Look around today and you will see that compliance abounds. And for those who still resist the arbitrary mandates from local governments and corporate actors, we are being compelled to comply and will eventually pay increasingly severe penalties for non-compliance in terms of mask requirements, vaccines, medical privacy, and whatever may come next.
Many are trying to discern the balance between kindness, personal liberty, and obedience to authority. And to those points, the Church as far as I can tell is not offering much of a firm foundation of theology from which to draw on in terms of facing the pressures of today.
The doctrine of nonresistance is prevalent amongst Christians especially for those coming from Berean traditions. In essence, the belief is that as Christ came to fulfill the law, that the force compelled by the call of God to “take the land” in the Old Testament is inapplicable to the Christian today under the New Covenant and the example of Jesus.
Most certainly, Jesus set the ultimate example of nonresistance on the Cross as He laid down His life for the sins of the world. But how does that example now play out in the life of the believer in terms of our faith and living out the commands of Christ to love our neighbor?
For example, we know the Sixth Commandment clearly tells us, “Thou shall not murder.” It would be easy to stop there and determine that it is wrong in any circumstance for a believer to willfully take the life of another human being. But clearly, throughout the Old Testament, God calls His people to war and to bring judgment on the nations, after issuing a commandment to not murder. From that, one could certainly argue that while it is a sin to murder, or unlawfully take the life of another, there are times when the taking of life is justifiable and even necessary out of obedience to God’s purposes.
If we take that same logical approach to the New Testament, then where we see that Jesus sets the example of a life of serving others, turning the other cheek, and meeting resistance with love, we can infer that loving others may also at times include defending others. Scripture also calls for us to be bold and courageous and our faith is tested and proved out by our actions, lest our faith be considered dead. So, how does that play out in the political arena in terms of resisting tyranny and oppression? Do we resist?
Many of our Founders and early political thinkers including the writers of the Constitution of the State of Tennessee saw resistance to tyranny as necessary to the preservation of goodness and happiness for everyone. Article I, Section 2 of that constitution says this:
“That government being instituted for the common benefit, the doctrine of nonresistance against arbitrary power and oppression is absurd, slavish, and destructive of the good and happiness of mankind.”
The belief that resistance to arbitrary power is necessary is also referred to as the right to revolution and has its Western roots all the way back to common law and from great political minds like John Locke. In A Letter Concerning Toleration, Locke says:
“if the law, indeed, be concerning things that lie not within the verge of the magistrate’s authority, […] men are not in these cases obliged by that law, against their consciences.”
So then the question we must ask ourselves is, “Do those who govern over the People in Tennessee have any legitimate authority to issue mandates or orders concerning our health, the wellbeing of our children, our worship, our ability to assemble, or our consent to do business with one another?” Because if they do not, then our Tennessee Constitution gives us a duty as citizens to resist such arbitrary power as it is destructive to liberty and all lawful ends.
To those who promote the doctrine of nonresistance in the name of love and tolerance, I would ask the question, “How far will you go with your compliance?” Would you consider that perhaps your compliance to arbitrary rules might actually be negligence to a God-given duty to preserve liberty for your fellow man as to not succumb to the bondage of tyranny and slavery?
Make no mistake. We are at war for the soul of a nation. When rules are made by governing bodies and elected officials which have no basis in law, or in the authority given by our Constitution, we must resist.
Your compliance is prolonging this nightmare.
Thoughts on the Doctrine of Non-resistance to Arbitrary Power
Look around today and you will see that compliance abounds. And for those who still resist the arbitrary mandates from local governments and corporate actors, we are being compelled to comply and will eventually pay increasingly severe penalties for non-compliance in terms of mask requirements, vaccines, medical privacy, and whatever may come next.
Many are trying to discern the balance between kindness, personal liberty, and obedience to authority. And to those points, the Church as far as I can tell is not offering much of a firm foundation of theology from which to draw on in terms of facing the pressures of today.
The doctrine of nonresistance is prevalent amongst Christians especially for those coming from Berean traditions. In essence, the belief is that as Christ came to fulfill the law, that the force compelled by the call of God to “take the land” in the Old Testament is inapplicable to the Christian today under the New Covenant and the example of Jesus.
Most certainly, Jesus set the ultimate example of nonresistance on the Cross as He laid down His life for the sins of the world. But how does that example now play out in the life of the believer in terms of our faith and living out the commands of Christ to love our neighbor?
For example, we know the Sixth Commandment clearly tells us, “Thou shall not murder.” It would be easy to stop there and determine that it is wrong in any circumstance for a believer to willfully take the life of another human being. But clearly, throughout the Old Testament, God calls His people to war and to bring judgment on the nations, after issuing a commandment to not murder. From that, one could certainly argue that while it is a sin to murder, or unlawfully take the life of another, there are times when the taking of life is justifiable and even necessary out of obedience to God’s purposes.
If we take that same logical approach to the New Testament, then where we see that Jesus sets the example of a life of serving others, turning the other cheek, and meeting resistance with love, we can infer that loving others may also at times include defending others. Scripture also calls for us to be bold and courageous and our faith is tested and proved out by our actions, lest our faith be considered dead. So, how does that play out in the political arena in terms of resisting tyranny and oppression? Do we resist?
Many of our Founders and early political thinkers including the writers of the Constitution of the State of Tennessee saw resistance to tyranny as necessary to the preservation of goodness and happiness for everyone. Article I, Section 2 of that constitution says this:
The belief that resistance to arbitrary power is necessary is also referred to as the right to revolution and has its Western roots all the way back to common law and from great political minds like John Locke. In A Letter Concerning Toleration, Locke says:
So then the question we must ask ourselves is, “Do those who govern over the People in Tennessee have any legitimate authority to issue mandates or orders concerning our health, the wellbeing of our children, our worship, our ability to assemble, or our consent to do business with one another?” Because if they do not, then our Tennessee Constitution gives us a duty as citizens to resist such arbitrary power as it is destructive to liberty and all lawful ends.
To those who promote the doctrine of nonresistance in the name of love and tolerance, I would ask the question, “How far will you go with your compliance?” Would you consider that perhaps your compliance to arbitrary rules might actually be negligence to a God-given duty to preserve liberty for your fellow man as to not succumb to the bondage of tyranny and slavery?
Make no mistake. We are at war for the soul of a nation. When rules are made by governing bodies and elected officials which have no basis in law, or in the authority given by our Constitution, we must resist.
Your compliance is prolonging this nightmare.
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Gary Humble
Gary Humble