Defy Tyrants: A Christian's Duty to God

Introduction

Cornelia Johanna Arnalda ten Boom, aka Corrie Ten Boom, was a Christian born and raised in Haarlem, North Holland. In 1940, the Nazis invaded Holland and took over the country. As they took over, the Nazis implements oppressive, totalitarian measures: strict night curfews, meal cards for food, identity cards, and the rounding up of Jews and anyone who showed or were suspected of disagreeing with the radical make-over of Dutch culture with Nazi-German culture.

In her book, The Hiding Place, she recounts how she first lied to a Nazi soldier and how she felt uneasy or even guilty for doing so. She was a Christian, after all, and Christians do not lie. She also recounts when she first heard rumors of Dutchmen leading an underground resistance and rescue of those whose lives were in danger. She recalls how uneasy she was about resisting the Germans. In her own words:

“We knew of course that there was an underground in Holland—or suspected it. Most cases of sabotage were not reported in our controlled press, but rumors abounded. A factory has been blown up. A train carrying political prisoners has been stopped and seven, or seventeen, or seventy, had made it away. The rumors tended to get more spectacular with each repetition. But always they featured things we believed were wrong in the sight of God. Stealing, lying, murder. Was this what God wanted in times like these? How should Christians act when evil was in power?”

Eventually, as some of you may know, she became one the leaders of the underground, rescuing up to 800 Jews from the Nazis. In the bedroom of her house, a small secret room was constructed in the wall. Hence the title of her book The Hiding Place. She would hide Jews in this room and then help them to freedom. When Nazi soldiers searched her family’s house, she would habitually and consistently lie that she was hiding and helping Jews.

How did she come to the conclusion that lying to the Nazis was justified? How did she come to think that she ought to disobey Nazi laws to help and save the lives of Jews?

1. Obey God Always

Because he is the Creator (Gen. 1:1, 27-28; 2:15-17)

Creator of everything:

Genesis 1:1 NASB95

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Including creator of mankind:

Genesis 1:27–28 NASB95

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Therefore, God has the right to stipulate how to use his creation and command how humanity ought to live. After all, humans and all creation were designed by God—he knows their intended purposes and goals, and thus has not just the right but he has the knowledge of how humans are to operate, or behave and live. And he, therefore, gives us the directions and guidance of what we were made for.

God as Creator and God demanding obedience are intimately linked and intertwined.

We see this play out when God gives his first command that has significant consequences tied to it. In the beginning, at creation, God commands his humans made in his image:

Genesis 2:15–17 NASB95

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Illustration:

If you were to create an AI robot, you would have the inherent prerogative (right) to demand its obedience and to operate according to how you designed it because you are the creator. The robot would, in return, have the obligation to obey you.

We could even compare it to the relationship between parents and children. Parents have the inherent prerogative (right) to demand their obedience and to follow rules parents have set for them just because they are the children’s parents.

Application:

“We have the right to do whatever we want.” Actually, we do not. We as humans have an obligation to God (because He is the Creator) to behave according to the purpose and intent God has created us for. Who are we to act contrary to the human nature for which God designed us? In fact, when we act in ways that God has not made us for, it’s called rebellion against God—sin.

But we are not to obey God always just because he is the Creator. We are to always obey God also because we love our Creator God:

For the Love of the Creator (John 14:15; 1 Jn 5:3)

John 14:15 (NASB95)

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

1 John 5:3 NASB95

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

Notice that this is not a commentary on salvation. Jesus does not say that in order to be saved you must keep his commandments. Rather, keeping his commands is an indicator of whether you love him or not.

Illustration:

When children consistently and habitually disobey their parents, it is an indicator that they do not truly love their parents.

Obeying God is also about obeying the authorities he has put in place, namely, government:

Including submitting to Government (Rom 13:1; 1 Pet 2:13-14)

1 Peter 2:13–14 NASB95

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.

“Submit” = put yourself under the authority of

If God commands us to obey the governing authorities and we break the laws the government has put in place, then we are sinning against God. Another way to say this, to obey government is to obey God.

