Civil Disobedience and the Christian

The argument goes like this:  "You cannot rebel against the Laws of the Land. God has placed those governing authorities over you. (Romans 13:1) If you will keep your guns, even when national laws prohibit them, you are rebelling against GOD as much as the government. Submit." 

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Obey the laws of the land. Respect earthly authority. But I ask: who is an American's authority?

Well, the Supreme authority in this country is the Constitution, which gives its citizens the right to bear arms. The Constitution was written with respect to the principles explained in the Declaration of Independence, which states:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men...are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it." 

Therefore, the Fathers instituted a system in which we don't elect rulers. We elect representatives.

And, if they cease representing--and start ruling--the Law of the Land states we have the right to object and start over. (Other documents referencing the right to abolish are here.) That's not rebellion against laws and God. It's legal!

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The Pharisees were good at taking an indisputable chunk of Scripture and making a solid case for their beliefs. They told Jesus, "Thou shalt not work on the Sabbath," when a crippled man needed healing. In all seriousness, their justification sounds air-tight to me.

How could Jesus argue with that? Weren't the Pharisees given their place of Jewish authority by God? Well, yes.

Except Jesus IS God. The authority of a religious leader held no sway next to HIS.  (It reminds me of a politician's authority when compared with mine. See where I'm going here?)

But let's talk in spiritual terms for a minute.

Jesus explained that for all their efforts to "simplify" the law, the Jewish Pastors missed the whole point. They wanted to help their flock understand what God meant when He said "keep the Sabbath holy." But they only succeeded in constructing man-made rules, tediously hanging on that single verse.

Until Jesus pointed out the silliness, the Pharisees had turned the Law into a crazy dance of spirituality, full of impossible standards and contradictions. That's what happens when we miss the point.

So, as Christians who genuinely want to align our actions with the Truth, what do we DO with the directive to respect governing authorities? Trust me, I love solid, "Thou Shalts" as much as the Pharisees. But I don't know!

Humans need definite boundaries. There is comfort in knowing exactly what's expected of you. Yet, I'm afraid understanding the Christian's response to civil disobedience is NOT simple. Consider these questions, for which I struggle to find answers:

-Does God want us to avoid taking any action against any earthly authority--unless a soldier hands us a gun and tells us to kill?

-Are immigrants to this country wrong for leaving the authority of their governments behind? Shouldn't they passively submit to the leaders God has placed in their homeland--rather than running?

-What happens when two or more groups try to claim national authority? How do we know which is God-ordained?
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EVERY politician in history, from King James to Hitler, believed God was on his side. (Or at least made that assertion to the public.)

Unfortunately, well-meaning Church people are notorious for nodding and agreeing with whoever talks the loudest, without asking some of the questions I did above. They cling to what may be another Cutesy Christian Motto, "Jesus wants us to respect authority!" not knowing fully what they mean. Often, it's just another way to say: "For the love of God, don't rock the boat!"

But I believe our Founding Fathers had it right when they recognized GOD possesses the only true, lasting Authority. And, by His design, the citizens of the United States have created a government "of the people, by the people."

Therefore, I argue the REAL rebels--the ones disregarding BOTH the Scriptures AND the "Law of the Land"--are the ones to whom many Christians say we should surrender. These "lawmakers" seek to impose more gun control (and a thousand other things) in order to acquire authority to which they are NOT entitled.

On the other hand, I am within my rights to disregard a government that becomes corrupt. That's what the governing authority says.