AA52
We are not to rebel against God’s authority.
Category: Godliness, Holiness & Righteousness
Type: Negative
Form: Explicit
Source dataset: New Testament
Uniqueness: Not unique
Classical commandment: No
New Covenant Literal Application
Applies to Person Categories: Not specified
Literal Application: Not specified
More explanation about New Covenant Literal Application
The New Covenant Literal Application Code (NCLA) is an interpretive guide used by the authors to indicate which person categories a mitzvah applies to, and at what level of literal compliance.
It combines person categories such as Jewish, K'rov Yisrael, and Gentile, together with male/female distinctions and an application level such as mandated, recommended, optional, or prohibited.
This code reflects the authors' interpretive opinion and is provided for prayerful consideration. On this page, the technical code is summarized into plain language to help new readers understand it more easily.
Bible references
Key NT Scriptures
- 1 Timothy 1:9
Supportive NT Scriptures
- Acts 5:29
- Titus 1:6
- Titus 1:10
Supportive OT Scriptures
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Deuteronomy 21:18-21
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Ezekiel 2:8
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Isaiah 30:1
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Numbers 14:9
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Psalms 66:7
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Psalms 106:43
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1 Samuel 15:23
Bible verses copyright: PUBLIC DOMAIN except in the United Kingdom, where a Crown Copyright applies to printing the KJV. See http://www.cambridge.org/about-us/who-we-are/queens-printers-patent
Commentary
Rabbi Michael Rudolph
It is a surprise to some from reading 1 Samuel 15:23 to learn that “rebellion is like the sin of sorcery.” After all, the very founding of our country was achieved by rebelling against British rule, and we never thought of that as sinful. Later we learned from Romans 12:9 that we are to “recoil from what is evil,” which sounds very much like “rebelling” against evil, and that is certainly not sinful. The key to untangling what seem like contradictions is understanding that rebellion by itself is not sinful. Whether or not rebellion is sinful depends on what one is rebelling against. The context of 1 Samuel 15:2-23 is Sha’ul’s rebellion against God by rejecting His Word, and the context of 1 Timothy 1:9 is being “heedless of Torah ” and being “sinful, wicked and worldly” – hence the statement of this Mitzvah: “We are not to rebel against God’s authority.” Additional Comment by Daniel C. Juster Acts 5:29 tells us: “We must obey God, not men.” Consequently, we must rebel against human authority when it requires that we violate God’s law. The Revolutionary War was such a situation. The argument that was given at the time or the Revolution that the British were in rebellion against God’s natural laws is a hard sell in Britain even to this day.
Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective - Volume 3
Source and License
Based on The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective by Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster.
License: CC BY-ND 4.0 (Attribution required, NoDerivatives). CC BY-ND 4.0
Disclaimer: the original content is authored by Rabbi Michael Rudolph and Rabbi Daniel Juster; additional notes or implementation details on this website are not part of their original work and do not represent their views.
Record source: The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective - Volume 3
Copyright note: Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective - Volume 3