3 - We must not resist authority but obey the government under which we live.
"Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All
governments have been placed in power by God. So those who refuse
to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God" (Rom. 13:1—2 NLT).
Even if we disagree with actions taken by our government, we are not
to protest or resist. If we resist our government, we resist God.
What if the orders of our government conflict with our obedience to God?
Here we must obey God’s law and take the consequences. For example, suppose
our government should require us to bear arms. We would refuse, and then
accept the penalty without resistance. In this way we would be fulfilling
our duty to "obey the government," as far as our responsibility to God’s
commandments are concerned.
Jesus never taught His disciples to resist the actions of the government
under which they lived but to behave in such a way that, as far as possible,
they would be blameless before both God and men.
For the same reason, we do not oppose or condemn our country for going to war.
Jesus taught that we should leave all matters of state to the state.
("Render to Caesar …") God has set up the governments of earth for this purpose–to
keep law and order. Our duty is to obey and leave the administering of justice to Him.
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