The inevitable question that arises: are we to always obey the government?

What if gov’t (like China did in 1980-2015) makes a law that you can have only one child, and if you had more than one child, you were to be forced to have an abortion and/or be sterilized?

What if a government were to pass a law stating that no one, including Christians, could talk or write about their religious beliefs in public, like at work, school, or even in a grocery store?

This brings us to the main point of today’s message: is there ever a time when Christians may, and are obligated, to disobey the government? Question of civil disobedience.

2. Defy Tyrants Always (Acts 4:13-22)

Tyrants (Acts 4:5-6)

What we mean by tyrant here: governments that demand Christians to disobey God.

The tyrants in the case of Acts 4 with Peter and the Apostles:

Acts 4:5–6 (NASB95)

On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.

Tyrannical Commands (Acts 4:17-18)

Acts 4:17–18 NASB95

“But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.” And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

This command goes directly against the command of Jesus:

Matthew 28:19–20 ““Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.””

Illustration:

From early church when Rome demanded Christians to curse Christ or face death. One of the most popular instances: Under Emperor Marcus Aurelius (in the 160s), Polycarp refused to curse Christ.

This illustrates for us what to do when gov’t commands Christians to do something contrary to God and his commands: Defy the tyrant.

Application:

Just because the gov’t passes a law, it does not always mean you ought obey that law. If there is a law that goes directly contrary to God’s command, then Christians are to disobey it.

-> If a gov’t were to ever pass a law demanding that a family can have only one child and if you have more, you must abort them (like China did), we Christians defy the tyrant. [for the love of God and children]

-> If a gov’t were to ever pass a law demanding Christians or churches to perform gay weddings, we are to defy the tyrant. [for the love of God and for those who struggle with same-sex attraction]

-> If a gov’t were to pass a law (like Canada did in 2022) demanding that no one (esp Christians and churches) can attempt to help a person overcome his or her sinful struggle with LGBTQ passions, then we defy the tyrant. [for the love of God and for those who struggle with such sinful desires]

[Canadian law: “Bill C-4 passed the nation’s legislature unanimously after which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “As of today, it’s official: Conversion therapy is banned in Canada. Our government’s legislation has come into force — which means it is now illegal to promote, advertise, benefit from, or subject someone to this hateful and harmful practice. LGBTQ2 rights are human rights.”]

Just because we are to disobey tyrannical commands this does not give us license to break laws we just do not like.

3. Obey God’s Higher Laws Always

A Moral Dilemma

When two commands of God cannot be obeyed at the same time. In order to follow one of God’s commands, we have to break another.

God commands us to (1) obey gov’t (2) obey him.

Gov’t commands us to not talk about Jesus; God commands us to talk about Jesus.

We cannot do both. We must choose one to follow. We are to break God’s command to obey the gov’t in order to obey God’s command to talk about Jesus.

The principle is this:

The Duty to obey the Higher Moral Law (Matt 22:36-39; 23:23)

Matthew 22:36–39 NASB95

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Matthew 23:23 NASB95

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Slide Illustration

Examples of other higher moral laws from Scripture:

Mercy/compassion is higher than sacrifice, or obeying laws: Matthew 9:13 “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.””

Laying down one’s life for another is higher than protecting one’s self: John 15:3 ““You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”

Living life itself is higher than quality of life: Matthew 6:25““For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Illustration:

Higher moral laws implied by different punishments for different crimes (throughout OT)

Higher moral laws implied by different levels of punishment in hell (Luke 12:35-48).

Luke 12:47–48 ““And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

Examples from OT that indicates that we ought to follow the higher moral laws of God: Hebrew midwives; Rahab; Shad, Mesch, and Aben

Application:

What if we found ourselves in a situation similar to that of Corrie Ten Boom? Defy the tyrant and keep the higher moral law of God.

What if we had been living in Antebellum America when it was illegal to help runaway slaves? Defy the tyrant and keep the higher moral law of God.

Conclusion

The moral dilemma: Christ and his cross.