Through the ages Christians have held two passages of Scripture in tension with each other. “For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed” (1 Peter 2:13-14a NLT). The other is “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29 NIV). Civilizations are built on civil obedience to those in authority; it is a part of our duty to our Lord as His representatives in the world. We must also remember that obeying the government/kingdom of God sometimes means we must disobey the governments of men and be willing to accept the consequences. The book of Acts records over and over how the early Christians suffered from religious and civil authorities because of their ultimate allegiance was to the government of God; they could imagine nothing else.
