Are Christians Called to Resistance?

Are Christians Called to Resistance? February 2, 2025

Throughout history, followers of Christ have wrestled with how we are supposed to interact with the systems of government that rule over us. When we can’t flourish, or don’t see others able to flourish under political regimes, we find ourselves asking how we are supposed to respond. Are Christians called to resistance?

Recognizing a Need For Resistance

I’m writing this on the first day of Black History Month, this year’s theme, African Americans and Labor. At the same time, I am getting news articles about parts of the federal government that will not be honoring this month anymore. Actually, it is somewhat confusing what celebrations and remembrances of the people who make up Americans are being hacked and what will still remain. What I do know, though, is that as a Christian, I still want to recognize my fellow citizens made in the image of God through Black History Month. I wonder, does that make me a political resistor?

African Americans in the background in the field and black Americans in the foreground celebrating Black history month with an american flag
“Am I a political resistor because I want to celebrate Black History Month?” | Image is AI-generated by the author.

It has been difficult for some people in my community under the new U.S. administration over the last couple weeks. Friends who work for the federal government have their cross-country transfer suspended and their life is now in upheaval. Others have had the diversity initiatives they’ve spent years building disbanded. Those who work in nonprofits have had their funding and programs disappear overnight, finding themselves suddenly without resources to walk with people in need. My friends who are immigrants are frightened. They fear that their status will be removed and they will be deported on a whim. Then others I know are bracing to experience racist acts or comments disparaging their differing abilities. 

It isn’t a surprise that I’ve heard and seen many people talk about rising up and practicing resistance. Some of this is encouragement to resist, while others address this from a more practical angle: how to resist and what to resist. I get it. There are some things my government is doing that I want to resist, too.

The first part of resistance is recognizing a need for it. This is the first Phase of Rising Up, which I call “REAL”. It is a necessary stage of finding our way to make a difference.

And yet, as I listen to people talk about resistance, part of me recognizes that there is something off about this narrative. This response to what’s happening in our world assumes we haven’t been resisting already. But if we are believers who follow the teachings of Jesus, aren’t we already resisting?

Do Christians Resist?

Christians resist, but not in the way the world often defines resistance. As believers, we are already called to live in contrast to the ways of the world, including the systems and governments that shape society. 

We resist like trees–not as much by pushing back as by standing tall in the pressure of winds and storms. We are like the unbending tree, those righteous oaks showing the splendor of God, that the prophet Isaiah referred to when talking about when liberty for the captive, good news to the poor, and care for the brokenhearted is proclaimed (Isaiah 61:3).

Christian resistance is not about revolutionarily overthrowing governments, taking up arms, or opposing every political leader. At least we don’t see Jesus doing that, even though his people expected that this was what he was born for. Christian resistance looks like personal reformation that extends out from us into our spheres of influence. This type of reformation isn’t for dominating, controlling, or even enforcing Biblical law. Our resistance is rooted in love, justice, and the pursuit of God’s kingdom.

Picture of an Oak Tree standing tall in a storm on the plains
“In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.” (Isaiah 61:3 NLT) | Image is Ai-generated by author.

Ways We Resist Through Our Lifestyle

As we follow the teachings of Jesus, our lives transform to look like him, modeling his character and sharing his values. We embody God’s kingdom in a world that often rejects these values. As I think of Black History Month, I can’t help but think of the effective resistance of nonviolence Martin Luther King Jr. and many others lived out during the Civil Rights Movement, spurred on by many people of faith. If this is one of our examples, what might this “resistance” look like today?

When we take our Sabbath, our rest, we proclaim we are outside the system of slavery to the systems of power and greed. We trust in God for provision, like the newly freed Israelites did in the desert expectant on their manna. 

Acting with integrity is resistance among people who lie, cheat, and take what they lust for. When we add being humble and servant-leaders to this list, we aren’t seeking power-grabs, which easily corrupt, and at times we even willingly relinquish our rights. (Here is one of my most recent stories about this–while sharing my body with my son.)

Then when we love others as Christ commanded, seeing people as bearers of God’s image, we  engage in a form of resistance. This causes us to care for those in need and bring freedom to the oppressed. We do this even when it is challenging. Sometimes others complain or even fight about our involvement, and often this prevents us from keeping up with the Joneses.

This Jesus-following way of resistance does not fit neatly into right or left political ideologies; it transcends them. It is a call to live sacrificially, to share the good news of hope and healing, and to love both in our speech and action.

Jesus and Resistance

Jesus Himself modeled resistance. He challenged the hypocrisy of religious leaders and opposed the injustices of the Roman government. Even so, he never sought to dismantle the system through force. Instead, Jesus worked within it—calling for hearts to change, lifting up the marginalized, and demonstrating a radical love that disrupted the status quo. His resistance was not about political power but about ushering in a kingdom that operates by a different set of values.

Embrace This Narrative instead

Instead of the narrative that calls us to begin our resistance, maybe we should embrace that to a degree we have already been resisting. Not because we don’t need the encouragement to keep going–we do. But because we can be strengthened by seeing how we have already chosen to be different from whatever powers that be.

And so, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9 NIV). I encourage you to fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep faith in the One who calls you to godly resistance (2 Timothy 4:7).

Christian resistance is not something we begin only in response to a new administration or political shift. Rather, it is an ongoing, age-old calling to live in a way that reflects Jesus. While it is right to recognize the injustices of our time and step into the role God has called us to today, we must remember that resistance, at its core, is about faithfulness. It is about living out God’s love in a broken world—one act of justice, one act of mercy, and one step of faith at a time.

Therefore, let us keep resisting, in Black History Month and beyond.

About Elisa Johnston
Elisa Johnston is the author of Justice-Minded Kids and The Life Mapping Workbook. She writes, coaches, consults, and speaks through Average Advocate, empowering everyday people to be changemakers with confidence and sustainably. She also writes about paradigms, faith, and experiences through her perspective as an activist, coach & leader on Substack at Authentically Elisa. She loves exploring between the mountains in the sea in her home of San Diego with her four kids, husband, and introverted friends. You can read more about the author here.

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