Guidepost Two – When Obedience Clashes With Culture Series

The council chamber in Jerusalem was tense. Leaders of the Sanhedrin gathered in a semicircle, their robes still and their eyes sharp. In the center stood a handful of Galilean fishermen who had been arrested for one reason: they would not stop speaking the name of Jesus.

The high priest leaned forward and said, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood!”

Peter answered for them all, calm and certain: “We must obey God rather than men.” With that one sentence, the clash of kingdoms came into the open. This was not rebellion for rebellion’s sake. It was allegiance to a higher King.

The story presses on every generation. How do followers of Christ live under earthly authority when that authority commands what heaven forbids or forbids what heaven commands?

Scripture gives a twofold answer: respect rightful authority as God’s gift, and refuse obedience when obedience to rulers would mean disobedience to God.

First, authority is God’s idea. Paul writes in Romans 13 that governing powers are “God’s servant for your good.” Peter—yes, the same Peter who defied the Sanhedrin—writes in 1 Peter 2:13, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority.”

Order is a blessing. Government, at its best, protects the vulnerable and restrains evil. Christians are called to be the best neighbors and most dependable citizens: praying for leaders, paying taxes, seeking the peace of the city. Obedience to God normally includes respectful obedience to civil law.

But that obedience has limits. When human commands contradict the will of God, the people of God draw a clear line. Daniel 3 shows three young men who served a pagan king faithfully until the day came when everyone was ordered to bow before a golden image.

They answered the king with dignity and resolve: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us… but if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up.” They did not insult the king. They did not stir a riot. They simply would not disobey the Lord.

The apostles in Acts 5 faced a similar moment. The order from the council was not about taxes or civic duties; it was a direct command to stop proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. To comply would have been to deny their Lord. So they spoke the words that still steady believers today: “We must obey God rather than men.” They were beaten and warned, yet they departed rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Christ.

This guidepost teaches that allegiance to God outranks every earthly claim. But notice the manner of their resistance. It was marked by respect, courage, and joy. They honored the governing powers where they could. They accepted the consequences without bitterness.

Their courage was not defiance for its own sake; it was the quiet strength of men and women who had already settled in their hearts that Jesus is Lord.

History provides many echoes of this pattern. Early Christians under Rome refused to burn incense to Caesar, even when it meant execution. Reformers translated Scripture into common languages despite threats from church and state.

Modern believers in various nations have continued to worship, preach, or gather when governments tried to forbid it. In every case, faithful disciples honored lawful authority until that authority demanded what God forbids, and then they obeyed God.

The practical guidance is plain. Followers of Jesus must settle their hierarchy of loyalties before a crisis arrives. God’s Word and the lordship of Christ are ultimate. We must also distinguish between preference and conviction. Not every policy we dislike is a matter of conscience.

True conviction is when obedience to a human command would require disobedience to God’s command. Finally, our resistance must always bear the character of Christ—humble, nonviolent, and willing to accept loss for the sake of truth. This is how the church bears witness without becoming quarrelsome.

The message of this guidepost is steady and clear: Christians honor rulers and respect the structures God has allowed, but when human commands cross the line of God’s revealed will, we obey God. We do so without malice, without hysteria, and without fear, trusting that the One who holds the universe also holds the outcome.

The principle of obeying God above men is timeless, but each generation must apply it to its own setting. In many places today, believers gather quietly in homes because open worship would bring arrest. Pastors are detained, Bibles confiscated, and yet the gospel continues to spread. Faithful men and women choose respectful disobedience, just as the apostles did.

For most of us the pressures are subtler, but the choices are real. Laws and workplace policies may redefine marriage, identity, or speech in ways that contradict Scripture. In classrooms and boardrooms, allegiance to Jesus may cost promotions, friendships, or influence. The question is not if there will be a collision, but how we will respond when it comes.