We Must Obey God Rather than Men!

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, "We ought to obey God rather than men." -- Acts 5:29

This single verse illustrates the foundational concept of jurisdiction. That is, an individual is responsible first to his Creator, then to other lesser authorities. Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England were an essential component of the founding fathers' libraries and should have a prominent place in the minds of modern legal scholars. In these commentaries, Blackstone elucidates the principles of law from the highest plane to the lowest. It is important to understand that our country's Constitution, and many of its churches, were built upon these legal principles. Let us look at some of the most significant statements made with respect to the subject of jurisdiction:

"This law of nature, being coeval with mankind and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other - It is binding over all the globe in all countries, and at all times; no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this: and such of them as are valid derive all their force, and all their authority, mediately or immediately, from this original." (emphasis added)

"But in order to apply this to the particular exigencies of each individual, it is still necessary to have recourse to reason... And if our reason were always, as in our first ancestor before his transgression, clear and perfect, unruffled by passions, unclouded by prejudice, unimpaired by disease or intemperance, the task would be pleasant and easy... But every man now finds the contrary in his own experience; that his reason is corrupt, and his understanding full of ignorance and error. This has given manifold occasion for the benign interposition of divine providence; which, in compassion to the frailty, the imperfection, and the blindness of human reason, has been pleased, at sundry times and in diverse manners, to discover and enforce its laws by an immediate and direct revelation. The doctrines thus delivered we call the revealed or divine law, and they are to be found only in the holy scriptures."

"Upon these two foundations, the law of nature and the law of revelation, depend all human laws; that is to say, no human laws should be suffered to contradict these." (emphasis added)

Blackstone's commentaries were written to parse the common laws of England such that the average educated person could understand them. In order to set the stage for his discussion, he led with an introduction that included the statements above. In essence, the foundational legal treatise used to create our form of government claimed that all true laws come from God as the only infinite, all-wise, and perfect being. All human laws must either conform to this natural and divine law or it must limit itself to statutes toward which divine law is indifferent.

Thus, a law that attempts to force one citizen to murder another is an invalid law as it contradicts both the natural law and the divine law revealed in Scripture. We must understand that we are not simply saying that the law is bad, but that it is truly not a law at all because no human legislature has the authority to contradict God's law. On the other hand, a law that dictates that one must stop at a red light when driving is a municipal law that stands outside of the natural or divine law. Because God is indifferent to this statute, it cannot contradict His law, making it fall completely within the power of human government.

This is why the issue of jurisdiction is so important. Although clear contradictions of God's law can be recognized and protested or ignored, what limits government at any level from multiplying laws and becoming tyrannical? What stops church leadership from extending their God-given authority into spheres in which they have no say? What stops a father from overstepping his bounds within his family? Only the right understanding of jurisdiction can address these issues. We will start with the family as that is the foundational unit of the other two God-ordained human institutions.

Ephesians 5:21 - 6:9 describes the lines of authority within families, which included servants, or slaves, in that day:

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

The hierarchy of the family outlined in this passage is simple: husband over the wife, who is over the children; with servants reporting the husband and being placed in whatever capacity he sees fit. But the hierarchy is only the surface of this passage. Because it is the jurisdictional limitations that make this passage so important to us today. The husband and father has supreme authority in his household, yet he must answer directly to God and live within God's revealed law. This means that the father must rule over his household within the following confines:

1. He must love his wife as Christ loved the Church
2. He must love his wife as he loves himself
3. He must continually aid his wife in her personal sanctification and walk with God
4. He must not ask his household to break God's laws
5. He must not act in a way that provokes wrath in his children
6. He must treat his servants with respect and dignity, understanding that a servant is not lower than his master in the eyes of God

These limitations to the man of the house are extremely confining. Although a wife is told to obey her husband, his commands must always be for the good of the wife and the family, since Christ does not command His Church to do anything that is not for their ultimate good. The husband must live a life of sacrifice for his wife since Christ gave the ultimate sacrifice for the Church. He must work with his wife (and the rest of his family) to bring them ever closer to God as Christ works in our hearts to sanctify us. He must be careful that his actions and words do not lead his children to righteous anger. We cannot prevent an angry outburst from our children, but this passage makes it clear that justifiable anger at unfair and unjust practices is the clear fault of the father, and the child is not liable. Finally, he must understand that, although his position or wealth may give him mastery over another person in some capacity, he cannot treat that person as sub-human because God does not see the servant as being any different from the master.

The commands to the wife, children, and servants must be understood within the confines of the ultimate familial authority. The wife should obey her husband as the Church should obey Christ. Yet, the husband is not perfect as is Christ. However, where the husband is operating within the confined of his jurisdictional authority, the wife must obey. This does not mean that the wife can ignore her husband's directives if she does not see the proper "love" coming from him. Rather, it means that the husband's jurisdiction cannot extend outside of the divine law from which he derives his authority. Likewise, the children must obey their parents in the Lord, again clearly indicating that the parents cannot command their children to disobey God's law. There are several Asian countries where the husband and father will order his wife and/or female children to become prostitutes or thieves and bring home the money. A Christian wife or child in that situation cannot obey that man because he has stepped outside of the divine authority to which he is answerable. As Blackstone said, "no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this [divine law]."

Notice also that the Scriptures are very specific in directing the submission of wives, children, and masters. Wives are told to submit themselves to "their own husbands", not any husband. Thus, my authority over my wife extends to no other woman in the world - my jurisdiction is limited. Likewise, this limitation is placed upon the children and servants as well, meaning that the man is king in his own home, but no one else's home.

This may seem like common sense, but has some far-reaching consequences. A wife cannot Biblically work for another man unless her husband gives that man certain authority and jurisdiction over his wife. Otherwise, she should not obey another man. If her work requires her to act in contradiction to her husband's directives, there can be no question or conflict as to the resolution - she must obey her husband. Children may be placed under that authority of a tutor, teacher, or caretaker, but the limitations of this authority must be clearly taught to the children by the parents. This is one major problem with public schools since they actively teach principles and philosophies that are in direct violation of God's law and the Christian parents beliefs. The children must understand that these philosophies are to be rejected openly and clearly, without challenging the authority of the teacher in those areas where they may be correct. If a child is not mature enough or outspoken enough to do this, then they should not be subjected to this contradiction of authorities in their lives.

If the family is to be ordered correctly, it requires men to be active rather than passive. They must defend their families from the encroachments of other people, groups, or institutions that would undermine their God-given authority. If a Church is teaching a philosophy or engaging in practices that directly violate what is being taught in the home, then the father is responsible to take action. I do not believe this means leaving that Church in most cases, though that may need to happen on occasion. However, the father cannot be silent on the contradiction being presented to his family. Otherwise, he is implying that this particular doctrine or practice does not really matter, leaving the wife and children to decide on their own what is right. Such passivity must be rejected. Likewise, fathers must take action against the encroachment of today's culture and our government into their families. This may be a simple as clearly refuting wrong philosophies, or it may be as difficult as breaking away from cultural influences such as television, music, and movies that go against the laws of the home. There may come a day when we find ourselves in the same position as the founding fathers, where we need to defend our homes and families against the unlawful actions of our own government.

Whatever the situation, we must remember that all aspects of right and wrong, as well as the interpretation of the principles and how they apply to our lives, belong to God alone. No human individual or group can redefine what is right or wrong. Thus, our first responsibility is to obey God. Where God and man are not in conflict, our lives are easy and happy. Yet our society today is moving very quickly away from God's laws, so we must be prepared as Christians to proclaim our allegiance to God as the apostles did, even if it means beatings, imprisonment, or death. Can we do less than those who have run the race before us?