Blind Obedience

Please don your philosophical cap for a moment while I dissect the concept of obedience with you. First, let me begin with a fair enough definition:

Obedience, in human behavior, is a form of "social influence in which a person yields to explicit instructions or orders from an authority figure". Obedience is generally distinguished from compliance, which is behavior influenced by peers, and from conformity, which is behavior intended to match that of the majority.
This definition is as good a place to start as any, I suppose. I’m confident most of you understand what obedience is, but what say you when someone says, “I’ll never blindly obey”? Well, in this instance, we can’t just skip over the word “blindly,” either. The implication is that someone is turning a “blind eye” to what’s right in favor of simply obeying. The person who speaks this way is typically making a statement that they “see” something suspicious that gives them the right to disobey whatever authority is in view. In other words, they are making the blanket statement that they have the right to disobey authority whenever they believe they “see” something wrong with whatever commands they’ve been given (even in the absence of clearly stated Holy Scripture). Hold that thought while you consider the following passage on the God-given ability to “see” things as they truly are.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
 “Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
 and Christ will shine on you.”

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
What is “the will of the Lord” (v17)?

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Is it fair to conclude from Holy Scripture that the “will of the Lord” is to keep His commandments? And without getting into the theological proof, is it fair to assume that whatever is written in the Bible, regardless of the individual who penned it, is absolute Truth? I believe so. Therefore, as believers, our commands come from the Bible. For example:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
The Greek word translated “be subject” in v1 carries a military soldier connotation to it, implying implicit, absolute obedience to whatever authority is in view in the sentence. This is very strong, God-breathed language. In this case, it’s “the governing authorities” whom God has ordained. “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed” (v2). As we concluded earlier, the “will of the Lord” is to keep His commandments. This is a direct command from our Lord to obey the authorities in our lives. But what if said authority commands us to do something against the Word of God, like say, commit murder? The Bible makes a single exception to this when obedience to an authority would require disobedience to the Word of God. Here are a few examples in the Bible where this exception was invoked.

When the King of Egypt ordered that midwives murder babies, the midwives disobeyed him. This would be in direct compliance with one of the Ten Commandments, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).

“When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.
When three men of God were asked by King Nebuchadnezzar to worship another god over the Lord God, they disobeyed. To comply would’ve meant to break one of the Ten Commandments, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
When King Darius signed a document stating that anyone who prayed (e.g., “makes petition”) to any other god than himself should be cast into the den of lions, Daniel disobeyed him. To obey the king would’ve been to disobey the same one of the Ten Commandments that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were asked to disobey, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3)

All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.
…
Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
If you survey Holy Scripture closely, any disobedience performed that was considered righteous by God was done so either in direct response to a clearly stated command (e.g., one of the Ten Commandments) or at the direct behest of God in very unique circumstances. We must read Holy Scripture with integrity to the context of it, lest we do as Satan does - twist scripture to suit our fleshly desires. Unless God intervenes directly (e.g. He sends an angel of the Lord to release you from prison ala Acts 5:19) or you are being asked to break a clearly stated command, then you are to obey God’s command to obey your authorities, whether or not you even agree with them.

A favorite passage used to justify Christian disobedience nowadays is the following, where Peter and John were asked to disobey a direct command from Jesus.

So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
For the sake of brevity, I’ve not included all of Acts 4-5, but I recommend you read it for context’s sake. Jesus’ disciples were under the direct command of Jesus’ Great Commission, so they disobeyed the Jewish authorities.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As a result of their disobedience, the disciples were put in prison and an angel of the Lord released them (in other words, God intervened directly). Knowing this to be the case, the disciples stood confidently in their disobedience to the Jewish leaders.

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
To summarize, we are commanded to obey our authorities, with one exception alone - if the authorities command us to disobey the Word of God, we then have the right to disobey the specific command. However, we cannot use examples of disobedience to civil authorities in the Bible out of context in order to justify our own disobedience, for that is disobedience to God’s will (re-read that sentence as many times as necessary until you fully understand it).

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land.
Why do you call me “Lord, Lord,” and not do what I tell you?
But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Back to my opening question to you, what say you when someone says, “I’ll never blindly obey”? You might say as I do, “That’s great, neither will I!” When my Lord commands something of me, I wish to obey. If He clearly tells me that I am to obey the authorities He’s ordained, then I will do just that, unless said authority asks me to break a different command I’ve been given from God (e.g., one of the Ten Commandments). I can understand the God-fearing midwives, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, Peter and the apostles who answered, “We must obey God rather than men,” but I can’t honestly say that I’ve ever been put to the same test of faith that they were. I’ve never had an authority demand that I murder a baby. I’ve never had an authority tell me to denounce God or worship another. I’ve never been told I cannot preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ openly.

To see God’s commands plainly is the opposite of blindness. Therefore, to function with this sight in terms of obedience to God is hardly “blind obedience;” in fact, it is “seeing obedience,” which is righteous in God’s eyes. I pray that you see how simple this calling is upon our lives, even as authorities in our lives do some questionable things. I pray also that you don’t fall into the trap of using Holy Scripture out of context to justify maintaining some earthly privilege that you think you’re entitled to. Don’t be blind, yourself, “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness” (Matthew 6:23)!

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Love in Christ,

Ed Collins