Acts 5:29 - But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
How we respond to those in authority matters tremendously in this life. We are told in 1 Peter that for the Lord’s sake we should submit to those in authority over us, even in situations that are not optimal. We are told to pray for our leaders and to honor them. If we aren’t careful, we may find ourselves thinking that there is never a time where we disobey the authorities God has given us, and yet this is what we see in this section of the book of Acts.
Peter and some of the apostles had been arrested for preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. As far as we can tell, they did not put up a fight and they were respectful when under arrest and while they were imprisoned. Then when they were brought before the council, they were told to stop telling people about Jesus, especially regarding his death. The leaders did not want the guilt of Jesus’ death on their hands, so they were definitely opposing the apostles out of a desire for self-preservation.
Then Peter responds to the council by saying, “We must obey God rather than men.” How could the same person who later tells us to submit to governing authorities say something so clearly disobedient to his governing authority? The answer is simple, yet profound. God is our ultimate authority, and we must always submit to his will and law over any will or law of men.
If any authority tells you to do something that is sinful, you tell them no. God has told us what is good and how to honor him with our lives, so this is what we must walk in. What God has instructed us in must always take precedence over what men command us to do.
On one hand, this is immensely freeing for us because we can stand strong and confidently against the wicked demands of those in authority over us. But on the other hand, it is difficult to have balance in when we exercise obedience and when we exercise disobedience. It can be far too easy to start saying “no” because of preference rather than conviction, or we can begin to reject earthly authorities altogether because Peter told us to “obey God, not men”.
We all have authorities in our lives who we are called by God to submit to. Whether that be a boss, spouse, pastor, or government, God has put those people in positions of authority and we honor him by being obedient to these people. Yet, thanks be to God that he is our ultimate authority, who gives us the strength and freedom to reject what is evil and hold fast to what is good.
Think on these things today with the various authorities God has you under right now. If there are areas that you are unsure about whether you should submit to them or not, take that to the Lord in prayer, and fervently ask for his wisdom. In Peter’s case, we have a wonderful example to meditate on, striking the balance between when to be obedient and when not to be. At the end of the day, God is first, and as long as we make that our foundation, we will know how to say “yes” or “no”, and say either for the sake of the Lord.
