“We Must Obey God Rather Than Men”

Acts 5:29

“But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.”

In this passage (Acts 5:17-32) we have the first of three occurrences where apostles were imprisoned for their faith. In this situation apparently all twelve of the apostles were put in prison (v. 18). An angel of the Lord released them and told them to go preach the message of salvation in the temple. In most cases when people escape from jail they hide from the authorities but in this situation the apostles were instructed to be very obvious about their denial of the rulers commands.

The Bible teaches us to honor human authority and to obey human laws. Here we find an exception to that rule and one that applies to us also. We are to be obedient of the laws of the land in which we live unless they command us to be disobedient to God. In that situation our allegiance to God as a Christian should cause us to obey God rather than man.

Notice the nature of the apostles rebellion. It was not one of force but of simple obedience to the angel’s instructions. They went to the temple and preached the gospel. There is no evidence of resistance when the authorities came to arrest them again. I think one of the reasons for this attitude was the apostles extreme confidence in God. They were very aware of the Holy Spirit’s protection in their lives. It challenges me to see their boldness when I realize that we live in a country where we have freedom of expression and yet we seem to be so hesitant to share the message of salvation to those around us.

It is exciting to be around new Christians because they are typically very bold in sharing their faith. Then as they begin to meet resistance and observe many Christians not doing that, they become more hesitant. We should strive to maintain the freshness of the newness of Christ in our lives and a willingness and boldness to share our faith realizing the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the lives of those with whom we share.