3825 — Obedience to a Sunday Law
By T. R. Henderson
Ought Christian Sabbath-keepers to obey Sunday laws? Is it always the duty of men to be law-abiding? T. R. H. It is the duty of men always to be law-abiding unless the law conflicts with one's duty to God. The whole principle is set forth in the answer of the apostles, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to harken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." Acts 4:19. "We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29. Jesus said, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." These are the principles that ought to guide all men, whether it be regarding Sunday laws, or any other law. There are oppressive laws which do not interfere with our duty to God. They make hardship for men. It is better for the Christian to obey such a law than it is to rebel; but if that law demands that man shall pay obeisance to a false religion which shall demand homage to a counterfeit institution to the true, to an ordinance of man in the place of the command of God, we can say with the apostles of old, that "we ought to obey God rather than men." Then he should not resist the law; he should simply do as Daniel did when he was commanded to pray to no other God save the king,—go about his duties the same as if the law were not in existence. No Christian is a rebel against civil government. He is simply loyal to God; and if that means disloyalty to the civil government, it is because the government has set itself against God, and the Christian's disloyalty is simply an incident, and not an object. His object is to obey God. If the government is wrong, incidentally he may disobey the government.