Bearing The Sword: Romans 13 & Resistance to Tyranny (Part II)
Silence is not neutral when tyrants speak...
“The duty to resist unjust law is the product of Christian thought.”
― Matthew J. Trewhella, The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates (Pg. 34)
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In the first part of this series we dissected the increasingly popular but errant misreading of Romans 13 and its complementary passage, 1st Peter 2 — a misreading which has served as a theological bulwark for cowards and collaborators alike. We have demonstrated, line by line, that the Apostles do not advocate for unconditional subservience to the civil authorities. Rather, they outline the moral terms under which civil authority is to be obeyed. In this concluding essay, we will trace this understanding through redemptive history and the testimony of the Church, showing that godly resistance to tyranny is not only permitted — it is often required.
There are few passages in Scripture more damning of this insidious form of political idolatry than Psalm 94 (emphasis mine):
20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
— Psalm 94:20-21 KJV
As the rest of the Psalm elucidates for us, verse twenty is a rhetorical question in which the answer is an emphatic NO. Indeed, it is a particularly sanctimonious kind of villain that walks into a courtroom with polished shoes and statute in hand, ready to despoil the innocent. What the Psalmist plainly describes here is wickedness not in spite of human laws, but through them. Indeed, wicked rulers have ever sought to codify their evils into the so called law (which, as we have discussed previously, is truly no law at all.)
Now a comprehensive theology of government — its purpose, scope, and proper function — is a vast and worthy endeavor. It lies, in some respects, beyond the immediate frame of this essay. Yet we must establish at least one immovable premise upon which all legitimate government rests: that is, that the protection of the innocent is the core and non-negotiable duty of the magistrate. Strip that away, and its legitimacy crumbles.
The prophets make this point with thunder: “Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.” (Jer. 22:3) It is these crimes, echoed by so many of his fellow prophets, that Jeremiah states directly led to the judgement and destruction of the Kingdom of Judah: “Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon.” (2 King 24:3-4)
This theme will prove pivotal moving forward. As we move from precept to precedent, we will see that godly resistance to tyranny is not anarchic nor rebellious — it is driven by fidelity to the Highest Authority in faithful protest against the betrayal of the innocent.
Time and again, we will see God’s people defy kings, pharaohs, and emperors precisely because those powers had declared war on Justice itself.
“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
― Psalm 11:3 KJV
If Scripture’s intent were to teach unconditional submission to state power — a charge leveled by some of its more conspiratorial critics — one would reasonably expect it to suppress, obscure, or at the very least apologize for its many examples of the saints resisting earthly rulers. And yet, the Biblical writers do nothing of the sort; instead, they routinely and explicitly magnify these acts of faithful defiance.
Consider the case of the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, whose faith compelled them to defy Pharaoh’s genocidal decree. When Pharaoh commanded the systematic murder of Hebrew boys, the midwives did not meekly render submission to Caesar and then issue a carefully worded letter of concern — they flatly disobeyed and then lied to Pharaoh about it (emphasis mine):
17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.
18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?
19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.
20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.
— The Book of Exodus 1:17-21 KJV
Scripture explicitly praises their actions, tying this act of disobedience directly to their fear of God. The New Testament similarly reveals the source of this courage when it honors Moses’ parents who defied that same order: “By faith Moses… was hid three months of his parents, because they… were not afraid of the king's commandment.” (Heb. 11:23)
Rahab, the harlot of Jericho, is celebrated too because of her defiance of authority, seen in Joshua 2 (emphasis mine):
3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.
4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
— The Book of Joshua 2:3-6 KJV
Scripture once more emphasizes that she protected the Israelite spies as a direct consequence of her newfound faith and allegiance to YHWH: “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” (Heb. 11:31) For that faith she would be awarded one of the highest honors any woman could possibly have: to bring forth the lineage of the Messiah (Matt. 1:5).
