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“Rebellion To Tyrants Is Obedience To God”
Benjamin Franklin understood this principle in the Revolutionary War when he coined the phrase, “Rebellion to Tyrants Is Obedience to God” – and I would put all my emphasis on those last three words: obedience to God.
Dr. Michael Brown, In The Line Of Fire, Charisma News —As sons and daughters of God, we are called to honor and respect authority and to be people of obedience rather than people of rebellion. But that means when the earthly authorities tell us to disobey God, we respectfully say, “We must obey God rather than man” Acts 5:29.
This was a major theme at the "I Stand Sunday" rally in Houston, where thousands gathered together to pledge their obedience to God and His Word, regardless of cost or consequences.
In doing so, they were standing firmly on biblical principles, following in the footsteps of the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1, Daniel and his compatriots in Daniel 3 and 6, the wise men of Matthew 2, and the apostles in Acts 4 and 5.
Of course, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are peacemakers rather than troublemakers, respectful rather than rude, and we must recognize that without proper authority structures the world could not function. At the same time, because we are called to obey God above all, there are times when we must disobey earthly authorities when their commands violate the commands of God.
In my book Revolution in the Church, I addressed this issue in the chapter entitled, "Revolutionary, Not 'Rebelutionary.'"
There I explained that, "If we are to take a stand for truth even when others call us extremists; if we are to refuse to submit to unrighteousness even when pressure mounts on us to compromise; if we are to call for radical change and swim against the tide even at great personal cost – if we are to do these things we must be sure that our motivations are not fleshly, that we are not merely manifesting our own independence, that we are not simply rebels with a cause.
"Put another way, if you really want to be a Jesus revolutionary, you must crucify rebellion, independence, pride, self-will, ambition, anger, rage, retaliation, and all related carnal behavior. You must cultivate humility, longsuffering, and willingness to bear reproach; you must learn to turn the other cheek and overcome evil through good. The true Jesus revolutionary is a person whose flesh has been nailed to the cross. That is radical!"
Living as a Christian in Communist China, Watchman Nee had to address this issue as well, and he explained that while submission is absolute, obedience is conditional.
[See full article link below]...
But when a godly person with a track record of submission says to the authority figure, "I honor and respect you and have always sought to obey you, but because you are requiring me to disobey the Lord, I must disobey you instead," that person is speaking with conviction and power. That person will be backed by heaven.
And what happens when there are serious consequences to our acts of obedience? Using examples from Scripture, Watchman Nee explained that, "The three friends of Daniel refused to bow to the golden image set up by King Nebuchadnezzar. They disobeyed the king's order, yet they submitted to the king's fire. . . . In disregard of the royal decree Daniel prayed to God; nevertheless he submitted to the king's judgment by being thrown into the lion's den."
To repeat Nee's principle, submission is absolute, obedience is conditional.
Let us, then, as submitted, authority-loving people determine that, come what may, we will obey God rather than man, remembering that disobedience to unbiblical and unrighteous demands is obedience to our King.
Now is the time to take a stand.
» Full Article» Charisma News
Dr. Michael Brown - Biography
MICHAEL L. BROWN holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a visiting or adjunct professor at Southern Evangelical Seminary, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (Charlotte), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Fuller Theological Seminary, Denver Theological Seminary, the King’s Seminary, and Regent University School of Divinity, and he has contributed numerous articles to scholarly publications, including the Oxford Dictionary of Jewish Religion and the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. » Read full bio
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“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat”