A Biblical Case for Noncompliance

How We Chose to Deal with the Restrictions and Mandates Placed on Us by State and Local Governments

“I had some serious thoughts of suicide in December. I was making headway with the help of my mental health classes and church, then both were taken away from me. Now, with nowhere else to physically go, I’m struggling.”

This was a direct message from a church member who reached out to me for help during the coronavirus pandemic. This precious believer was struggling, lost, hurting, and losing hope. It crushed me because I felt helpless to do anything about it.

I’m sure this is similar to what you’re seeing with the people you care for. These stories have become all too familiar. It breaks my heart, and I’m sure it breaks yours.

Evidence of this pandemic manifests itself in many ways—it’s all around us. Divorce rates are climbing. Addiction and alcohol consumption are skyrocketing. People suffering from anxiety and depression are flooding hospitals. Suicide is on the rise.

Self-harm among students in California was increasing even before COVID-19 became known in every household. In fact, the unhealthy trend compelled the state to enact a law requiring schools to put the suicide prevention hotline number on the back of every student ID. There is no denying the social and emotional health of students has grown worse during this long period of social isolation and lack of extracurricular activities. Our students are starving for attention and interaction.

And I think it’s gone beyond that—our world is losing hope.

But what really got me were the first few words of my friend’s message: “I seriously can’t even begin to explain how bad I need to be at Crossroads.”

The deepest desire of this broken person was to physically be at church. They needed the church. They craved the church. They needed the community and support that only church can provide. And for so many, that feeling, connection, and community don’t really happen online.

An Overwhelming Weight for Leaders

I realize most people pivoted like James Harden on a step-back three-pointer during these uncharted times. We’ve started online services, outdoor services, Zoom services, podcasts, and morning shows to reach our people. The church needed all of these innovative changes, regardless of whether the coronavirus occurred or not.

But the question remains: “What about the indoor, in-person services?” Many of us literally sit outside of our buildings looking at what used to be. And as we gaze upon those empty buildings, we are reminded that we’re outside of our norm; we’re reminded of the uncertainty all around us.

The current overriding issue for leadership is how to deal with the restrictions and mandates placed on us by our state and local governments. What do we do with Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:13-15; and Titus 3:1 that tell us to “be subject to rulers and authorities”? Then again, the writer of Hebrews told us to “not [give] up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing” (Hebrews 10:25). So, how are we to do that when we’re told not to meet—or, at least, not to meet in the manner we always have? On top of that, how do we keep people safe in the middle of a pandemic when the worst still might be yet to come?

As individual leaders, we are expected to care for the spiritual and physical health of people, while also balancing the public perception of our church’s decisions. I don’t know how you feel about this, but for me, that weight is becoming overwhelming. And while we deliberate on what to do, our flock is scattering.

So how do we honor the authority above us while also pastoring a flock that is scattering due to fear and lack of hope? This is what keeps me up at night.

Four Types of Noncompliance Found in Scripture

Then I realized—actually, God showed me in a new and fresh way—there is biblical precedence to work outside the mandates of our government for the sake of those hurting around us.

To fully understand, we need to look at the four types of noncompliance we find in the Bible.

1. Sinful Noncompliance—This is when we choose not to comply with authority and it results in sinful and ungodly acts for which God is not glorified. A noncompliant decision to disobey authority is never justified when the end result is sinful and only distances us from God’s will. Examples of this are murder, rape, stealing, and so many other horrific acts that litter the pages of Scripture, stain our world, and necessitated Jesus’ sacrifice.

2. Civil Noncompliance—This is when we choose not to comply with authority to bring attention to a greater ungodly wrong in society. A noncompliant decision to disobey authority is biblically justified when it circumvents a greater civil wrong that is ungodly and out of line with biblical principles. Some examples include the Maccabean revolt of 167 BC, the 95 theses Martin Luther nailed to the Wittenberg door, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight against segregation.

3. Gospel-Preserving Noncompliance—This is choosing not to comply with authority that is bent on suppressing, oppressing, or persecuting those who would preach the gospel. A decision to disobey authority is biblically justified when proclamation of God’s Word is the goal. God is honored by this bold noncompliance. There are many examples in our Bible and throughout history of brave men and women who have stood up for the gospel message against terrible odds. Peter in front of the Sanhedrin (Acts 5); Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3); Daniel in the lions’ den (Daniel 6); the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7); and the examples of all other Christian martyrs throughout history!

However, the fourth type of noncompliance was what changed the game for me.

4. God-Centered, Ethical Noncompliance—This involves choosing noncompliance to protect the well-being of another person or persons. A decision to disobey authority is biblically justified to protect the well-being of others and prevent harm to them for the sake of God-centered purposes.

The Bible contains many examples of this; among them, Rahab lying to protect the two Israelite spies (Joshua 2), Moses killing the Egyptian to save the Hebrew (Exodus 2), Michal lying to King Saul to save her husband David (1 Samuel 19:11-17), the Magi ignoring Herod’s instructions to save Jesus (Matthew 2), and even Jesus working on the Sabbath to heal the lame man (Luke 13:10-17; Mark 3:1-6).

As I considered this fourth form of noncompliance, the Bible came to life for me in a new way. Time and again, the Bible showed me men and women who chose not to comply with the religious or government authority in order to help those in need.

This discovery gave me a great feeling of freedom and confidence. It allowed me to make bolder decisions about the future of our church by standing on the sure footing of the rock of God’s Word rather than just my gut feelings.

This freedom allows me to confidently say, The decision to provide an indoor, in-person option of our worship service to bring hope to the hopeless in spite of the state mandate is biblically justified by God-centered, ethical noncompliance.

However, we must also consider that the method of shepherding our flock is not to herd them into only one model of worship. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we must do it.

The Power to Choose

We need to remember that we have sheep at many levels of faith and unease. We have some sheep who are very concerned about COVID-19, others who are somewhat concerned, and still others who are not concerned at all. We also have sheep who are coming to know Jesus, some who have a very deep and loving faith in him, others who are wandering from him, and still others who are almost completely lost. Yet, we have a Savior who will leave the 99 to go after the wandering and lost ones of the world.

So, to reach these different populations of people, we need to give them a power that COVID-19 has taken away from them—and that is the power to choose. We need to provide them with options of how they can connect with God and find hope.

This is why we as a church have decided to begin offering inside, outside, and online services to our community. We want to empower people to choose the appropriate amount of risk they feel comfortable with for them and their family. We feel it is both necessary and biblically justified to offer inside and in-person worship as an option despite what the state has mandated.

Now, I realize that all churches and leaders are different. We all have different factors and leadings from God on what we should do next. What you feel God is telling you is what you need to follow. I’m not shaming someone for not returning to indoor worship. There is already too much division in the church, and we certainly don’t need more.

I also know that all of us want to build bridges, not burn them, with our local authorities. We have worked so hard with these officials during this pandemic, so the thought of losing that connection is something to consider. I get it. I feel it too.

This is why we believed we needed to reach out to our local government and explain our intentions to them. By doing that, we’ve gained their support and backing as much as possible as we offer our inside service option again.

The bottom line is we can’t lose sight of the wandering and lost sheep who are in need of hope. We need to be bold in our leadership in the face of uncertain times.

The reality is our world is broken, lost, and without hope. And we know Jesus is the hope this world needs. It is critical that we bring the hope of Jesus to the hopeless. And for us, that means offering as many options as we can so we can reach as many people as we can.

So keep leading boldly, stay rooted in God’s promises, and continue to shepherd a scattering flock back to Jesus.