QUESTION: Is it advisable for a Christian to salute or honor a national flag? If yes, explain Daniel 3:8-25.

ANSWER: Yes! There is no parallel between Daniel 3:8-25 and saluting or honoring a flag. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not directed to salute or honor a flag. They were commanded (vss. 6 & 11) to bow down and worship the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up (vs.3). There is a great deal of difference between honor and worship! There is little doubt that Daniel and the other men honored the king by being obedient to him and being participants in governmental functions. (Daniel 2:48-49). Their disobedience came only when the king’s laws were in conflict with the laws of God, as should be the case with all men (Acts 5:29). Thus, their refusal to worship.

We certainly can worship only the God of heaven (Revelation 22:9), but just as certainly we are told to “honour the king” (I Peter 2:17), to “be subject to the higher powers” (Romans 13:1), and to “render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). A salute reflects honor, not worship!