The Christian and Government/Politics, Pt. II

  The General Election of 2020 is 8 months away and Americans will have the opportunity to express their freedom by voting for the President of the United States.

  On all sides of the political spectrum the discourse has been bitter and vitriolic. The most devious and deceptive stratagem is to question ones Christianity over their choice of candidate – specifically that of Donald Trump. It has been asked this way:

“If you say you are a Christian, then how can you support a man like Donald Trump for President?”

  It is often followed by an itemization of accusations (unproven and/or assumed) that the President is: a racist, a bigot, a misogynist, an isolationist, a nationalist, a rapist, an adulterer. The one thing they never accuse him of is being a ‘politician.’

  This question is meant to challenge your conscience and your right to vote for whom you choose. They want to point out that you have a hypocritical position in light of their erroneous view of Christianity.  

  I’m going to suggest to you what the short answer should be, but first consider this: what if the alternative candidates to President Trump endorse a perverse and intolerable ideology which is contrary to Biblical principles?

  The fact is, they indeed do. The Founding Fathers of our country established a Representative Republic, not a Socialist form of government. No matter how intriguing Socialist theories may be, the Founders envisioned a government that served the people by establishing laws (The Legislature Branch), providing equal justice (The Judicial Branch) and the freedom to elect a leader (The Executive Branch) – and not a leader who would impose the will of the government upon the people. The Founders also sought to allow the citizens the freedom to pursue commerce with little or no interference from government.

  But the perspective of the Liberal Left is a rejection of what the Founders established for the United States. The mere fact that they want open border demonstrates their desire to dissolve the United States as a country. Their denunciation of the status quo is further characterized by their delight in tearing down historical statues and buildings that have been dedicated to national heroes (military and civilian). Their endeavors have been successful in breaking down the very core structures of human relations within our culture with the normalization of homosexuality, gender bending, same sex marriage, euthanasia and infanticide. Not to mention their usurping of parental control over their children and the drive to place the government’s yoke upon every citizens – from the womb to the tomb. And soon they will develop the legal means to ostracize those who oppose their agenda, making it illegal to hold to historical Biblical truth.

  These moral assaults are a direct refutation of the Founders objectives for our country that were based on Biblical norms. The Founders may not all have been Christians, but they all lived in the sphere of Biblical norms and standards – something that has become a fading memory in our culture.

It all boils down to this: it is essential that believers vote according to their conscience and to ignore any intimidation. But when the choices seem disputable, how do we as Bible believing Christians substantiate voting our conscience with Scripture?

  We need to have the confidence that the apostle Paul had when he stated before the Roman governor Felix:

“In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men.” (Acts 24:16)

  This elicits two questions. First, what exactly is meant by ‘conscience’? The Greek word used in this passage refers to “that faculty of the soul which distinguishes between right and wrong and prompts one to choose the former and avoid the latter.”^[1]

  Secondly, what is the basis for knowing right and wrong? And is there a basis for establishing an absolute distinction between right and wrong? John MacArthur explains further the mechanics of the conscience and the standard for knowing right and wrong. He states that the conscience is:

The soul’s warning system, which allows human beings to contemplate their motives and actions and make moral evaluations of what is right and wrong. In order to work as God designed it, the conscience must be informed to the highest moral and spiritual level and best standard, which means submitting it to the Holy Spirit through God’s Word.^[2]

  Knowledge of God’s Word will provide truth, absolute truth, and the moral standards needed to make rational decisions. To say that you will choose the “least of the two evils” is truly an over simplification of how one would ‘vote their conscience.’ All of the facts must be considered and questioned. A voter will value the candidate who would be the best one to follow the Constitution and maintain the Founders vision for our country.

  So back to the original question: “If you are a Christian, then how can you support a man like Donald Trump for President?” A good answer should be this: “O Liberal man, based on your incorrect ‘Biblical’ opinion, you insist that I shouldn’t vote for Donald Trump. But since your candidate stands for everything contrary to Biblical norms and standards, then who should I vote for, no one?”

  And this brings us to the Left’s true objective – to shame you of your choice for president. It is their cunning attempt to suppress your vote and to nullify your right to stop their agenda of undermining our Republic.

