29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!
There are some things in life that are black and white, no grey areas. Peter and the others have been thrown in prison again for preaching Jesus and the resurrection. Not only that, but when they preach God shows up with miracles to prove the truth of the teaching. So they are gathered again before the religious leaders to answer for their actions. Their answer is very simple: we must obey someone and we chose God. Often we don’t couch our decisions this way. We want to say that we have “free” choice, that we can do anything we want. But in reality our choices are always constrained. We are never free. God influences us by His Spirit. Our family upbringing influences us. Our spouse and children add weight to our decisions. The food poisoning we are getting over or the extra pounds we are trying to shed influence us. Our image of ourselves and others push us toward some decisions and away from others. Our jobs and those around us influence us. The Scriptures and the media influence us. No choice is free from influence. We have the ability to make choices, but those choices are never free in and of themselves. Sin and its results have dramatically changed the world. Sin’s influence means that every choice toward God is a choice against our natural inclination. Every obedient choice will be harder than a choice to sin. The life of a Jesus-follower is by nature more difficult than the life of an unbeliever. They are unaware of the eternal dimensions that are inherent in their choices. They are blissfully ignorant that what they do now has an effect on eternity. We, on the other hand, know that each choice we make now will be with us forever. If the choice is from faith, then it is adding to our eternity. If it is disobedience, it subtracts. In the imagery of Paul’s wood, hay and stubble, we become Swiss cheese believers. All disobedience is eliminated and faith-based become permanent. Peter and these early disciples were making a choice to obey even in the face of obvious threats and persecution. Our day may soon be upon us. We may soon face these types of choices, to obey God or the authorities of government. Chose God!
The Arnold Journey 