Note 7 at Acts 5:29: This is a tremendous lesson on submission. Peter is the one whom the Lord inspired to write in 1 Peter 2:13, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake," and yet we see him not obeying those who were in authority over him. What's the deal? Were Peter's actions wrong?

The key to understanding this is to properly understand that "submission" and "obedience" are not the same thing. To obey means, "to carry out or fulfill the command, order, or instruction of"; while to submit means, "to yield or surrender to the will or authority of another." You can be submitted to someone without obeying him, just as much as you can obey a person without submitting to him.

In the military, a subordinate officer does not have the authority to issue commands on his own that contradict the commanding officer. You can disobey an order from an officer who is above you if you are certain that his command is in direct opposition to his superiors. However, the attitude in which you refuse to obey an officer's unlawful command can get you in trouble if it is rebellious, even if your actions were right.

Likewise, God never wants us to obey any law or rule of man that would contradict His laws, but He does not want us to be rebellious about it. We should act as these apostles acted. They didn't obey the rulers' command because it contradicted God's command, but they submitted to their authority. They were beaten as punishment (v.40), yet they didn't plot revolt or criticize the rulers who beat them. They had a submissive attitude even though they obeyed the higher law of God (see note 3 at Acts 4:19, p. 590).