I first wrote this on a friend's Facebook post a few weeks ago (due to Facebook character limits, it ended up being spread across three comments!), and having saved a file of it, thought it might be worth sharing here. I've been meaning to do this for a little while, actually, so now I'm finally getting it done.
Compliance vs. noncompliance is a rather interesting issue for us Christians, because as a general rule in the Scriptures, we are encouraged to be obedient (and thus compliant). Noncompliance is normally associated with rebellion, and Scripture usually frowns on this. A couple of examples:
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. (1 Samuel 15:23)
An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him. (Proverbs 17:11)
It is important to understand however that the rebellion condemned by Scripture is specifically
rebellion against God. Notice in the 1 Samuel quote that King Saul had rejected the word of the Lord. That is a key component of sinful rebellion - disobeying God. There are some other Scriptures that make this clearer:
For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death? (Deuteronomy 31:27 - the first mention of the word "rebellion" in the Bible makes a direct reference to being rebellious against the Lord)
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. (Jeremiah 28:16 - you might remember this one from my post about the false prophet Hananiah)
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD. (Jeremiah 29:32)
Another word associated with rebellion is resistance, and here is an example of resistance that is unquestionably sinful:
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. (Acts 7:51)
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. (2 Timothy 3:8 )
So it is very clear that rebelling against God is a no-no. Indeed, rebellion against God is precisely why the world is in such a horrendous mess today. But what about compliance with human governments? Should we always obey the government, or are there times when we should refuse to comply with government orders?
As a general rule, obedience to the government is encouraged in Scripture, especially this passage in Romans 13:
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. (Romans 13:1-7)
So, here it sounds like we should always obey the government and that noncompliance is a bad thing. (Notice resistance again being used in a negative sense here.) However, this passage is also defining the purpose of government. God intends for the governments of this world to protect the good and punish the evil. They are meant to be ministers of God for good. When they punish evildoers, they are instruments of God's own judgement and vengeance against the wicked.
Unfortunately, not all governments are the terrors to evildoers that they should be. Some are so corrupt that they become terrors to the good instead. Some governments make laws that directly contravene God's laws. And this is where noncompliance becomes a legitimate thing for Christians to do. Let's look at some examples from the Scriptures of governments making evil laws and people of God resisting them.
Firstly, a pharaoh in ancient Egypt ordered the murder of baby boys (I'm sure he would have been a supporter of abortion if he had been around today):
And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. (Exodus 1:15-20)
So here we see a clear case of noncompliance with a government order - an order that came from no less an entity than the king of Egypt himself. Notice why the midwives disobeyed - because THEY FEARED GOD. Observe also that God BLESSED them for their noncompliance in this instance. These midwives "rebelled" - but NOT against God. They OBEYED God and rebelled against a wicked order to commit murder, which would naturally have been against God's law. God honoured them, not for their rebellion against the government as such, but for obeying Him and doing what was right when the government ordered them to do something that was clearly evil.
Another king, this time in Babylon, made another evil law one day:
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. (Daniel 3:1-7)
So a government order was given to worship an idol, in clear defiance of the First and Second Commandments. And notice the
coercion involved here: anyone who refused to comply would face execution by fiery furnace. Most people, fearing the consequences of disobedience, complied with the order. Would as many of them have obeyed if were not for such a dire threat? It's worth thinking about in relation to vaccine mandates today. Is it right to coerce people into taking a vaccine by threatening them with job loss, exclusion from society and so on? Most probably, fewer people would have chosen to be vaccinated if it were not for the coercive nature of the mandates (which are thankfully largely being removed now).