The entire book of Judges vindicates this principle, with warrior after warrior rising up in arms against the tyrannical rulers of their day. There is scarcely room enough to record their many deeds of resistance within this greater narrative, whether it be the courage of Othniel, the cunning of Gideon, or the fortitude of Barak. Similarly, Obadiah’s defiance of Queen Jezebel was driven by his conviction that obedience to God required active resistance to her wicked decrees (emphasis mine):
3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly:
4 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
— 1st Book of the Kings 18:3-4 KJV
Indeed, it is his fear of God that inspires these acts of defiance, as well as his fidelity to the same.
Likewise, Jehosheba’s brave rescue of young Joash from Athaliah’s royal massacre (thus preserving the Messianic lineage), once more demonstrates this:
1 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
— 2nd Book of the Kings 11:1-2 KJV
Scripture records her decisive act as an instinctive and faithful intervention. Only a scant few verses later we see her husband, the priest Jehoiada, directs the military commanders of Judah in overthrowing the bloody tyrant Athaliah. While we have only touched upon a handful of such cases, it is already plainly evident that the Scriptures do not paint a picture of servile obedience to every dictate and whim of the civil magistrate.
The Book of Daniel provides us yet more fertile ground to explore this subject, particularly as it relates to those within government itself. As chapters one and two detail for us, Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego had been blessed by God with wisdom and discernment; as such, they held positions of high authority within Babylon. Yet when ordered to give idolatrous worship to their earthly king, the Hebrew boys stood defiant before Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery threats and made no attempt to rationalize compliance or appeal for leniency (emphasis mine):
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
— The Book of Daniel 3:16-18 KJV
For such courage they were indeed saved, coming face to face within that fiery furnace with the Living God. In a similar vein, Daniel’s deliberate, open defiance of Darius’ decree against prayer is all the more significant given his high position of authority. When Daniel was found miraculously preserved the next day, he declared his innocence before both man and God (emphasis mine):
22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
23 Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
— The Book of Daniel 6:22-23 KJV
There are several important things to note about this passage, the first being that Daniel’s preservation was once again tied to his faith in the Highest Authority, a consistent theme. Secondly, Daniel declares his innocence before the King, stating that no injury has been done to him through the breaking of this law. Clearly Daniel had broken the King’s commands, and potentially even flagrantly so. So how can he rightly declare his innocence? It is because Darius’ law contradicted God’s Law, thus making it no law at all.
And lest one think such examples of resistance only apply to extreme cases of genocide or idolatrous mandates, let us consider the quiet torment of Lot in Sodom — a man who bore daily witness to the damnation of a lawless society:
7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
— 2nd Epistle of Peter 2:7-8 KJV
Sodom’s sins had full sanction within its city gates: no statute forbade their perversions.
It was unlawful nonetheless.
— Daniel in the Den of Lions (Daniel 6:20-21), ill. by Gustave Doré.
The Church Fathers clearly grasped the doctrine of the lesser magistrate, as it is the unambiguous and unanimous witness of Patristic theologians on Romans 13. Writing in 211-212 AD, Tertullian insists that the civil magistrate must remain within his rightful domain of authority, never assuming divine honors or prerogatives, for “man is the property of God alone,” not of Caesar (emphasis mine):
No doubt the apostle admonishes the Romans to be subject to all power, because there is no power but of God, and because (the ruler) does not carry the sword without reason, and is the servant of God, nay also, says he, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. ... Thus he bids you be subject to the powers, not on an opportunity occurring for his avoiding martyrdom, but when he is making an appeal in behalf of a good life, under the view also of their being as it were assistants bestowed upon righteousness, as it were handmaids of the divine court of justice, which even here pronounces sentence beforehand upon the guilty. Then he goes on also to show how he wishes you to be subject to the powers, bidding you pay “tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom,” that is, the things which are Cæsar’s to Cæsar, and the things which are God’s to God; but man is the property of God alone. No doubt, Peter had likewise said that the king indeed must be honoured, yet so that the king be honoured only when he keeps to his own sphere, when he is far from assuming divine honours; because both father and mother will be loved along with God, not put on an equality with Him. Besides, one will not be permitted to love even life more than God.
