Does the Bible Teach Us to Disregard Man-Made Laws At Times?

It is important to note that while the three Hebrews never even hinted at bowing to the image, they still attended the demonstration. They did not refuse to show up just because they knew where this was going. They obeyed the king as far as they could, until the king gave a command that directly violated God’s law. The example the three Hebrews gave us aligns with biblical counsel.

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Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities….Romans 13:1 NKJV

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29 NKJV

Paul instructs us to obey civil laws as far as possible without violating God’s law. Peter says that, of course, the law of God trumps civil law when civil law directly violates God’s law, but Peter did not teach us to violate civil law just for the sake of demanding our rights. After all, as a Christian, the only right I have is to pick up my cross and die with Christ. See Luke 9:23.

The same Peter who was thrown into prison by the civil servants, the same Peter who said we ought to obey God rather than men, also told us,

Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. 1 Peter 2:13-17 NKJV

Peter gave no validation for those who refuse to obey simply to defy the civil laws.

For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 1 Peter 2:20 NKJV

During the COVID shutdown, I was saddened by Christians who were making fun of people wearing masks and refusing to wear masks where they were required simply because they felt their rights were being taken away. Again, Luke 9:23 tells me the only right I have is to die with Christ. Wearing a mask in no way interferes with any of God’s laws. Some Christians were defiant, claiming that even more rights may be taken away that would interfere with God’s law. Still, remember the three Hebrews did not demand their rights. They obeyed just as far as they could without violating God’s law. They did not refuse to attend the ceremony just because they knew where this was going to go.

Jesus tells us,

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10 NKJV

Jesus gave no validation for those who are persecuted for any other reason than for righteousness’ sake.

Even though Jesus, Paul, and Peter had some serious run-ins with the civil authorities, they never taught us to defy civil laws just for our rights. Even when Paul mentioned in Acts 22:25 that it was unlawful for him to be scourged as a Roman citizen, he was going by civil law and not opposing it.

Many of the things people were asked to give up or do during the COVID shutdown did not violate civil law or God’s law. We recognize that these circumstances are likely to recur, and it is essential to recall that Scripture offers no justification for disobeying civil law unless it directly conflicts with God’s law. The Three Hebrews, Paul, Peter, and even Jesus, set an example for us to follow civil law as far as possible, until it directly contradicts God’s law.

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Does the Bible Teach Us to Disregard Man-Made Laws At Times? — 4 Comments

Tim Heischberg on June 17, 2025 at 7:54 pm said:

This subject still irritates me. There was nearly nothing moral, ethical or legal about how the Covid situation was handled. I know that I'm not alone in feeling that way. The Covid situation was unique in that civil powers exceeded their authority in many ways. One being by mandating an experimental drug, that had no informed consent (both violations of the Nuremburg code). Also by mandating that masks (which they knew were as effective as a screen door on a submarine) be worn in public places. You had to wear them in restaurants until you were seated at your table, then you could remove them. I guess that the "virus" knew that you were there to eat, so it wouldn't attack you. Medical institutions were financially incentivized to allow people to get worse and eventually need ventilation and die. Yes, the reimbursement by Medicare and private insurance sadly, made the whole situation worse, not to mention the protocols. The entire thing was the greatest scam and psychological operation ever foisted on humanity since the Garden of Eden. The laws passed were unethical, immoral, and in many cases unconstitutional. Post Covid lawsuits against employers have resulted in terminated "conscientious objector" employees receiving major settlements. Even the military was chastised by the Supreme Court and damages awarded. The most troubling part for me was how quickly churches, even our church, went along with the government and denied people their freedom to worship and religious objection against an experimental gene altering injection. In that sense it violated biblical principles. The devil was clever to muddy the waters and confuse people on the issues. I fear that the church will go along with the government when it comes to the coming Sunday law.

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Christina Waller on June 18, 2025 at 12:31 am said:

William, I agree with you that we have to be careful about the way we relate to civil laws. I'm not saying that every government handled COVID-19 perfectly, but ultimately they do have jurisdiction over such things. I feel obeying those laws was rendering to Caeser what is his. This was especially true in countries like Canada, my country, where we have publicly funded health care. Restrictions were necessary to keep the hospitals from being overwhelmed.

The worst thing I see, though, is how divided the church is over this issue. Both those who supported regulations and the vaccine and those who were completely opposed have done a lot of labeling of the other side. It has become a "testing truth" when it shouldn't be. Sometimes I wonder if our church will ever recover from those days.

I was vaccinated and I followed the government restrictions as best as I could, hard as they were. I didn't do these things because I was afraid and I don't see those decisions preparing me to fall on the Sunday law issue. I also respect those who chose not to be vaccinated or were uncomfortable with some things. Each one of us has our reasons and we answer to God alone.

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Marcia M on June 18, 2025 at 1:55 am said:

Pastor William you wrote "During the COVID shutdown, I was saddened by Christians who were making fun of people wearing masks and refusing to wear masks where they were required simply because they felt their rights were being taken away." I would like to respectfully inform you that those in the UK who due to their convictions didn’t go along with the vaccine programme were chastised by the church, being warned that it was their ‘moral and ethical duty’ to do so. Here the church was aligning a political agenda with moral - as in moral law. Combined church and state edicts for me raise a red flag of an ungodly agenda. It was mainly the conscientious objectors who were laughed at and vilified. It was not so much what was being propagated, that could have been anything, but it was the element of coercion combined with disdain and mockery, media propagation of fear, threats and alarm. Loss of livelihoods, loved ones dying alone, family being denied to say farewell and kiss them. World leaders threatening what they intend to do to dissenters. All of this smacks of forcing obedience to a ungodly power, rather than being ordained of GOD.

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- William Earnhardt on June 18, 2025 at 2:07 am said:
  
  Mocking people is wrong from every angle. Romans 14 is very clear each one should be convinced in their own minds and respect the convictions and boundaries of others. Christians do not mock other people, regardless of their beliefs or convictions. This is why it saddens me so much to see professed Christians mocking other people who were simply following their own convictions.
  
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