Below is an excerpt of an email I sent to a woman in the congregation.
Regarding the issue of authority, it is a valid question. Our position has always been that the presbytery is a lawful authority that has issued unlawful commands. When a lawful authority issues an unlawful command, then a Christian has a duty to God to disobey the unlawful command.
For example, husbands are rightful authorities, and wives are told in scripture to obey their husbands (Ephesians 5:22). So when a husband says something like, “Honey, I’ve accepted that job offer we talked about so pack up the house, we’re moving .” This is a lawful command by a lawful authority and must be obeyed.
If, however, the husband were to say, “Honey, grab the gun and get in the car, we’re going to rob the bank,” this must be resisted because it is an unlawful command. The wife has a duty to disobey the husband in order to obey the Lord who said, “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15). In this case, disobedience to the husband is obedience to God.
So when the Presbytery tells us, “You must recognize this person as a member of your congregation regardless of your evidence to the contrary,” the Session must disobey this unlawful command by a lawful authority because we know the truth and God has said, “Thou shall not bear false witness” (Exodus 20:16). The presbytery cannot compel the Session to disobey the Word of God or our consciences. Our conscience is captive to the Word of God and we know that we must not lie. Coercion of speech, control of thought, violation of the truth and scripture…these are all hallmarks of tyranny.
My and the Session’s position, from the very beginning and through the trial has not changed. We claim that the presbytery does not have the authority to command us to lie. Therefore, I cannot apologize for something I did not say or do. Session cannot call people members when they are demonstrably not members, as defined by the EPC constitution.
Yes, Romans 13 says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” But a governing authority is a legitimate authority only to the extent that they govern in accord with righteousness and the standards of God. When an authority tries to compel you to break God’s law, then they are not from God and must be resisted.
All this was worked out during the Protestant Reformation and in what is known as Protestant Resistance Theory. Since Samuel Rutherford is pretty daunting, I’ve included two links below to YouTube videos that you might find helpful on the subject. I’ve also included my closing statement, which I read at the trial, that makes these very points.
Finally, you might want to watch the excellent documentary from John MacArthur’s church, The Essential Church, which masterfully explores these ideas in light of the unlawful commands by the government to shut down churches during the pandemic.
Blessings,
Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash
The Parrhesians 