— Tertullian, Scorpiace, Ch. XIV
When rulers violate this boundary, obedience becomes idolatry, and faith itself compels resistance.
Origen, around 248 AD, articulates this balance succinctly in Against Celsus: as believers we are to respect authority — but never at the cost of God’s Law (emphasis mine):
Moreover, we are to despise ingratiating ourselves with kings or any other men, not only if their favour is to be won by murders, licentiousness, or deeds of cruelty, but even if it involves impiety towards God, or any servile expressions of flattery and obsequiousness, which things are unworthy of brave and high-principled men, who aim at joining with their other virtues that highest of virtues, patience and fortitude. But whilst we do nothing which is contrary to the law and word of God, we are not so mad as to stir up against us the wrath of kings and princes, which will bring upon us sufferings and tortures, or even death. For we read: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God.”
— Origen, Against Celsus, Book VIII, Chapter LXV
As Origen notes, only an imprudent or crazed individual courts martyrdom for its own sake, yet neither can he submit to evil out of mere political expediency. Echoing Tertullian’s same point, Origen is of the opinion that, when faced with potential martyrdom, we are to love God’s Law even more than life itself.
Over a century later, Augustine lays out the hierarchy of authority perfectly, noting that resistance arises naturally when earthly commands contradict divine decrees (emphasis mine):
Do we lift up ourselves unto pride, or tell you to be despisers against the powers ordained? Not so. Do ye again who are sick on this point, touch also that border of the garment? The Apostle himself saith, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of God, the powers that be are ordained of God. He then who resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God.” But what if it enjoin what thou oughtest not to do? In this case by all means disregard the power through fear of Power. Consider these several grades of human powers. If the magistrate enjoin anything, must it not be done? Yet if his order be in opposition to the Proconsul, thou dost not surely despise the power, but choosest to obey a greater power. Nor in this case ought the less to be angry, if the greater be preferred. Again, if the Proconsul himself enjoin anything, and the Emperor another thing, is there any doubt, that disregarding the former, we ought to obey the latter? So then if the Emperor enjoin one thing, and God another, what judge ye? Pay me tribute, submit thyself to my allegiance. Right, but not in an idol’s temple. In an idol’s temple He forbids it. Who forbids it? A greater Power. Pardon me then: thou threatenest a prison, He threateneth hell.
— Augustine, Sermon XII.13 (Augustine: Sermon on the Mount, Harmony of the Gospels, Homilies on the Gospels)
Augustine puts it succinctly, stripping the question down to its most elemental form: if the emperor commands one thing and God commands another, there is no complicated negotiation to be made. Obedience to and fear of God above all else is the beginning of true wisdom (Prov. 1:7). Each of these scriptural accounts, echoed and confirmed by the Church’s earliest expositors, reveals a simple yet profound truth — that true faith, at its very core, asserts God’s supreme authority even when doing so places the believer squarely at odds with their earthly rulers.
The clear message throughout Biblical and Patristic history is that genuine faith naturally expresses itself through resistance whenever the throne of man seeks to usurp or displace the throne of God — a resistance born of allegiance to a higher and eternal Kingdom.
“The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.”
— Psalm 12:8 KJV
At this point it should be abundantly clear that nowhere does the Biblical record suggest that resistance to tyranny is an occasional aberration or some regrettable necessity at the margins of faith; it presents it as the natural posture of the faithful.
