“Rebels With A Cause”

Monday, January 11, 2016

I heard a sermon on obeying the government.  There was a verse that mentioned not overthrowing the king.  Which made me wonder... were the founding fathers sinning by leading the American Revolution against the king of England?

 

Sincerely,
Patriot or Traitor

Dear Patriot Or Traitor,

Your question is a profoundly difficult one to answer because:

1. Most Americans are thankful for the freedom they enjoy because of the American Revolution and are reluctant to consider their national heroes as potential sinners.
2. We were not there and cannot see the world through the founding fathers’ eyes.  We are only left with what details the history books give us.

Because of these two things, it is hard to give a definitive answer.  Realistically, any answer we give ends up being an “armchair quarterback” sort of statement.

Biblically, it is wrong to rebel against a government in almost all circumstances (Rom 13:1-2).  The only times where it is permissible are:

1. When the government is attempting to stop you from obeying God (Acts 5:29).
2. The government is preventing you from providing for your family’s basic needs (1 Tim 5:8).
3. The government is seeking to unjustly persecute and kill/harm you, your family, other christians, etc. (2 Cor 11:32-33).

If the government is attempting to do any of these things, a christian has biblical justification for rebelling against the government’s command.  That is what the Bible says on the matter.  The question is whether or not the American Revolution fits that criteria.  Depending on which historian you discuss the issue with, you will get a different answer.  Some will say, “Yes, it met that criteria,” while others will say, “No, it didn’t,” and some others will say, “Some people who rebelled met the criteria, and other’s didn’t.”  In our opinion (we now move into opinion, and leave the realm of Scripture), the last view is correct.  Some founding fathers rebelled out of a deep-seated spiritual conviction, and others rebelled out of simple frustration with the financial hardships that England placed upon them.  But in the end, all we can do is make sure that how we live is biblically sound – and leave the judgment of others to God.

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