The issue of obedience and submission to authority is a very important one. Many leaders who want to lord over people emphasise it, and many who don't understand what submission to authority implies naively follow it. Sadly, this is true in Christian circles.
Obedience To Human Authority Has A Limit
Romans 13, the chapter where submission to authority is taught by the apostle Paul, does teach us to submit to authority.
"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing." (Rom. 13:1-6)
There are those, however, who have come to abuse this passage, twisting it to their advantage. We have to look at the big picture and see it as a whole: Our submission to human authority has a limit.
Our Ultimate Master Is God Himself
When we do read that passage, many of us tend to neglect the fact that God is the Supreme authority over all that was made. He was the One who instituted authority in the first place, which means that all are in subjection to Him, whether rich or poor, influential and prominent or not.
While it is true that God wants us to submit to the governing authorities, we must realise that God's authority is higher than any other. While we might fear being punished by human authority for disobeying them, it is a more dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the Lord.
Simply put, our submission to human authority must be limited by our subjection to God's authority. Think about it. Are we willing to disobey God so that we could obey man? Or will we risk ourselves in disobeying human rule just so that we could do what is pleasing to the Lord?
Sinful Commands
So this brings us to the question posed in our title. Should we obey or keep obeying a leader's sinful commands? Beloved friends, you answer that question. We know that God hates sin, so, who really is your Lord?
"No one can be slave to two masters; for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first..." (Matthew 6:24)
