Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29
Recall the account of the three young men who stood before a furious Nebuchadnezzar to answer for their refusal to bow to the king’s golden image. These lads knew the king’s commandment, and the consequences for disobeying it. But they also knew the Lord’s commandments to have no other gods before Him, and to not have any graven image. They also knew the spirit, if not the words, of our text today: We ought to obey God rather than men. Obeying the king would have meant disobeying God. They had a choice as to who they would obey, and to them the choice was already made: We ought to obey God rather than men. Regardless of the consequences, they refused to bow. Even if God had not intervened, they would not bow. In their case, God intervened. But what if He doesn’t? As far as the apostles were concerned, it did not matter. Nor should it matter to us.
The Bible makes it plain that we are to submit ourselves to those who are in authority. We are not to be troublemakers or rebels against governments, because the powers that be are ordained of God (Romans 13:1). But the authority of all governments must always take second place to the authority of God. That is what the apostles were declaring in today’s text. One Authority takes precedence over all other authorities. And regardless of the consequences, they would acknowledge God’s authority before they heeded the Sanhedrin. It did cost them for that stand. Over the next weeks, and months, and years, and centuries, untold numbers of Christians have paid with their blood for their decision to obey God rather than men.
In our part of the world, obeying God does not usually bring us into conflict with the laws and commandments of men, although that may well change. But some parts of the world are under severe limitations. Christians are prohibited from worshipping, preaching the Gospel, and even from being Christians in countries that are subject to Moslem, communist, and other repressive forms of government. Many are persecuted, punished, and slain for their decision to obey God rather than men. We ought to pray for such people, and appreciate the freedom that we have. We also ought to appreciate that obeying God rather than men does not involve any loss on our part, but rather great gain. Any ridicule, or persecution, or bloodshed that we encounter will be unpleasant, but it will not be permanent. Obeying God rather than men comes with a gteat reward.
The example of the apostles in obeying God rather than men should encourage us today to stand up for our Lord regardless of the consequences. -Jim MacIntosh