Calvin went to Geneva not by choice. He was French, a Protestant: if he had remained he would have died, or had to, like the Huguenots, eventually flee. Because he was clear, plain and blunt. We in this age are mere shadows of the polemic of the reformation, and his commentary on this very passage gives you an idea of this. He published this: the Catholic rulers of France would have seethed.

This is the sum of their answer, It is lawful for them, nay, they ought to prefer God before men. God commandeth us to bear witness of Christ; therefore it is in vain for you to command us to keep silence. But I have declared before in the third chapter, when this sentence taketh place, that we ought rather to obey God than men. God doth set men over us in such sort with power, that he keepeth still his own authority safe and sound. Therefore, we must obey rulers so far, that the commandment of God be not broken. Whereas power and authority is lawfully used, then it is out of season to make comparison between God and man. If a faithful pastor do command or forbid out of the Word of God, it shall be in vain for men which are stubborn to object that we ought to obey God; for God will be heard by man. Yea, man is nothing else but an instrument of God. If a magistrate do his duty as he ought, a man shall in vain say that he is contrary to God, seeing that he dissenteth in nothing; yea, rather the contrary rule is then in force. We must obey God’s ministers and officers if we will obey him. [269] But so soon as rulers do lead us away from the obedience of God, because they strive against God with sacrilegious boldness, their pride must be abated, that God may be above all in authority. Then all smokes of honor vanish away. For God doth not vouchsafe to bestow honorable titles upon men, to the end they may darken his glory. Therefore, if a father, being not content with his own estate, do essay to take from God the chief honor of a father, he is nothing else but a man. If a king, or ruler, or magistrate, do become so lofty that he diminisheth the honor and authority of God, he is but a man. We must thus think also of pastors. For he which goeth beyond his bounds in his office, (because he setteth himself against God:) must be despoiled of his honor, lest, under a color or visor, he deceive. The office of a pastor is very excellent, the authority of the Church is great, yet so that no part of God’s power and Christ’s mastership be diminished. Whence we may easily gather that the pride of the Pope is ridiculous, who, when as he treadeth under foot the whole kingdom of Christ, and doth set himself openly against God, will yet, nevertheless, lie hid under the name of Christ.

It is worthwhile noting that the man who taught Paul is the person who counselled that Peter and the apostles should be allowed to go. That putting them into prison or sending them to the gallows would not be productive. That if these men were not of God, then they would fail.

For confrontation of authorities has risks: your life, your property and your worldly honour can be destroyed in an instant. In front of such, obey God, and not the memes of this world.

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

(Acts 5:27-42 ESV)

The apostles disobeyed the authorities and had to suffer a lesser punishment. The Roman commentary says this well.
If you civilly disobey, expect some penalty. The penalty is the witness.

A second action against the community is taken by the Sanhedrin in the arrest and trial of the Twelve; cf. Acts 4:1–3. The motive is the jealousy of the religious authorities over the popularity of the apostles (Acts 5:17) who are now charged with the defiance of the Sanhedrin’s previous order to them to abandon their prophetic role (Acts 5:28; cf. Acts 4:18). In this crisis the apostles are favored by a miraculous release from prison (Acts 5:18–24). (For similar incidents involving Peter and Paul, see Acts 12:6–11; 16:25–29.) The real significance of such an event, however, would be manifest only to people of faith, not to unbelievers; since the Sanhedrin already judged the Twelve to be inauthentic prophets, it could disregard reports of their miracles. When the Twelve immediately resumed public teaching, the Sanhedrin determined to invoke upon them the penalty of death (Acts 5:33) prescribed in Dt 13:6–10. Gamaliel’s advice against this course finally prevailed, but it did not save the Twelve from the punishment of scourging (Acts 5:40) in a last endeavor to shake their conviction of their prophetic mission.

The fashions and ideologies of this age change. Rapidly. What is goodthink now will be badthink in a decade. It is far better to obey God than try to keep up with the whims of our elite.

Having said that we need rulers, and an elite will always exist, Calvin is correct in that if they stay within their roles they can do good. A society needs laws and rulers, for we are not as the angels. But if they extend beyond that they fall into a grievous error — as the Popes of his day did, being temporal renaissance princes (complete with territory) rather than shepherds and bishops. But the Catholic bishop’s commentary reminds us of something else: that if we confront the elite we bear a risk of punishment, even extreme punishment.

And that is where we now sit. To claim the classical formulations for marriage — we can argue about how to apply Pauline teaching, but if we take it seriously — we are accounted as haters of both women (for they are trapped in a marriage to that brute) and the rainbow mafia (who think it is very good tactics to marry the same brute). In this time we have to preach against divorce and for biblical marriage.

Not the counterfeit version the state has. And in doing this, we will deeply offend the councils of the family courts and the children’s protection agencies. We will be deeply hated, in this campaign against intolerance. And their process is to bring charges that will not stick in a fair court: either knowing the courts are as unfair as the Soviet system was under Stalin, or knowing the process is the punishment.

Let them.

It is our job to obey Christ. And when man’s laws contradict Christ, it is Christ’s laws we obey, accepting the penalty. The penalty does not negate our witness: the penalty, in times of injustice, is our witness.