God and Civil Authority

        In the world we live in today, it is common place to speak evil of the government and its leaders; especially if they are a member of the opposing party that you are a member of. In many circles it is common to take to the streets in protest of the government and its leaders. Many times, these protests lead to violence, looting, destruction of businesses, and of course murder. In fact, many groups encourage people through social media to do these despicable things. Many Christians support these actions, believing God has given them authority to do so. Well, thankfully this is easy to prove or disprove. As always, let's turn to God as our final authority.

       Many of the protests we see today are because people hate our president. Now I am not here to show support for him or to say you have to like him. Of course you don't have to like the president or support him, however, God tells us how we should treat our leaders. (Exodus 22:28) Clearly states that we are not to curse him, but respect him. The Bible does not tell us we must vote for the man, but respect his authority as long as he is in office. There are no passages found saying anything different.

       Ecclesiastes chapter 8 takes it even further. In verse 3, Solomon says that we should not take a stand against our rulers, even if it is against an evil thing! Christians are not to be in the streets protesting or committing violence! In America, we protest by going to the ballot box. As we have seen, the protests, both peaceful and violent, have done nothing to change things. In fact, it can be argued that it makes things much worse. We can see this in cities such as Portland and Los Angeles today.

       In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus again emphasizes that we are to respect governing bodies. He says in (Matthew 22:17-21) to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's". He never states that we should rise up in protest or fight against the ruling power. Why is that? Because God has the ultimate authority and we should put our trust in Him. Leaders will come and go, but He lasts forever. Lean on Him. Paul continues this thought in Romans 13:1-8 when he says we must submit to our government; that is to obey their laws to keep peace. We should be thankful that we live in a country where we have an opportunity to change our leaders every 4 years.

       There are a few other verses in scripture that deal with civil authorities and governing bodies (1 Tim. 2:1-2; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:10-17), but they all agree we must obey our leaders and respect them. It is not Christian to take to the streets in protest, or even on social media to say horrible things or call him evil names. We need to act like Christians at all times. Maybe the best example to give is the apostle Paul. While he was falsely arrested and brought to trial, he was given the opportunity to defend himself. He was a Roman after all, which meant he should have been free to go. He could have railed against the Jewish leaders who were bringing these charges against him. Yet he took that moment instead to teach about Christ. This is the example that is set before us! Stay calm, because things will change eventually.

Security in an Insecure World

       What can the gospel do in a world filled with so much turmoil and trouble? In Psalm 60:2, the Lord said this: "You have made the earth tremble; you have broken it; heal its breaches, for it is shaking." Our personal world has been shaken by divorce, domestic abuse, abortion, wars and crime, riots in the streets. We live in an age of police and metal detectors in schools, intimate searches in airports, and mountains of government regulations. All of this seems to prove one thing; people do not trust people to do right.

       People want to hear "security", whether truth and facts are on their side or not. For instance, during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, Iraqi Information Minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf said this: "We are in control. They (Americans) are in a state of hysteria. Losers, they think that by killing civilians and trying to distort the feelings of the people they will win. I think they will not win." Most Iraqi's heard this and believed it, believing the Iraqi army would win, and they would be secure. They were comforted by the lies because it made them feel secure.

       Satan uses the same tactics in trying to make people feel secure by lying. Gen. 3:4 "Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die". He also falsely states that guardian angels will protect you from the dangers of life, or that godliness is a means of gain. 1 Tim. 6:5-6 "Useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain." Satan also tries to convince people that there will be no Judgment Day. Acts 17:30-31 "Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." Because people only see "surface" security, they completely ignore the truth spoken by God's Holy Word. John 8:44-47 tells us there is no truth in the Devil.

       We can see how the world today uses these tactics as well. T.V. shows like The Bachelor, Married at First Sight, and Wife Swap, tells people you can have a relationship without really knowing someone. But God says this in John 4:17-19; "The woman answered and said, 'I have no husband'. Jesus said to her, 'You have well said I have no husband, for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly. The woman said to Him, 'Sir, I perceive you are a prophet." The only secure relationships are those grounded in love as God intended it to be (Matt. 19:1-10; Col. 3:18-25).

       Politicians in government control so much of how we live our lives. During campaign cycles, they try to scare voters by saying the opposite party will not make the country secure. But God's Word says this in Rom. 13:1 "Let every soul be subject to governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God". In Acts 5:29 we read that we ought to obey rather than man. All government programs and medical schemes that obscure God's hand from the people's sight are Devil-centered and not God-centered.

       Insurance companies of course survive on telling people they are not secure in any part of their lives. They encourage, and at times force you to buy insurance on material things. But God's Word says this in Luke 12:15: "And he said to them, 'Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things He possesses."

       Religiously, some mistakenly use wars and rumors of wars to signal the end of the world. 'Once saved always saved' to teach a 'security of the soul'. Material prosperity to secure one's spirituality and God's blessing. "Heroic deaths" to secure salvation in eternity, and worshipping God to entertain man.

       However, God's Word says: The end and Judgment will come unexpectedly (1 Thess. 5:1-4). Practicing righteousness (obedience) makes one born again (1 John 2:29; Rom. 16:25-27). Material gain is NOT godliness (1 Tim. 6:5-10), not dying for someone else, but approaching Christ's death for one's own self gives hope in eternity (John 15:12-14, Heb. 5:8-9). Spirit and truth rule. John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those that worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Maybe the best way to end this discussion is by Col 3:16-17: "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."