Having clearly established from the Scriptures and Patristic witness the theological foundation and historical precedent for faithful resistance to tyranny, we now turn our attention to the practical dimensions of such resistance — the critical questions of when Christians are called to defy, on what precise grounds we should resist, and how exactly that resistance ought to manifest itself. Christians are bound not merely by conscience but by explicit Biblical mandate, to disobey any civil decree which directly violates divine command or moral principle; and this holds especially true in a constitutional republic like America, where ultimate sovereignty does not (theoretically) reside in any singular ruler or ruling class — it is us, “We The People.” (Now I am under no illusions as to the true rulers of this land, and it is surely not we the people.) Yet, the ostensible sovereignty of the American citizen, a sovereignty derived from the very theological traditions we have thus far described, renders the widespread servility of our modern pastorate even more repugnant; for most American pastors, entrusted with this sacred stewardship, have willfully abdicated their moral, legal, and spiritual authority.
Christopher Goodman (1520–1603), a prominent English reformer, theologian, and contemporary of John Knox, wrote How Superior Powers Ought To Be Obeyed in 1558 while in exile during the violent persecution of Protestants under Queen Mary Tudor. Goodman's defense of faithful resistance arose from direct experience and urgent pastoral necessity, making his insights particularly relevant to believers facing similar governmental crises today (emphasis mine):
Shall we that are subjects take the sword in our hands? …it is a sufficient assurance for you, to have the warrant of God Himself to be your captain who wills not only the magistrates and officers to root out evil from amongst them, be it, idolatry, blasphemy or open injury, but the whole multitude are therewith charged also, to whom a portion of the sword of justice is committed to execute the judgments which the magistrates lawfully command. And therefore if the magistrates would wholly despise and betray the justice and Laws of God, you which are subjects with them shall be condemned except you maintain and defend the same Laws against them, and all others to the uttermost of your powers, that is, with all your strength, with all of your heart and with all your soul, for this has God required of you, and this have you promised unto Him no under condition (if the rulers will) but without all exception to do what so ever your Lord and God shall command you.
— Cristopher Goodman, How Superior Powers Ought To Be Obeyed By Their Subjects (1558)
It is this same conviction which animated the authors of the Magdeburg Confession. In an eerily prescient declaration, they set forth the necessity of active resistance even by the humblest magistrate whenever the state descended into flagrant immorality (emphasis mine):
Therefore, if now the leader or Caesar proceeds to such height of insanity only in that of natural knowledge which governs the society of civil life and uprightness, that he abolishes the law concerning marriages and chastity, and himself sets up a contrary law of roving unclean lusts, to the effect that the wives and daughters of men are to be prostituted – in such a case, doubtless, no clear-thinking person would have any hesitation about the divine right and commandment that such a leader or monarch ought to be curbed by everyone in his most wicked attempt, even by the lowest of the lowest magistrates with whatever power they may have.
— Magdeburg Confession
If the principle of interposition is rightly invoked in such moral crises, how much more is it justified — nay, demanded — in contemporary America?
— Bearing The Sword II, digital art, 2025.
This loss of courage is nowhere more tragically evident than in two primary arenas of our moral debasement — abortion and sexual degeneracy — areas where modern legislation stands in direct, unambiguous opposition to the commandments of God. Indeed, in previous decades, particularly the early 1990s, Pro-Life activists demonstrated such faith through widespread, organized "sit-ins" and peaceful blockades of abortion clinics. Yet tragically, the once formidable backbone of this movement, faced with escalating state reprisals and punitive legislation, gradually bowed to pressure and retreated into carefully managed campaigns of political persuasion. The resulting silence and compliance in the face of this ongoing slaughter is one of the most profound indictments of contemporary Pro-Life Christian “leadership.”
Consider further the striking courage displayed in 2015 by Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis by refusing to participate in state-endorsed sodomy through the issuance of “marriage” licenses. Her act of principled defiance continues to serves as an indictment against the broader American Church. Had even a thousand pastors across this land possessed a fraction of her fortitude — had they stood resolutely with her against institutionalized degeneracy, and encouraged their flock within government to do the same — the spiritual landscape of our nation would look vastly different.
