Christian Does Not Mean Compliance

Acts 4:18-20

I can be very sarcastic. Most of the time I exhibit this characteristic in humor, but there are times when it is in rebellion. I have learned to temper that because it tends to get me into trouble. I also laugh at sarcasm. So, when I come across a verse in the Bible in which the speaker comes across as sarcastic, I like it. Such is the case for our text today. I have always liked this text!

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And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Acts 4:18-20

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A cursory reading of this text does give the impression of sarcasm. Peter and John were commanded to not preach in the name of Jesus again. Their response comes across as "Listen, you guys are the smart ones. Y'all argue about whether we should obey you or God. In the meantime, we are going to keep doing what we have been doing." If we distilled this down to a one word answer, it would be "No". I imagine this being spoken with the stereotypical teenage attitude.

Some of you may not agree with me, and that is fine. That is why I used words like "impression" and "imagine", because it is my imagination. However, I am know that I cannot allow my imagination to lead me astray. So, there are some distinctions I need to make that are somewhat contrary to how my imagination likes to run.

First, Peter and John were led by the Holy Spirit. Acts 4:8 says "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them". The Holy Spirit would not have led Peter and John to be sinful with their attitude or words. This does not mean that they had to agree with the rulers either. They spoke truth, even when it was contrary to what the religious leaders ordered. Jesus said some hard things. However, He never acted contrary to His holiness or righteousness. When we are led by the Spirit, we will not act contrary to God's holiness or righteousness either.

The second thing I see is that Peter and John told the religious leaders that there was only one answer to the question. “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." was a loaded statement. One the one hand it makes the statement that the religious leaders were the ones who had to work this issue out among themselves. They had to discuss this. On the other hand, it says that their ruling was going against God.

We must all reconcile obedience to God within ourselves. No one can mandate that to us. That is because obedience is an internal choice, not an external demonstration. Judas Iscariot outwardly followed Jesus, but inwardly he was a devil (John 6:70). What Peter and John said was that they had already reconciled this within themselves and they could not "but speak the things which we have seen and heard".

Christians should not comply with the world around us when what they demand is contrary to the Word of God. We can say no without being sinful. We must also be willing to stand our ground, even when it gets us in trouble. We trust God with the outcome. We know that he uses our circumstances for His glory. Peter and John would later be beaten for their noncompliance, but they remained faithful and obedient to God. The world NEEDS us to do the same. After all, it was following one of the beatings of Paul that the Philippian Jailor and his family were saved.

Father, strengthen me to be obedient, no matter the cost. As persecution in American is rising, may I be resolved to follow you no matter what. Help me to speak truth in love. May I speak truth, even when it goes against the mandates of leaders at any level.