Life and Relationships

What Does the Bible Say About Civil Disobedience?

Scripture generally calls believers to respect and obey governing authorities, while also teaching that obedience to God takes precedence when human law directly requires disobeying His clear commands.

Published 2026-09-13 · Updated 2026-09-27

Written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team. Read our editorial policy.

0 views
LawChristian Living

Biblical explanation

Paul instructs believers to be subject to governing authorities, since they are established by God for good order (), and Peter gives similar instruction to honor civil authority (). When the Jewish council commanded the apostles to stop preaching about Jesus, however, Peter and the apostles responded, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (), showing that submission to human authority has limits when it directly conflicts with clear divine commands. The Hebrew midwives similarly disobeyed Pharaoh's order to kill Hebrew infants, and Scripture commends their reverence for God over compliance with an unjust command (). These examples suggest civil disobedience is reserved for situations of direct conflict with God's clear moral commands, not general disagreement with policy or preference.

In brief

Paul instructs believers to be subject to governing authorities, since they are established by God for good order (), and Peter gives similar instruction to honor civil authority ().

Bible references

Go deeper into this topic Are the Ten Commandments Still Important? Start the study

Editorial note

This answer is written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team, and is presented with supporting references so you can examine each passage in context. If you notice an error or unclear statement, please suggest a correction.