Christians And Lawbreaking: When Does Faith Permit It?

Christians are faced with a moral dilemma when it comes to breaking the law. While they must recognise the authority of the state, they are also bound by the laws of God, the Bible, and the example set by Jesus. Jesus broke the law regularly, and the Bible contains several instances of civil disobedience. As such, Christians may feel compelled to break the law when it contradicts their religious beliefs, but they must also be prepared to accept the consequences.

Christians should only break the law when it contradicts the law of God

Jesus broke the Jewish law regularly, but he also respected and honoured it. For example, he healed on the Sabbath and turned the tables outside the temple. In his life, he seemed to move towards a greater breaking of laws. Jesus is part of a strong biblical tradition of civil disobedience, including Hebrew midwives refusing to kill babies (Exodus 1:15-21), Rahab disobeying treason laws (Joshua 2) and the early Church refusing to honour Caesar as the primary authority in the world and seeing all human law as subordinate to God’s law (Acts 5:29).

Christians should be ready to accept the consequences of any law-breaking, including prosecution by the law and abuse from the public.

Christians who break the law should be ready to accept the consequences

Jesus broke the law regularly, but he also respected and honoured it. For example, he healed on the Sabbath, which was against Jewish law, and he turned the tables outside the temple.

Christians should only break the law when it contradicts the law of God and would cause a believer to sin. For example, the apostles refused to stop sharing their faith with others, even though the governing authorities of the day told them to. They told the authorities they could not disobey God on their account.

If Christians do break the law, they can be arrested, imprisoned, or even put to death. They should be ready to accept these consequences, including prosecution by the law and abuse from the public.

Jesus broke the law regularly but also respected it

Christians should only break the law when it contradicts the law of God and the Bible, and would cause a believer to sin. For example, Christians should share their faith with other people, even if the government condemns it.

Jesus broke the law regularly, but he also respected it. During his time, only "priests" were legally allowed to heal anyone, or declare someone as "healed". However, Jesus started healing everyone in defiance of the "health laws of the day". He also continually broke the laws on the "Sabbath", when no one was supposed to work. Jesus knew that these laws were preventing people from being healed, and so he disregarded them. Jesus was by no means a legalist, and therefore saw no problem with breaking particular commands so long as people's needs and love were being promoted.

Jesus is part of a strong biblical tradition of civil disobedience that includes Hebrew midwives refusing to kill babies, Rahab disobeying treason laws, and the early Church refusing to honour Caesar as the primary authority in the world and seeing all human law as subordinate to God’s law.

Christians should be ready to accept the consequences of any law-breaking, including prosecution by the law, and abuse from the public.

Christians must recognise the authority of the state

Christians should only break the law when that authority contradicts the law of God and the Bible, and would cause a believer to sin. For example, the apostles refused to stop sharing their faith with others, despite being told to do so by the governing authorities of the day.

Jesus is part of a strong biblical tradition of civil disobedience, including Hebrew midwives refusing to kill babies, Rahab disobeying treason laws, and the early Church refusing to honour Caesar as the primary authority in the world.

Christians should be ready to accept the consequences of any law-breaking, including prosecution and abuse from the public.

Rulers have an obligation to be godly

Christians should only break the law when it contradicts the law of God and would cause a believer to sin. For example, the Bible mentions a specific instance when the governing authorities of the day told the apostles to not share their faith with others. The apostles simply told the authorities they could not disobey God on account of them.

However, Christians must recognise that there has to be some authority and trust placed in the state. Rulers have an obligation to be godly, which means living out the virtues of mercy and forgiveness that we see in Christ. This does not mean a secularised legalism. Jesus broke laws frequently, but he also respected and honoured them. Christians should also be ready to accept the consequences of any law-breaking, including prosecution and abuse from the public.

Frequently asked questions