing you from providing for your family. If they force your children to be indoctrinated against the Truth, they are preventing you from obeying God’s command to disciple your kids. If they take your guns, they will be preventing you from defending the innocent. If they forbid your flock from meeting, they are preventing you from feeding Jesus’ sheep. These are actual, Biblical commands that the government has no right to override, and that we have a duty to uphold- directly in line with the Apostle’s statement, “we must obey God rather than men.” (1 Tim. 5:8, Heb. 10:25, Neh. 4:14)

9. The principle of the righteous standing up against the wicked (Pr. 25:26). This happens over and over again in Scripture. Just because the wicked happens to be wearing a badge or a crown doesn’t mean that the righteous suddenly must turn a blind eye. Again and again throughout Scripture, they emphatically did not do so.

10. The principle of seeking peace. If we agree that at some point things would get bad enough that we would have to disobey government decrees and resist the advance of evil, then would not wisdom lead to resisting sooner, rather than later- while resistance may still be done peacefully and in minor ways? (Pr. 15:1, Rom. 12:18)

“We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament…” Patrick Henry

Pushing back early on is part of the pursuit of peace. An overly strict interpretation of the duty of submission could prevent us from wisely avoiding conflict. Lifting your jacket to reveal your sidearm to the mugger might prevent actually having to use it.

If they force you to mask, they will force you to vaccinate, and then they will force you to report to your social worker, and then they will ask your kids what their parents teach them about homosexuality and if they’ve ever had a spanking. Wouldn’t wisdom lead to objecting to the progression back when it was just a little inconvenient?

The Biblical process of confrontation progresses from minor to major. (Matt. 18:15)

If you don’t start tapping the brakes when the light is yellow, you’re gonna give everybody whiplash when it turns red.

11. The principle of loving one’s neighbor (Matt. 22:39). It is not loving one’s neighbor to sit by while they are murdered in the womb or murdered on the street or robbed by a Federal Reserve that’s watering down grandma’s years of savings. It is not loving one’s neighbor to say nothing as they put on the chains of state-slavery. It is not loving one’s neighbor to say nothing as their business is destroyed. It is not loving one’s neighbor to sit by and watch as they are snookered into lies. It is not loving one’s neighbor to allow the Redcoats to live in your house and mistreat your womenfolk.

If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? Pr. 24:12, NASB

12. The principle of liberty. Liberty and prosperity in Scripture are shown as a good thing, not simply a convenient commodity. We understand that they are a blessing, yet we act almost as if this blessing came about accidentally or by dint of a random miracle. No, they came about through the blood, sweat, and tears of our forefathers who were applying Biblical principles. If we enjoy the harvest but refuse to water the tree, our children will never know the sweetness of the fruit. (Lev. 25:10)

Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. 1 Cor. 7:21, NASB

13. The principle of honoring our forefathers. Don’t move the ancient boundary stone- or the ancient Constitution. They bled and died for our heritage. How dare we throw it away? But more on this in a minute. (Pr. 22:28)

14. There is a time to flee. Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt, fleeing from king Herod. David fled from the unjust pursuit of Saul. Jesus Himself commanded flight under certain circumstances. (Luke 21:21)

15. There is a time to die unresisting. The early Christians did not take up arms to try to save Stephen; nor did he pull out his concealed-carry gladius and hack down some persecutors. There is indeed a time to lay down our liberties and our lives as willing martyrs for Christ. (Acts 7)

The next couple in the list are not Biblical references, which is why they are at the end of the list. Nevertheless, they should be considered with appropriate weight… because the Bible leads to honoring both reason (Is. 1:18) and the legacy of the Church (1 Cor. 11:16).

16. The argument of reason:

If their princes exceed their bounds, Madam, no doubt they may be resisted, even by power. For there is neither greater honor, nor greater obedience, to be given to kings or princes, than God hath commanded to be given unto father and mother. But the father may be stricken with a frenzy, in which he would slay his children. If the children arise, join themselves together, apprehend the father, take the sword from him, bind his hands, and keep him in prison till his frenzy be overpast: think ye, Madam, that the children do any wrong? It is even so, Madam, with princes that would murder the children of God that are subjects unto them. Their blind zeal is nothing but a very mad frenzy, and therefore, to take the sword from them, to bind their hands, and to cast them into prison, till they be brought to a more sober mind, is no disobedience against princes, but just obedience, because it agreeth with the will of God. John Knox (read the whole interview with Mary, Queen of Scots)

There are many, many scenarios which we currently face which can be constructed in analogical form in such a way as to reveal serious flaws in the reasoning of simple obedience. It makes for a good test. A quick example:

If five guys on an island get together and vote one of them- a man by the name of Chuck- into office, on the condition that he only does A, B, and C- and if the aforesaid Chuck woke up the next morning and demanded that the other four guys support him as he does D- do the other four guys now have a Romans 13 duty to do as he wishes since he is now their duly elected civil authority?

