Christians and the Law

Should Christians always obey the law? Under what conditions is it acceptable to disobey the law? Didn’t Paul state that all Christians should submit themselves to the authorities in power and that all governments have been established by God?

I will address the issues that Paul raises in Romans chapter 13 in a future essay. For now, let’s address the issue of whether or not Christians should always obey the law. The simple answer to that question is that Christians should obey the law if, and only if, it does not contradict the teachings of Christ. Once that condition is present, the Christian has a moral obligation to do what is necessary to change the law and to extricate himself from the implementation of the law. That does not necessarily mean that a Christian should break whatever law he deems to be in conflict with Christ’s teachings. Most laws established by the State are not in direct opposition to Christ’s teachings; however, many fall into a grey area in which the Christian might find himself an accomplice to the enforcement of a law that might be used to violate a teaching of Christ

For example, suppose a Christian has a friend who is a marijuana user. While this behavior may be self-destructive, the “crime” is largely one in which no aggression has taken place against anyone else. In this case, the Christian would be wise to provide support, prayer, and love to the person in question. The “lawful” thing to do would be for the Christian to report the incident to the police and have the friend arrested for drug possession. In this case, the friend (and probably his family) is likely to resent the Christian for reporting the crime. No Christian love has been exhibited and nothing has been accomplished except that a man engaging in a private matter has now been removed from society to join others (many who have committed actual crimes of violence against others) in incarceration. Has God been glorified in these actions? No. The only results are resentment, bitterness, and ruined lives.

Many sinful practices have existed throughout history that were completely lawful including slavery, torture, discrimination, polygamy, kidnapping, rape, pillaging, and even murder. Obviously, a Christian should condemn these actions and even forcefully oppose them when possible. At the very least, a Christian should not assist in the application of these types of laws and should seek to remove himself from any position in which he contributes directly or indirectly to the enforcement of such laws.

Christians should focus on following the teachings of Christ, not following the laws of the State. As Henry David Thoreau stated, “It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as (a respect) for the right.” If the State passes a law that opposes a teaching of Christ, the obligation of the Christian should be to disregard that law. This requires courage in the face of adversity, but then again, Christ did urge each of his followers to “take up his cross daily.” No one ever said following Christ was easy. No Christian should need the government to instruct him on what is right. As that old Hebrew National commercial stated, Christians "answer to a higher power."

March 8, 2006