One of the best-known verses in the New Testament is Acts 5:29:
“We must obey God rather than men.”
These words, spoken by Peter and the apostles, have inspired Christians throughout history to remain faithful to Christ even when it came at great personal cost.
They refused to stop preaching about the risen Jesus because they had been directly commanded by Christ Himself to proclaim the gospel.
However, this verse is sometimes taken out of its biblical context and used to justify something very different. Instead of being applied to situations where the government commands Christians to sin, it is sometimes interpreted as meaning:
“God has told me to do this, therefore I can ignore the governing authorities whenever I believe they are wrong.”
This interpretation creates serious biblical and practical problems.
The Context of Acts 5
Peter and the apostles had been commanded by the Jewish authorities to stop preaching in the name of Jesus.
The authorities were not asking them to commit a sin. They were commanding them to stop obeying a direct command that Jesus Himself had already given:
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel.”
The conflict was therefore simple.
Should they obey men who told them to stop preaching Christ?
Or should they obey Christ who had already commanded them to preach?
Peter answered:
“We must obey God rather than men.”
This was not a declaration that Christians may ignore any law they dislike. It was about obedience to a direct command of Christ.
Paul Gives Another Principle
Years later, the Apostle Paul wrote something equally inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Paul was not contradicting Peter.
He was explaining the normal Christian attitude towards government.
Governments are part of God’s ordering of society. Christians are expected to respect laws, pay taxes, honour rulers, and live peaceful lives whenever possible.
Only when government directly commands believers to sin or forbids obedience to Christ does the principle of Acts 5:29 apply.
The two passages work together rather than against each other.
The Danger of Personal Revelation
One of the greatest dangers today is when someone claims:
“God told me…”
This immediately places everyone else in a difficult position.
How can anyone test such a claim?
If every Christian leader can simply say that God spoke to them, then almost any action can be justified.
A leader could ignore laws.
Ignore accountability.
Ignore financial regulations.
Ignore safeguarding.
Ignore charity law.
Ignore legal responsibilities.
All by claiming,
“God told me.”
Scripture warns believers to test everything.
No Christian leader is above examination.
No one receives a free pass simply because they claim divine guidance.
God Does Not Contradict Himself
The Bible is inspired by one Holy Spirit.
Therefore Scripture cannot contradict Scripture.
If God inspired Peter to say,
“We must obey God rather than men,”
and inspired Paul to write,
“Be subject to the governing authorities,”
then these teachings must be understood together.
Acts 5 cannot be used to erase Romans 13.
Neither can Romans 13 be used to forbid Christians from obeying Christ.
The biblical position is balanced.
Christians obey governing authorities as a general rule.
They only refuse when obedience to government would require direct disobedience to God.
The Risk of Spiritual Abuse
When leaders use Acts 5:29 to justify breaking laws that do not require sin, they risk encouraging something dangerous.
Followers may begin to believe that questioning a leader is questioning God.
Legal accountability may be dismissed as worldly opposition.
Wise advice may be rejected.
Church members may become afraid to raise genuine concerns.
This creates an unhealthy culture where authority is protected instead of tested.
The New Testament repeatedly calls church leaders to humility, integrity, and accountability—not exemption from it.
Christians Should Be Good Citizens
The early church became known for honesty, generosity, and respect.
Christians were encouraged to:
- Pay taxes.
- Honour rulers.
- Pray for those in authority.
- Live peacefully.
- Have a good reputation with outsiders.
- Submit to lawful authority wherever conscience allowed.
Their refusal to obey only came when obedience would have required denying Christ or committing sin.
That is a very high threshold.
It was never intended as a general licence to ignore civil law.
A Need for Wisdom
Every Christian should desire to obey God first.
That is not in question.
The real question is how we know that God is leading us.
Our feelings can be mistaken.
Our opinions can be mistaken.
Even respected leaders can be mistaken.
That is why God has given His written Word.
The safest place for every believer is not to rely on personal impressions alone but to test every decision against the whole counsel of Scripture.
Conclusion
Acts 5:29 is a powerful declaration of faithfulness to Christ. It teaches believers to obey God when human authorities command them to sin or forbid them from obeying Christ.
It was never intended to become a blanket justification for ignoring governing authorities whenever a Christian leader believes they have received a personal revelation from God.
The same Holy Spirit who inspired Peter also inspired Paul.
Therefore the Christian position is both courageous and humble:
We obey governing authorities because God has established them.
When obedience to those authorities would require us to disobey Christ, we obey God, accept the consequences with grace, and continue to honour those in authority without hatred or rebellion.
Faithfulness to Christ is never an excuse for lawlessness. True biblical obedience holds together both Acts 5:29 and Romans 13, recognising that loyalty to God includes respect for the authorities He has permitted to exist, except in those rare cases where they require direct disobedience to Him.