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^[1] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G4893 [συνείδησις / suneídēsis]

^[2] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (2 Co 1:12). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

 

© David M. Rossi 2022  

The Christian and Government/Politics, Pt. I

In this time of great political acrimony, it might be good to review what the Scripture says about the Christian and Government.

Most will remember the incident concerning the poll-tax to Caesar where the Pharisees tried to trick Our Lord by inducing Him to say something treasonous against Rome. He told them to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21).

Our Lord set the manner by which the people of God were to live. And He did so in spite of the fact that the Jews and the early Church lived under an oppressive Roman government. The apostle Paul continued to broaden this with specific directives to believers:

“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. (Romans 13:1)

Note the word Paul uses: established. The original Greek word used means “to set in a certain order, constitute, appoint.”1 Paul claims that government is appointed or set in place ultimately by God – and this he said while they lived during the rule of the Caesar’s.

Paul continues with a cautionary note:

Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” (Romans 13:2–7)

A.T. Robertson’s expands upon this with a comment worth noting:

Paul is not arguing for the divine right of kings or for any special form of government, but for government and order. Nor does he oppose here revolution for a change of government, but he does oppose all lawlessness and disorder.2

So any change in government must be done in a lawful and orderly manner, i.e. the vote of the people, negotiations for self-rule or a declaration of independence.

But Paul was not alone in providing the believer with this instruction. The apostle Peter stated in his first epistle:

“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” (1 Peter 2:13–15)

This word ‘submit’ in the original Greek contains the root of the word mentioned above: ‘establish.’ The idea is for one to establish themselves under the authority of the existing government. And as Delling notes that “Originally it is a hierarchical term which stresses the relation to superiors. But one should note that the subordination expressed may be either compulsory or voluntary.”3

Aside from these two passages of how the believer interacts with those in authority over them, there is one exception given in Scripture to this command: when obedience to civil authority would compel disobedience to God’s Word. This is demonstrated in Acts chapter 3 when Peter and John healed the lame man and were jailed for preaching about Jesus and the resurrection from the dead. When the Jewish council commanded them to no longer speak or teach in the name of Jesus. This was their response:

“But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20)

This same resolve, to obey God rather than man, was exhibited also by Daniel and his friends while in Babylonian captivity. In each case they were vindicated by God.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego had refused to worship the idolatrous golden image which Nebuchadnezzar constructed even when threatened to be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16–18)

Not only did God save them from the physical effects of the fiery furnace but He did so personally. For this what Nebuchadnezzar observed while the 3 men were in the fire:

He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” (Daniel 3:25)

Daniel also disobeyed a government ruling which stated:

“All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den.” (Daniel 6:7)

But Daniel continued to pray 3 times a day, just as he had done before the edict. When this was made known, Nebuchadnezzar was forced to cast Daniel in the lions’ den. However, Daniel was spared by an angel sent by God to shut the lions’ mouths4 – and again God vindicated his disobedience to a government which sought to negate God’s directives to His people.

Summary

Since the God of the Bible is the supreme ruler of His universe, He has unlimited control in every aspect of His creation, which includes His creatures, mankind. Therefore, He allows governments to operate, for good or for evil – the choice is left in the hands of those who are either elected or who have seized power.

But when a government attempts to subvert God’s rule over believers, the believer has the right to disobey. This is not to say that in every situation that God will vindicate the believer as He has done in the past – there are many who have been martyred for their faith. But we can be assured that the believer who obeys God and refuses to placate an impious governmental edict glorifies Christ and advances the witness of the Gospel.

Therefore, it is better to obey God than man.  

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[1] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers. G5021 [τάσσω/tássō]

[2] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, Ro 13:1

[3] Delling, G. (1964–). τάσσω, ὑποτάσσω, In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich, Eds.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 8.41.

[4] Daniel 6:20

MAN vs. MAN

I just finished watching Auschwitz Untold on the History Channel. It was a fine production in which they colorized much of the original footage. If you have never seen the horrors of the Holocaust in black and white, this production makes it even more vivid. This is a must-see for everyone to witness the atrocities perpetrated on Jews, Gypsy’s, homosexuals and criminals by the Nazis during World War II.

