Question:  Given the sermon’s Scripture, America was born in revolution–which was disobedience to the authority of England.  Was this a sin or part of God’s plan?  If it was God’s plan, how are we then to know when to rebel and when to submit?

Answer:  Based on the sermon, I would say that you should resist

  1. If asked to violate God’s command.  (Acts 5…when authorities arrest the disciples for preaching and then order them not to teach)  They went right back to preaching.  We must obey God rather than men.  (Acts 5:28,29)
  2. If asked to do an immoral act.  Examples:  falsifying records for “security reasons.”  Perjury for the sake of the department; covering for subordinates by lying.
  3. If asked to go against your Christian conscience.
If we conclude that the American Revolution did not happen for any of these reasons, then we must conclude that it happened as a result of sin.  However, God redeems what humans mess up.  God is in the business of redeeming what Adam and Eve messed up in the garden.  The cross is His ultimate act of redemption.  If He can redeem man’s greatest problem, the American Revolution is no problem for him, too.