I’ve done my best to keep politics out of my blog posts, and I will try to do so in this one. I ask as you read this to remember it is read by people all over the world from China to Saudi Arabia, from Vietnam to Nepal, From the US to Norway, on all five continents and in 48 countries last year. True the majority of readers is in America but the second largest group of readers, interestingly, is in Communist China.
We’re told in Scripture that God gives us government leaders He wants, and we are to submit to their authority:
Romans 13:1-7 says: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”
This wasn’t talking about times of freedom and liberty. When this was written, all of the Mediterranean was under harsh Roman rule. Even so, the text tells us through Paul as he was led by the Holy Spirit that Christians were to follow Roman rule (so far as was biblical).
In Acts 5:28-29, the apostles tell us we are to obey God’s commands when they contradict man’s:
“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.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
So, as I see it, our duty is to obey the laws of the land so long as they do not interfere with God’s commands. If they do, God’s commands win out.
This is easy for an American to say, I know, but it stands as a biblical principle even if you must hide your obedience to God from the state.
Why is this important?
Many who read this blog are under oppression of various levels even now. In China, pastors are captured, imprisoned, and sometimes tortured. Even parishioners are often detained. In Nepal and Afghanistan, you will suffer death for preaching the Christian gospel on the street, but people still do it.
Christians are so oppressed in some Muslim countries no missionaries are allowed in, and most refuse to sneak in. It would mean certain death to be discovered. Yet God is reaching these countries with the gospel through radio, TV, and even dreams. The followers of Christ meet in secret. Many are beheaded or worse. In the Sudan, our brothers and sisters are captured and sold as slaves. Yet, the Christians follow the law so long as it does not contradict God’s law.
As I’ve said in earlier blogs, we were created most importantly to find Christ and to share Christ. The thousands of Christians martyred in the first three centuries of the church have shown us how to submit to authority only after first submitting to God.
Christians in America think we’re persecuted because we see bumper stickers telling us we’re fools. TV shows and movies portray us as simpletons and hypocrites. Yet ours is not real persecution when women are being dragged from their homes and set aflame or beheaded in the town square simply because they have accepted Christ.
Church tradition tells us the apostle Andrew was nailed to an X-shaped cross (called St. Andrew’s Cross now) and took three days to die. He was deprived of food and water, yet he did not cease to preach Jesus and Him crucified to those who would surround his cross.
In the United States we are about to have a changing of the guard. Many think this will bring major changes, unchristian – anti-Christian changes, to our country. If this is true, let’s keep in mind those in other nations who know what oppression truly is and face any oppressors with the love of Christ. There is no prohibition to trying to bring a Christian worldview to our nations, of course. We need to remember, though, many would give all they have to live in America no matter who is in office.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 