Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!
– Acts 5:29
Peter’s words in Acts 5:29 are not merely a historical statement, but a divine mandate that confronts every believer with an inescapable choice: Obedience to God, or obedience to man. Peter and the apostles, standing before the Sanhedrin, declared this truth under threat of persecution. They had been commanded to stop preaching Christ, yet they boldly affirmed their allegiance to God alone.
This is no trivial matter. The Christian life is defined by unwavering submission to God’s Word, and any deviation – even the smallest flirtation with the world’s approval – betrays our calling. As James 4:4 warns us, “Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?” This is a sobering reality that demands our attention.
In Acts 5, the context is very clear. The apostles were proclaiming the resurrected Christ, and the religious authorities were seeking to silence them. Their response wasn’t rooted in pride or rebellion… they had an unyielding conviction that God’s command supersedes all human authority. They had witnessed the risen Lord, heard His commission, and received the Spirit’s power. To obey men over God would have been to deny the very truth of the gospel.
This is the essence of the Christian’s duty: to obey God, no matter the cost, because He is sovereign, and His Word is absolute.
Yet, how often do we falter here? The world’s allure is subtle but deadly. It tempts us to soften the edges of truth to avoid offense, to compromise biblical principles for social acceptance, or to prioritize comfort over conviction. Again, James 4:4 is unequivocal: to befriend the world – to embrace its values, applaud its sins, or seek its approval – is to declare enmity with God. This is not a casual warning but a divine indictment. The world, as Scripture defines it, is that system of thought and behavior opposed to God’s glory (1 John 2:15-17). John plainly echoes James’ thought: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” When we chase the world’s approval, we align ourselves against the One who redeemed us by His blood.
Consider the apostles’ example. They didn’t waver. They knew the cost of discipleship going in. Jesus Himself said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Obedience to God requires self-denial, a wholesale rejection of the world’s siren call. It means speaking truth when it’s unpopular, standing firm when culture demands conformity, and trust God’s Word over human opinion. The temptation to blend in – to dilute the gospel for the sake of peace – is nothing less than a refusal to honor God as Lord.
The struggle is real. We may not face imprisonment like the apostles, or at least not yet anyway, but the pressure to conform is relentless. It’s the workplace conversation that lures us to laugh at sin, the social media post that tempts to signal virtue rather than godliness, or the fear of rejection that silences our witness. These are the moments when we must echo Peter’s resolve: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”
Obedience is not optional. It is the mark of true faith (John 14:15). To choose otherwise is to trivialize God’s authority and treat His commands as negotiable.
Former Blackout Artist 