Even Black’s Law Dictionary preserves a clearer understanding of lawful resistance than many pulpits today. Speaking of the doctrine of nullification, it notes:
The doctrine that a state, in the exercise of its sovereignty, may reject a mandate of the federal government deemed to be unconstitutional or to exceed the powers delegated to the federal government. The concept is based on the 10th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States reserving to the states powers not delegated to the United States.
— Black’s Law Dictionary
That a secular reference manual retains more moral and constitutional clarity than most American seminaries is a bitter irony indeed.
When faced with such overwhelming injustice, such flagrant violations of God’s Laws on marriage, family, and sexuality, we have not merely the permission to resist, but the responsibility. We must therefore speak plainly, lest we be counted among the equivocators who have dulled the sword of justice: when tyranny becomes total and redress is foreclosed, violent resistance is not only permitted — it is required. Scripture does not veil this fact, nor do the faithful saints throughout history. Abraham raised arms to deliver Lot. Gideon shattered the altar of Baal and then led men into battle. Jehoiada orchestrated a military coup to remove the usurper Athaliah. The Maccabees took up arms when all else had failed.
The sword has been given to the magistrate for the punishment of evildoers: this is a righteous and sacred duty bequeathed unto them, and we are to acknowledge that. But when the magistrate becomes the evildoer — when he becomes the very terror he was charged to restrain — then that sword must be wielded by lesser magistrates and, in the most extreme cases, by the people themselves. Let me be abundantly clear on this point though: the time for violence is not whenever we are personally aggrieved. Indeed, there are clearly times where mass resistance is imprudent and the tyranny that a nation faces is the judgement of God upon them. I would certainly consider the current state of America’s governance by blackmailed pedophiles as a judgement upon us.
However, when the innocent are butchered under the color of law, when every peaceful remedy has been exhausted or denied — then, and only then, does active resistance, up to and including the use of force, become the last petition of a righteous people.
“1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
— The Book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV
The Wolves Within is a must-read for every believer who refuses to be deceived.
Hit the Tip Jar and help spread the message!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission or affiliate fee for purchases made through these links.
Unlock the mysteries of Biblical cosmology and enrich your faith with some of the top rated Christian reads at BooksOnline.club.
Click the image below and be sure to use promo code SCIPIO for 10% off your order at HeavensHarvest.com: your one stop shop for emergency food, heirloom seeds and survival supplies.
Further Research
The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates by Matthew J. Trewhella
Excellent, powerful truth here. It really challenges our soft, often non-existent, challenge of the moral decay around us. I was shocked that 99% of our pastors and churches just rolled over during the covid scam. I didn't fight it hard enough. This is why modern American christian leaders rarely are persecuted. Because we offer no verbal resistance, much less physical resistance as in lawful assembly to protest immoral, ungodly laws.
I put Matthew 5:38-42 in this discussion. Jesus seems to never directly challenge the Roman authority. Neither Paul. He does call Herod that fox. John the Baptizer challenges Herod directly for marrying his brother's wife, while his brother was still alive. Clear violation of God's Law. This resulted in his losing his head.
Jesus directly challenged the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem by His cleansing the temple twice, and his direct parables and verbal rebukes. He intensified the challenge His final week.
I have personally received strong resistance within my small churches when simply teaching the Biblical truth about abortion, homosexuality, God's judgments upon wicked nations. Amazing.
All of us pastors will face God's judgment for not exposing the works of darkness that are all around us.
Thank you for your 2 great articles on this. I would hope you will write more -- getting more specific in application and issues. I agree with you about the principle of the working through the lower magistrates. Our focus should be local, city, county, state. If all the pastors and churches would work together we would have some clout -- but this does not happen as you well know.
Excellent brother. Enslaved by deception.
For a reminder of old-school slavery check out my on-topic podcast:
https://open.substack.com/pub/soberchristiangentlemanpodcast/p/the-slavery-deception-2025-unmasking?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=31s3eo