Are Christians called to obey the "Law of the Land"

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Are Christians called to Obey the law of the Land?

The reason many Christians believe it is important to obey the law of the land, is because when searching the Scriptures, we recognize that this is clearly a part of God’s revealed will for our lives. The Bible teaches us that God has instituted all human government, and according to Romans 13:1, no government exists apart from God’s will.

Paul writes in Romans 13:1, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” This does not mean that God approves of all the decisions and actions that human rulers make and do. Yet, we know that God is the one who appoints each and every government official (cf. Saul - 1 Samuel 9:17; David – 1 Samuel 16:11-13; Cyrus – Isaiah 45:1; Nebuchadnezzar – Jeremiah 25:9), and God is also the one who has the ability to dethrone them (cf. Saul - 1 Samuel 15:23; 28:17; Nebuchadnezzar – Daniel 4:28-31; Belshazzar – Daniel 5:26-28; Herod - Acts 12:20-23). Even if we removed Paul’s exhortation from Romans 13:1, we would still be forced to confront this issue in other parts of God’s word.

For example, the Apostle Peter instructs us to obey the law of the land as well, when he says, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:13-17). As we consider Peter’s exhortation for believers to be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, or in other words, to obey the law of the land, let’s not forget that Jesus gave him (and the rest of the apostles) full authority, when He said, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).

Therefore, in the New Testament, we clearly see that obeying the law of the land is a biblical command that all believers are supposed to do their best to obey. The exception to this rule of course, is when the government passes laws that are in direct conflict to God’s revealed will found in Scriptures. Such was the case for the early church, when they were commanded not to preach the name of Jesus. Rather than submit themselves to the law of the land, they chose to obey God and suffer the consequences (Acts 4:13-31). Daniel is another example we can look to from the Old Testament as someone who refused to obey the law of the land. If he would have, it would have interfered with his relationship with God (Daniel 6:1-28).

In the Old Testament we also discover that when the Lord speaks through Jeremiah the prophet to those who had been exiled to Babylon, the LORD (not Jeremiah) commands them to, “... seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). The Hebrew word for welfare in this verse is shalom. We can safely conclude that in order to seek the welfare or peace, of any city, we must be law-abiding citizens. It is when the laws of the land are violated, that peace disappears, chaos exists, and Christians who take part, most often ruin their witness.

Just as it was God’s will for His people to live peaceably, as law-abiding citizens in the Old Testament, so too is it His desire for His people in the New Testament to do the same. This is definitely what Paul was thinking when he wrote to Timothy saying, “... I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). In other words Timothy was exhorted to pray for government officials, and do his best to help them keep the peace through his prayers and his peaceful and godly life. It is when we as Christians strive to live peaceably in the communities we are settled in (cf. Matthew 5:9), by being salt to the earth, and lights to the world, that we are able to best shine for God and bring Him glory through our lives (cf. Matthew 5:13-16).

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