Should Christians Resist Tyranny? | Ep 251

In light of Romans 13, should Christians resist infringements on our freedom?
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[boardman]

Here in America our situation is unique. Our leaders govern us by our consent. If they violate the Constitution, we are bound to revoke that consent and remove said leaders from office.

[livingunashamed]

Amen! I totally agree with you. Like Daniel in Babylon.

[jesuschristbiblebiblestudy]

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take."
(Proverbs 3: 5- 6) NLT

Amen

[vivianabalbuena]

Thank you so much for clarifying this for us Allie! I had members of my church tell me that we need to obey the government regardless of the tyranny because this is God’s work not man’s work.

[Kashoo-nr]

Food for thought for sure. Excellent work. Thank you

[sorelyanlie]

Haven't really gotten into the video, but in terms of government tyranny:
This is why we have a constitution laid out for us in terms that say "for the people and by the people" we, the citizens are intended to BE our own government, the governors, mayors, etc who are "instituting" executive orders and attempting to force compliance to them are not themselves in submission to the government- which is the people.
That is one of the reasons that our constitution is written the way it is. It saves us from all of those theological and theoretical arguments because the plain truth is that what is happening right now in many states is simply not legal in the United States.

[U.S.ArmyArmorVeteran]

We have the US Constitution. As Christians we are supposed to obey authority, as long as that authority is not in violation of the US Constitution. The US Constitution is the supreme law of the land.

[MostlyPeacefulMatthew]

I would say for sure there are situations where it calls for push back. You’re right—it’s complicated. I believe when it goes against the Word of God or definitely forces you to go against the Word of God.

[farrelpayton]

Very well delivered ! Keep up the good work !

[tedweiland]

There are a plethora of passages (Exodus 1, Acts 4 & 5, 17:6-7, etc.) that dictate disobedience to unrighteous rulers and governments. Romans 13 is not one of them. Instead, Romans 13 (and related passages) is *our* commission for establishing biblical government over society.
Romans 13:1-7 has absolutely nothing to do with secular civil government. Rather everything therein depicts a biblical civil government. The one word "continually" or "devoted" (depending upon your Bible version) in Verse 6 (amplifying Verses 3 & 4) alone proves the point. (And this is just one of ten contextual proofs proving the same thing.)
Unless someone's prepared to claim the Roman Empire (one of the most notorious for murdering Christians) was a government that *continually* blessed Christians and terrorized/punished the wicked, they best rethink their theology regarding this extremely important passage of Scripture.

[amandarobertson]

My dad (who’s a minister) already has a backup plan if the law demands him to perform a same sex marriage. He just won’t be licensed to do so anymore. What he’ll do is tell his members to get a justice of the peace marriage and then he’ll then in turn perform a wedding “ceremony” in honor of that.

[NikkiSchumacherOfficial]

I love both these theologians (MacArthur and piper) but they are pacifists. When we see tyranny walking toward someone with a gun pointed at their head it's perfectly fine to not sit there and watch them pull the trigger. The dispensationalism of MacArthur shows through here.

[andersaxmark]

Anyone who likes liberty and respects human rights should resist tyranny

[phreshoatmeal]

What about paying taxes to fund abortion? You're still indirectly murdering them I would argue.

[Yesica]

I am on your side of the argument when it comes to tyranny and outright unbiblical commands we may be pressured to obey.

But how does this argument apply to the current situations of churches not being allowed to meet? Trust me, I am desperate to meet again. Absolutely desperate. But I also want to be respectful to my church leaders, who are choosing that we not meet right now or for the foreseeable future.

The pro- churches not meeting arguments I have heard are:

1) The gov't is not ordering us to do something outright sinful. This is a temporary situation and for the sake of public health which = "loving neighbor".
2) Everything is closed, therefore churches are not being singled out.

On Point 1, I know Hebrews 10:25 is often presented as a command Christians are to obey. But I've always understood that to apply to those who voluntarily choose to neglect meeting together for worship, even while gatherings are available. It never occurred to me to apply it to a situation where services are temporarily halted for the purpose of public safety. Have I been misunderstanding this verse my whole life? If so, I am willing to be corrected.

Point 2 seems no longer applicable now that many things are opening. Many places/services never closed anyway. So, while it could've been argued earlier that churches were not being singled out, they are sure are being singled out now.

The key, and where I am not clear seems to be the Hebrews 10:25 verse. If it means we are to meet, no matter what, then we should be meeting. But if it's directed toward people who CHOOSE to not meet for worship even when services are available, then that changes the entire model.


I still have thinking to do here. Thanks for helping me move toward clarity.

[redpill]

Please help me.
I have accepted Christ a long time ago and I have sinned many times and repented and repeated the same sin and now I truly want to repent. Will God forgive me?!😣😔

[jonjames]

I think one difference is that if I am being persecuted for being a Christian, I should accept it, and even praise God as the apostles did. However, Nazis killed Jews because of their bloodline, Britain wasn't unjust toward the colonists for their faith. If the government wants to persecute me because I believe in Jesus,  I can run and hide, and keep trying to live as Christ did, but I shouldn't fight them violently, though I could petition them to cease and repent. However, if they persecute me because of some other factor, that perhaps a non-Christian would possess as well, we should resist, peacefully if possible, violently if necessary, , because we are not simply defending ourselves as Christians, but our neighbors.

[billswindle]

But then again, John MacArthur said it was all good to take the mark of the beast, so there’s that. Just blows my mind how she can reference him in this argument.

[brianbivins]

ESV is the best its the Elect Standard Version. :P

[thegoodnewsgamer]

Depends if American Christians choose to practice their constitutional rights, fir the governed to chastise the government. I'd say sure. We hire the government, we can sue them. I.e. sue for the right to start in-person services, support businesses to pressure governors to reopen, for politicians to petition for them. 👍👍