There are a couple of oft-quoted New Testament passages that fellow believers aim at folks like myself, who question the actions and motives of the governing authorities whenever I see them run afoul of the founding principles of our nation, and especially the supreme law of the land, the Constitution.

Romans 13:1 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

1Peter 2:13 “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.”

I heartily agree, of course, with these passages as part of God’s holy and inspired Word. I strive in every respect to comply with the duly established laws that have been passed both in our state and in our nation. I do not despise legitimate authority, and there are many laws on our books that I fully comply with even though I do not personally agree with them and often find them quite inconvenient. I advocate working within the system, where possible, to bring about civic change. I am in no wise “anti-government”. In fact, I consider the charge to be scandalous and false that would say otherwise about me.

Before you accuse me (or another believer) of violating the principles found in these passages, let’s make sure we are properly applying them to our present situation. First of all, let us remember one basic fact: WE DO NOT HAVE A KING. As Americans, our highest earthly authority is not a man but a document (namely, the U.S. Constitution). In our republic, we are ruled by laws, not by men. Every single citizen, including myself and whomever occupies the offices of Governor and President, is equally subject to the Constitution.

In Peter’s and Paul’s day, the people were by and large governed by the whims of men. When a noble, humble and wise man sat in the seat of authority, all was well. When a sociopath like Nero or Caligula occupied the seat of power, things went poorly. Because unchecked authority tends to lead sinful men to become proud and arrogant tyrants, the unfortunate testimony of human history is generally not good in monarchies (or “dictatorships” to use the more modern term).

Our forefathers recognized the futility of the monarchical succession and were inspired to break out of this old mold to create a better form of government. These brave men put everything on the line to create the “human institution” that became, in short time, the envy, the breadbasket, and the last great bastion of liberty and hope for the entire world. Obviously America has never been perfect, but the ideas and principles that guided our founders have borne tremendous positive fruit not only in our country but throughout the world for the better part of our existence as a nation. It really bothers me when I hear fellow Americans denigrate our founders and heritage by sanctimoniously declaring them to be mere rebels against the King of England and therefore opposing “what God had established” and therefore in utter violation of the two passages quoted above. I’m sure these people would have, at the time, sided with the Tories and opposed the Continental Congress as well. I’m sure there were true Christian believers on both sides of that great struggle, and I don’t mean in any way to question the salvation of anyone who sided with England at the time. In the same way, there were devout Christians fighting with the Confederate States during the Civil War. This brings me to the second basic fact: SOMETIMES WELL-MEANING CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS ARE WRONG.

There is a basic principle of authority that goes something like this: Where rules or laws handed down by authorities conflict with one another, you must follow the higher law. In other words, if adhering to the U.S. Constitution (or any other law or that matter) forces me to disobey the dictates of my conscience before Almighty God (or His written Word), then I must follow the higher law (i.e. God’s). If New York State passes a law that supersedes my protections as a citizen under the U.S. Constitution, I believe that I am in the right to ignore that lower law in favor of the higher one — and the Supreme Court of the United States will back me up.

I’ve already said that elected officials at any level within our Federal, State and Local governments are themselves subject to the laws, same as me. If, however, they get a big head and attempt to violate a higher law (i.e. the Constitution or God’s Word), it is my RIGHT, DUTY and OBLIGATION as a citizen to defy them. Their authority in that case is illegitimate.

Others may be ready on a whim to toss out the system of government that we inherited from our ancestors and return to slavishly bowing before men rather than being treated as their equals under the Constitution. As for me and my house, I side with the founders. I admire their courage and seek to emulate it. I would argue that this human institution (i.e. our Constitutional Republic) is what Peter and Paul would describe in our present day as being “from God”, and that present day elected officials who violate the Constitution are mere usurpers like Jezebel and Ataliah. Those who would scold me for not folding up like a cowardly doormat before such people may find themselves, like the Tories during the revolution, on the right side of public opinion but on the wrong side of history.