In today’s post, we’re covering two interrelated questions: Is there ever a time when we would disobey that order (not to meet)? How long should we obey that order?
1. Is there ever a time when we should disobey that order?
The New Testament is very clear on the believer’s submission to the government (1 Pet 2:13-14). 1 Pet 2:15 says that this is God’s will, and our submission, even to evil rulers, “may silence the ignorance of foolish men.”
Furthermore, the believer is called to pray “for kings and all who are in authority” so that their rule might allow us to “lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim 2:2). Paul goes on to say in v. 3 that such prayers and our godliness are “good and acceptable” in God’s sight because God can use those to draw people to the knowledge of the gospel (1 Tim 2:4).
Now, there were a hundred social injustices that the apostles could have railed against, even peaceably. But you cannot find one instance in the New Testament of unlawful rebellion against the authorities…aside from one exception. That lone exception is when the authorities forbade believers from worshiping Christ and preaching the gospel. In fact, the early church was willing to die for sticking to this one exception.
In Acts 4:20, after being arrested and warned by Jewish authorities not to preach the gospel, Peter and John reply, “…we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” In Acts 5, the apostles are again jailed, but upon being released by an angel, they enter the Temple and preach the gospel. When the authorities remind them of their strict orders, the apostles answer, “We must obey God rather than men” (v. 29).
So, when we take 1 Pet 2:13-14 and Acts 5:29, we arrive at this biblical principle: We must submit to the government in everything, unless submission would require that we deny Jesus Christ. If the government orders that we recant our faith, then we obey God at all costs. But if the government doesn’t do that, we must humbly and gladly submit to all its laws because we are submitting ultimately to God who has put those authorities in place and has ordained our particular circumstances, down to the minutest detail.
2. How long should we obey that order?
The apostle Paul was in various stages of arrest and transfer to different Roman authorities for over two years as he awaited their judgment (cf. Acts 24:27). He stayed within the confines of the Roman law as a Roman citizen (Acts 23:25-29). He didn’t fight back; he didn’t seek to usurp the civil authority. In prison, he wrote letters, he preached the gospel, even to those of Caesar’s household (Phil 4:22), and he waited on God to open doors for him to resume his normal life and ministry. His “normal” was radically altered during seasons of persecution, but he learned the secret of contentment (not complaint!) through Christ as He strengthened him.
So, to entertain the “how long” and “what if” questions related to the lockdown will prove frustrating and fruitless. Those questions can’t be answered; they are not meant to be. They are meant to be turned into prayers and cast onto sovereign God who cares for us. In fact, those questions detract us from faith and from the fruitfulness that God would have for us right now in the limitations that we’re facing.
Remember, God knows how long this will last. He’s ordained this pandemic. He maintains the church through it all, not us. And He will extract maximum glory and good from this season.
So, we submit to this order…gladly, prayerfully, and righteously, so that when someone asks us why we live the way we do, we tell them about our hope in Christ (1 Pet 3:15).