17. The pattern of church history. The authors of the Magna Carta, the Scots Covenanters, the Reformers, the “black robed regiment” of American pastors who fueled the war for independence- we stand in their tradition by applying God’s Word stubbornly to the entirety of God’s world around us. History shows the march of the Gospel leavening every area of life, beginning with individuals and households, and then moving out into broader cultures and governments. This is progress. This is Christ building His Church. The Christians of history have labored to build this castle- and now it is under attack, and we think our spiritual duty is to go pray in the chapel and leave the parapets empty.

Pray, indeed. While you’re stacking your arrows.

We need to take all of these principles and examples into account; we need to lay them before God prayerfully, and follow the leading of His Spirit. This will require seeking wisdom- not easy answers.

A Case Study

I must give a hat-tip to Doug Wilson, whose commentary on 2020 has been excellent overall, for bringing this Biblical example to the table. What example, you ask? The story of queen Athaliah. After her son, the king of Judah, was killed, she slaughtered the royal family and seized the throne for herself. One of the rightful heirs to the throne- and only one- was saved from the massacre. His name was Joash. You can follow along in 2 Kings 11.

Athaliah reigns as queen for six years. So at this point, she would definitely be in the category of “governing authority,” and indeed in the category of “established by God,” at least insofar as His sovereignty is concerned.

Nevertheless, in the seventh year of her reign, Jehoiada the priest- a magistrate over a separate jurisdiction- leads a successful coup to restore the rightful king to the throne and to reinstate proper worship of God.

This is portrayed in Scripture as an overwhelmingly positive development, but it is one which is hard to justify from the current American dispensational view of politics. Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world, right? We’re supposed to submit to the king, right?

Somebody should’ve told Jehoiada.

Objection: “That was Old Testament. We don’t see any New Testament examples of political involvement.”

Response: So?

Perhaps I should unpack that response a little bit. This objection is built on a premise that the Old Testament is, in some way or another, less authoritative than the New Testament. The New Testament does indeed provide the fulfilled interpretation of the Old Testament; we are indeed now living in the New Covenant; and yes, the New Testament does reveal that some specific requirements of the Old Covenant were fulfilled in Christ in such a way that they no longer apply. However, the Lord Jesus Himself as well as the apostles clearly regarded the Old Testament Scriptures and examples as the authoritative Word of God. (2 Tim. 3:16, Heb. 11)

God does not change. His standards of right and wrong do not change. Nor did the New Testament introduce a new divine right of kings. The principle of submission to the king was present in the Old Testament as well; the principles of holding the king accountable still apply to us today. There is nothing in the New Testament that would undermine or abrogate the Old Testament’s limitations on civil authority, or the duty of the righteous to enforce those limitations.

Objection: “But God spoke specifically through prophets back then, and raised men up through specific and explicit commands.”

Response: The same God Who spoke through the prophets now speaks through His Word and His Spirit (John 16:13). Would it be any great surprise that He would raise up men to deliver His people as He has done again and again throughout history?

Seek Justice

I must give another hat tip, this one to Jeff Durbin at Apologia Radio, for bringing this out; it should have been obvious, but it’s easy to tune out familiar passages and miss their clear implications.

When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. Is. 1:15-17, ESV

What is God commanding here?

Political activism.

This is not a political activism, by the way, with an elephant on its banner. It is activism under the banner of the Cross. It is loving your neighbor in the real world. It is fulfilling the great commission, proclaiming Christ as the One with all authority and teaching everything that He has commanded- to the individual, to the family, to the Church, to the state.

It really does love your neighbor when you don’t let them get choked to death by a power-tripping cop… or when you don’t let an angry mob burn down their business… or when you don’t let the government destroy their livelihood. And when you love your neighbor in these real and practical ways, you show the love of Christ. And this opens doors for the proclamation of the Gospel.

This is a Gospel that makes contact with a broken world.

This is not America-worship. It is worship of Christ.

Jesus Christ, the King.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” Is. 9:6-7, NASB

We have turned this into a strictly eschatological hope. But Jesus is reigning now. It’s time His people started acting like it. His government is increasing. When we pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” that is not simply an eschatological request. That is what we live for. (Matt. 6:33)

Why in the world would we apply this to everything except for the realm of government?

Who Is Caesar?

A quick but necessary diatribe specific to America. As American Christians we have a heritage of limited government founded on Biblical principle. Part of that is that we do not have a king. We do not have a Caesar. We have a Constitution. The Constitution is America’s king, and our founding fathers framed this government with the express intent of checking tyranny.

In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the constitution. Thomas Jefferson

This is a Biblical principle based on the idea that man is sinful. (Jer. 17:9) And our founders laid a great responsibility on us, their descendants- to enforce the boundaries of constitutional government on our elected officials.

