Resistance Theology

Tyranny is a common theme in the Bible. God knew it would be a problem so he provided principles by which people could defuse a potentially revolutionary set of conditions. These biblical principles played a major role in the establishment of our republic. This kept our revolution from degenerating into a massive bloodbath like that which occurred in the French Revolution. Unfortunately, our current government has joined hands with social media, the news media, corporate America, the educational systems and liberal churches to push us into a socialist/communist state direction. This will lead to conditions that are ripe for revolution. However, God has provided ways to deal with this situation with biblical concepts found in the Bible. We need to try these methods first and return to living under God's law before we resort to revolution. In this section we will discuss these biblical alternatives. We will start out by listening to a presentation by Doug Wilson discussing the biblical possibilities for dealing with tyrants.

Gold provides ways Christians can resist tyrants within his written word. One of these methods was derived from studying the scriptures and to what extent Christians were to submit to government officials, especially when they were tyrannical. The doctrine of the lower magistrates was developed as a result of this research. It was determined that officials who stood between the king and the people could oppose the actions of the king if they were tyrannical and abused the people the magistrates represented. We actually see this same principle being played out today in our republic form of government. Our elected representatives are supposed to watch out for the interests of the people that they represent. They can control the tyrannical acts of the executive by cutting off the funds needed by the executive to fund his policies. Thus, the people can take actions that can change their plight through their elected representatives. The key is, do the people elect the right people to represent them?

Some Christian pastors are erroneously reviving the divine-right-of-kings argument, which created some of the most horrific human affairs in history. They, like grandfather of Communism Georg Hegel, argue that government is Divinely sanctioned to do anything it pleases and that God requires people to submit regardless of God’s standards of justice. This argument has been used by virtually every tyrant since Jesus, including Adolf Hitler.

Romans 13: The True Meaning of Submission shows with overwhelming evidence that submission to government is limited and that the obey-government-no-matter-what argument is false! It discusses sound rules of interpretation and construction, incorporates biblical reasoning, and uses hundreds of Scriptural proofs for its conclusions.Perhaps more than any other resource, Romans 13: The True Meaning of Submission will help you achieve a much greater and deeper understanding of and appreciation for the Biblical teaching regarding a person’s duty of submission and relationship towards government. 

There is hardly a subject today more needed in political, philosophical, and theological studies. Content and Preview: Foreword, Preface, Introduction, Ch 1: Submission Command Applies to Every Soul—A Universal Principle. Ch 2: De Facto ‘Higher Powers’ Superseded by De Jure ‘Highest Powers’ Ch 3: ‘Higher Powers’ Are God-Ordained To Apply Justice. Ch 4: That God Commands Unlimited Submission to Unjust Government Contradicts God’s Nature. Ch 5: ‘Higher Powers’ Qualify as Ministers of God by Merit of Works—Not Mere Title or Position. Ch 6: ‘Higher Powers’ Ordained Only For the Good of the People. Ch 7: God Is No Respecter of ‘Higher Powers’ Ch 8: Submission Must Consider One’s Conscience. Ch 9: Submission Must Consider One’s Duties to Others. Ch 10: Proper Submission May Require Reformation or Resistance. Endnotes