“We ought to obey God rather than man.” Acts 5:29
In Scripture we are told that one of the major parts of our growing in grace is to know God. We will never exhaust knowing the depths of God’s character. But learning to know God is very important, especially in this life. This is not just an abstract theological exercise but a critical element of our foundation to build our trust God and to walk by faith.
Peter and John were preaching the gospel in the temple. They
are ordered by the High Priest to cease and desist. When they
receive his edict, they respond with their well known answer, “We
ought to obey God rather than man.” We hear their response and
we concur. This is right, it is Biblical, it is standing for God. But
what is behind their statement? What gave them the courage and
the boldness to tell the high priest they would only obey him if he was acting in obedience to the word of God? There is a risk to their response. They had already been flogged once for their preaching. The high priest could have easily have ordered that again. What gave them the power and courage to stand alone for God without fear?
The answer is very simple in response but takes a lifetime to embrace fully. The answer is they knew God. They knew His character and His power and they also knew He is in control – He is sovereign! After salvation this is the single most important lesson we can learn as believers. God is in control, not us, not Satan, not angels, not circumstances – God alone. Romans 8:28 makes this clear. God makes “all things work together for good to them who love the Lord and who are called according to His purpose”. Peter and John knew that God controlled the consequences of their decision. They were not responsible for what happened, only their obedience to God’s word. This is critical for us in our Christian walk. Too often we become concerned and worried about the consequences of what we do. We want to make decisions that ensure everything will turn out to our favor. This is human but it is not spiritual. Our response should always be to ensure our actions are totally in line with the word of God. When that happens, God is in charge of the outcome of that decision.
The dilemma most believers have is we focus on the consequences rather than the action. In doing so our focus is not on God and His glory. As we read scripture we find the great men and women of faith who are listed in Scripture for our edification always are people who focused on obeying God. Daniel was ripped away form his parent and told he could be in the king’s leadership development program if he violated God’s Word and ate food that God said was unclean. Daniel did not focus on the circumstances – he did not think of all the good he could do for God if he got into that program. Daniel focused on the action God required of him. He focused on obeying God and then trusted God to control the consequences. This is behind his his great statement of commitment, “Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself”. What does this show
us? Daniel took responsibility for his actions to obey God. The result? No worry, just obedience.
What can we learn? Most believers know and agree with this truth. The problem is we know that the consequences of obeying God may not be pleasant. For example, we witness for Christ and we reap the scorn of our fellow employees or bosses. If we refuse to go along with an unethical practice at work, we may be ostracized or fired. If we refuse to engage or endorse practices God says are immoral, we may lose job assignments or be blackballed. That presents a dilemma. Do we believe God is in control of the consequences or are there are certain consequences we are not willing to go through for God? Do we fear God might ask us to suffer for his sake? (Remember Peter and John’s flogging?) This shows our faith in God is small. We have not yet learned who He is, His goodness, His mercy, His omnipotence. We learn that by studying the scriptures to learn of the character of od and then we spend time with God and watch Him demonstrate those characteristics in our life. As God reveals His attributes to us, we trust Him more. What does all this mean? Our level of trust in God depends on how
well we know Him and that takes time, focus and desire. Start now! “To know Him”, our goal! – our confidence!