As American Christians, it is our Romans 13 duty to demand that elected officials submit to the law of the land. It is our duty to uphold the time-honored tradition of American civil disobedience. It is our duty to honor our forefathers and to stand up for our children. Our politicians are not the king, from a simply legal standpoint. It is a complete misapplication of Romans 13 to say that they have the same authority as Caesar. Our forefathers labored to construct a government specifically so that they would not have that authority.

It is honoring the “king” of the land when we resist the overreach of our elected officials.

Run to Meet the Lions

Another potential objection is “what about the martyrs?” Isn’t there a place for Christians to suffer and even to die for Christ without resisting?

There absolutely is. There is much wisdom to be applied to these questions. Should Jim Elliot have brought a machine gun to ward off the savages? Of course not. His example of the sacrificial love of Christ won a whole people to the Gospel. Should the early church have taken up arms against Rome? Absolutely not! Political revolution is not the Biblically prescribed means of Kingdom advancement!

The contention of this post is not that Christians are supposed to be consumed with political and physical warfare. Far from it. The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh. We don’t build the Kingdom of God by forcing converts through conquest or mandating morality through politics, from the outside in. Only Christ can build His Church, and He does this through the Gospel, from the inside out.

The Kingdom of Christ is not of this world.

But the Kingship of Christ is over this world.

And as believers faithfully make disciples of Christ, and as He through His Spirit brings sinners to repentance, that should lead to the reformation of every area of life. As the influence of the Church grows, the application of other Biblical principles becomes both possible and necessary. And faithful application of those principles is advancing the Kingdom of God as a result of the Gospel, not as a replacement for the Gospel.

Let’s do a quick thought experiment. Let’s say a nation was 99% Christian. Somehow, through political treachery, someone gets into office and passes a law that all Christians should be fed to the lions. Do we all line up outside the Colosseum? Or do we all giggle and then remove him from office?

My point is that there is a wisdom gradient here. Martyrdom is a glorious calling. But that doesn’t mean that Christians should try to increase their chances at martyrdom. That’s not faithfulness; it’s folly.

If the people of God stay out of the cockpit, they should not be surprised to discover that the plane is headed to the wrong destination.

A Note on the Heart

Let’s return to the passages we started with and be reminded that we must be very careful how we use Scripture. We must submit our own will to the will of God. We must have a heart of joyful submission to authority. We must love the truth. We must have a heart that seeks peace, that loves honor, that is longsuffering, that is willing to give all for the glory of Jesus. We must seek the Lord with a whole heart. (Jer. 29:13)

If we come to God’s Word with a heart that wants an excuse to lie, to be grouchy at cops, to stay out of the cultural conflict, to riot and rebel, to get out of paying taxes, or whatever else- if we want to defend our wants rather than to discover God’s Will- if we come to Scripture willing to twist It into justification for our cowardice or for our cantankerousness, there is no question that we will be able to do so.

In Conclusion

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 1 Tim. 2:1-2

Let us pray for revival. Our first prayer must be for the advance of the Kingdom and Glory of Jesus Christ. We are Christians, first. Not Americans. I love my country. But America may fade away; the Kingdom of Christ remains forever. Whatever happens to America, whether God is honored in her judgment or whether He is honored in her repentance- may God be honored.

We must act as free men, and proclaim and practice all that Scripture presents as our Christian duty. Hold elected officials accountable. Vote Biblically and without fear. Run for office. Speak the whole Word of God without fear and without apology. Open church without the governor’s permission. Be willing to go to court, to jail, to war, and to meet the lions- whichever God calls you to. Stock up on ammo and on Gospel tracts. Read a biography about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and a book about Christian hospitality and a lot of Bible. Sing the Psalms. Stay up-to-date on the news… but not too up-to-date. There’s a bigger Story being told than you will get from even a good news source like The Daily Wire. Take in more Scripture than you do Facebook. Buy some canned goods and give away some canned goods. Minister to your neighbors in need. Testify to the sovereignty of your Savior by your joy in the midst of the storm. Take that mask off, and make sure that when you do it reveals a smile that shows Jesus to a lost world.

Think small. Be involved in local government and your local community and the life of your church and your family. The goal here isn’t to get a bunch of Christians yelling “don’t tread on me!” and brandishing their AR-15s. Are you holding signs outside the abortion mill? Are you helping that one neighbor think through her divorce Biblically? Are you checking on the family that hasn’t been to church in weeks? We can talk a big game about working to build the Kingdom of God. But that’s something we do by being faithful with a little and following the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.

This is not an argument for setting aside the proclamation of the Gospel of salvation, or for losing focus on the matters of the heart which are so central to the Christian faith. Rather, this is an argument for pressing the proclamation of the Gospel into every area over which Christ has authority, and for making disciples of all nations as they learn how to express Christ-honoring hearts through Christ-honoring hands. It is all a Gospel issue, because it is all under the authority of the God of the Gospel.

Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law. Is. 42:1-4, NASB