Obey the laws of the land, unless...

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blhowes

Puritan Board Professor
We are commanded to obey the laws of the land.

Rom 13:1-4 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.​
The government is established by God, but there are times, however, when its ok not to obey the law. Moses' parents disobeyed the law (Pharaoh's command) that first born males should be cast into the river. Instead, they hid their son. Not only was it ok to disobey the law, their act was commended as an act of faith.

Heb 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.​

1. Does the Bible ever specifically tell us when its ok not to obey the laws of the land? What guidelines does the Bible give?

2. I've heard it said that its ok if the law in question clearly breaks one of the 10 commandments. I agree. Where is this supported in the scriptures?

3. The 10 commandments hadn't been given yet when Moses' parents hid Moses. What criteria did they use to know that it was ok (common sense?)?

4. Legalistic question:
Laws should be obeyed if they don't break one of the 10 commandments. The speed limit on a given road is 65 mph, which (to the best of my knowledge) doesn't break any of the 10 commandments. The flow of traffic is probably 70-75 mph, and I decide to go 70 mph. I am breaking the law. Is it a sin? Why/Why not?
 
1-2: God's authority is original; the state's authority is derivative (from God's authority), so God's law trumps all derived laws by nature of who he is. That is assumed throughout Scripture, and we have several examples (such as the Moses example you mention) of Christians disobeying the state. Best explicit example I can think of is "We must obey God rather than man".

3: The ten commandments on Sinai were not the first revelation of God's law. They were also observing the Sabbath before Sinai, and the sanctions for murder were established in Genesis 9.

4: Laws should be obeyed if they don't require me to break one of the 10 commandments. The speed limit on a given road is 65 mph. Driving 65 mph doesn't break one of the 10 commandments, therefore driving 70-75 mph breaks the law and is a sin.

I think an interesting problem arises when different sources of law in a society contradict each other. How are we to choose which law to obey if they are contradictory?
 
1-2: God's authority is original; the state's authority is derivative (from God's authority), so God's law trumps all derived laws by nature of who he is. That is assumed throughout Scripture, and we have several examples (such as the Moses example you mention) of Christians disobeying the state. Best explicit example I can think of is "We must obey God rather than man".

3: The ten commandments on Sinai were not the first revelation of God's law. They were also observing the Sabbath before Sinai, and the sanctions for murder were established in Genesis 9.

4: Laws should be obeyed if they don't require me to break one of the 10 commandments. The speed limit on a given road is 65 mph. Driving 65 mph doesn't break one of the 10 commandments, therefore driving 70-75 mph breaks the law and is a sin.

I think an interesting problem arises when different sources of law in a society contradict each other. How are we to choose which law to obey if they are contradictory?

Or when hardly anyone in the land obeys it's own laws. For instance, copyright laws are MUCH stricter on paper than anyone follows practically. In grad school, we had to make copies of articles and handouts for class, and the professor who taught us about copyright said we were all violating the letter of the law. It was all so confusing.

And...can anyone enlighten me on burning CDs? Why do so many Christians do it? Isn't that illegal?
 
Is speeding on the highway a 5th Commandment issue, or is it something of indifference, so long as we're willing to pay the consequences of breaking such a seemingly arbitrary law? I don't know that I could/would try to make the case that speeding is a sin, necessarily in that I'm not sure if it's a question of morality or not. Good food for thought, though.
Weren't you the guy that passed me on the interstate last night as if I were standing still? (not saying you're trying to justify your actions, but... lol)
 
I believe that intentional speeding is a sin. Ive heard people say that traffic laws aren't really "laws" per se, just regulations, so we don't have to take them as seriously. I decided that I would look it up--what exactly is a speed limit? Turns out that the speed limits, in Indiana anyway (where I lived at the time), are called "ordinances." I thought that was interesting, as 1 Peter 2:13 (KJV) says "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man."

I don't think that the arbitrariness of speed limits excuses us. 1 Peter 2:13-15: "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man...that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." In my opinion, it doesn't sound like it's saying "submit yourselves to every reasonable ordinance" but rather "submit yourselves to every ordinance of man, even though the men making the ordinances are foolish" so long as those ordinances don't violate God's law, of course.

I often hear "but there are times when it's dangerous to drive the speed limit, if everyone else is going faster," but I've been driving for 14 years now and have never once encountered a situation where I felt that I was endangered by obeying the speed limit--and I frequently drive some of the busiest highways in Texas during rush hour. I'm sure there are times when this excuse is valid, but I think those times are rare. If it was in fact dangerous to obey the speed limit in a given situation--say the guy driving behind you got so impatient that he was ramming into your car :p--then I think you would be justified in speeding under the 6th commandment (preserving life).
 
In Texas the law doesn't say you must drive at the posted speed. It states you must "drive at a safe and prudent speed." In court they always default to the speed limit sign. However, in the pouring rain, it's possible to get a ticket for speeding even if you are within the posted limit if the officer things you aren't traveling at a safe and prudent speed.
 
Oobedience to traffic laws is under the fifth commandment. It's like a parent setting a curfew. It's not immoral to be out past 10 until the parent requires that the child be home or face the consequences.
 
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