Obeying God Rather Than Man

Acts 5:29:

"Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."

There is a common misconception about Christians and their adherence to, or compliance with, the laws of government. It is often assumed that Christians must comply with government laws regardless of the righteousness or moral validity of those laws.

This is a misunderstanding. Throughout the New Testament, we see quite the opposite. We see faithful believers at times defying government and religious authorities when obedience to those authorities would require disobedience to God.

In Acts 4 and 5, the apostles Peter and John were in the Temple preaching and teaching. They healed a lame man and were detained by the Sanhedrin, who ordered them to no longer teach in the name of Jesus. Peter and John responded in Acts 4:19-20:

“[19] But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. [20] For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

They openly defied the ruling Jewish religious authority, the Sanhedrin, and continued to teach and preach in the name of Jesus Christ.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, also challenged unjust religious authority. We see this clearly in His encounter with the money changers in the Temple at Jerusalem. In Matthew 21, He directly confronted corrupt religious and commercial practices by overturning their tables:

“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves.” (Matthew 21:12)

When believers protest unrighteous acts committed by authorities, they are following in the moral footsteps of our Savior and the apostles. Additionally, history shows a rich tradition of people of faith standing for righteousness in the face of unjust laws and policies. Scripture provides a clear guiding principle. As Peter declared in Acts 5:29:

“…We ought to obey God rather than men.”

Every believer must ask:

• Does this align with God’s Word?

• Does this honor Christ?

• Does this reflect justice, mercy, and truth?

If the answer is no, then obedience to God must come first over obedience to the law, even when it is costly.