Anyway, three brave men of God decided not to comply with the evil law that Nebuchadnezzar had made:
There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:12)
These three men were being noncompliant. It is worth noting too that
other people dobbed them in, which is common in dictatorships. Verse 8 reveals this:
Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were duly arrested and brought before the king. They made it clear that they were prepared to die rather than disobey God's law. They were "rebelling" against the king of Babylon, but NOT rebelling against God.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:16-18)
Nebuchadnezzar was so angry at the "rebellion" of these three godly Jewish men that he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter (
Daniel 3:19) However, the worst schemes of men cannot defeat God, and a most remarkable thing happened next:
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (Daniel 3:24-25)
Now, if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been sinning by their refusal to comply with government orders in this instance, would God have miraculously saved them from a death like this? By no means. He would have allowed them to die to show His displeasure and judgement on their noncompliance. Instead of that though, He saved them because of their OBEDIENCE to Him, and also to teach the wicked king a lesson. Nebuchadnezzar learned his lesson so well that he CHANGED THE LAW:
Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. (Daniel 3:28-29)
So the courage of just three men to resist an evil law ultimately resulted in that law being changed. However, if they had complied along with everyone else, the law would never have been changed. Food for thought. Note that they did not break any good laws to bring this about - they only disobeyed the BAD law. They didn't riot in the streets, or loot any shops, or vandalise property, or even shout insults against the king. They just refused to bow to the giant golden idol. That was it. They otherwise went about their lives peacefully, harming no one.
Daniel was yet another who did not comply with an evil law:
Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (Daniel 6:4-10)
Observe once again that the law contravened God's law. Notice also how COERCION came into it. This time the coercion involved being thrown into a den of lions if the government order was not obeyed. Like his three friends before, Daniel was forced to choose between obeying God and obeying a law that opposed God. He chose to "rebel" against the evil law and obey God. Verses 11-13 show that he was dobbed in.
Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. (Daniel 6:11-13) See again how they appeal to the king's pride (they say that Daniel "regardeth not thee", just like the earlier tattletales told Nebuchadnezzar that "these men ... have not regarded thee" - putting the emphasis on disobeying man). Sure enough, Daniel was thrown into the den of lions (albeit by a much more reluctant king). And once again, God delivered him:
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. (Daniel 6:19-23)
So Daniel "rebelled" in this instance because he believed in his God. Once again, he only disobeyed the law that was against God's law. And God honoured his noncompliance with man's evil law, but compliance with His law. Once more too, his "resistance" resulted in a law being changed:
Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. (Daniel 6:25-27)
But if Daniel had given in and complied with the evil law, no change would ever have been effected. The evil law was only done away with because of his noncompliance with it.
We see noncompliance in the New Testament as well. A particularly noteworthy example is demonstrated by Peter and his fellow-apostles:
Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:25-29)
That last bit is extremely important, because that is a key determiner in whether we comply with something or not. If man's law clearly agrees with God's Law, we should obey it. But if man's law clearly contravenes God's Law, we should obey God's law and not man's law. A good example from relatively modern times is the laws of Nazi Germany, which among other things legalised the persecution and murder of Jews. Many people disobeyed the government and helped the Jews. They were "rebels" to the Nazis, but doing right in the eyes of God.
When it comes to COVID mandates and restrictions, not all of them are directly against the laws of God. For example, there is no specific Scriptural prohibition against wearing a face mask or taking a vaccine. It is worth noting however that in the Scriptures, coercion is frequently associated with evil laws, and indeed the Antichrist himself uses it:
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17)
So coercion is associated with a spirit of Antichrist, which is worth noting when you consider all the coercion that has been associated with getting people to take their COVID-19 jabs. If these vaccines were such a great thing, what is the need for so much coercion?
It is also important to understand the value God places on charity:
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Is it charitable to force people to choose between getting a vaccine or keeping their jobs? Is it charitable in the eyes of God to exclude some people from society because of their personal medical choices?
In conclusion then, Christians should obey the laws of the land wherever possible, but exceptions should be made when a law is clearly evil. Noncompliance is right when the disobedience is against an unjust, wicked law. From a spiritual standpoint, it is part of the right kind of resistance:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)
If it is not clear whether a law is good or evil, the use of coercion to force compliance is one significant indicator that it is evil. When refusing to comply with specific laws though, we should still endeavour to comply with all other GOOD laws. God is not pleased with things like rioting and looting to protest laws, because these are against His laws and also show lack of charity to one's neighbour. When people in the Bible disobeyed bad laws, they still continued to obey all good ones wherever possible. So if we choose to not comply with a law that is evil, we need to bear that in mind. At all times, we should seek to follow after charity (
1 Corinthians 14:1).
This has turned into a bit of an essay (unlike me, I know), but I hope it will edify all of you here and also anyone else who may read this.