Also a few months ago, I viewed the movie Harriet, the docudrama of Harriet Tubman set in Maryland in the 1840’s. It detailed the cruelties of a slave’s life on a plantation and Tubman’s escape from slavery. After her escape, she worked with the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia assisting in the freedom of 70 slaves. Later, she went on to command an armed expedition of 150 black soldiers during the Civil War on a raid at Combahee Ferry in 1863, thereby liberating more than 700 slaves.  

These two issues, slavery and genocide, are something that I personally have immense difficulty in comprehending. How is it, that man can do such evil towards other men?

It brings to mind the lyrics from a hit recording in 1969 by Three Dog Night:

How can people be so heartless          
How can people be so cruel

Easy to be hard    
Easy to be hard1

But to simply say that it is easy to be cruel is an over simplification of this disturbing matter. For we live in a culture that holds to a dualistic and contradictory viewpoint of mankind. One that worships their idols: TV and movie celebrities, sports figures, and even politicians; and one that regards life as cheap and expendable: infanticide, genocide (Holocaust) and slavery. Ruling out the depiction of actual historic war battles, the latter sentiment is represented today in a major fashion by Hollywood movies and television which ostensibly celebrate the murder and killing of people.

The 20^th Century brought great advances in most every aspect for humans – medicine, technology, transportation – maybe more so than any other century before. But in the 20^th Century there was World War I, World War II (including the Holocaust), the Armenian Genocide, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Certainly it would be naïve to think that wars and atrocities had only took place in the 20^th Century. A search of the 19^th Century demonstrates similar atrocities in the United States: the African slave trading and the American Civil War to name just two. This violence has been ingrained in the minds of many that the lives of men have little or no essential value.

What should be the Christian’s answer? That man, as a creature of his Creator, is fallen – tainted by the original sin of Adam and Eve – even though, he was created in the image and likeness of God, his Creator (Genesis 1:26).

Dr. Charles Ryrie notes concerning the terms ‘image’ and ‘likeness’ that they are:

Interchangeable terms [cf. Genesis 5:3] indicating that man was created in a natural and moral likeness to God. When he sinned, he lost the moral likeness, which was his sinlessness, but the natural likeness of intellect, emotions, and will he still retains.2

In the Creator’s assessment, man has dignity and great significance in His universe. Otherwise He would not have placed a high standard on the sanctity of man’s life when He stated:

Whoever sheds man's blood,

By man his blood shall be shed,

For in the image of God

He made man. (Genesis 9:6, NASB)

When men strike out at other men, they are in fact striking out at the very image and likeness of their Creator. They are demonstrating exactly what this culture thinks of God and the value of His creature: that man in insignificant, and he is of no value. So it is considered of no consequence to kill or murder someone – as if it were the same as dropping trash in a dumpster.

And yet, man has eternal value in the eyes of his Creator – he was created with an eternal existence, a soul: which is that part of man that will not die even after his body gives out and is laid to rest. For it is written:

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment. (Hebrews 9:27 NASB)

Man does not have the right to indiscriminately appoint another man’s time of death3 or to be an avenger or a vigilante.4

The root of the problem we face today in our culture is that the Judeo-Christian heritage of our nation has become a distant memory. 60 years ago in our country, there was still an awareness of moral values based on the absolutes of Biblical truth. Even among those who were not churchgoers, people at least knew of Jesus Christ, the Ten Commandments, and believed that God had blessed America with freedom and liberty – there was even prayer in the schools! Now, many are clueless about anything spiritual. The secular humanists and Communists, like Madalyn Murray O’Hair, have extracted the Biblical consensus of absolute truth from our culture.

And since humanism rejects the absolutes of Biblical truth, they have no absolutes for their values system. This naturally leads to arbitrariness in every area of the culture which they control: what they say and demand at any given moment – becomes an edict, only to be changed whenever the whims and consensus of their followers shifts.

Dr. Francis Schaeffer points out:

[T]hat when we take away the biblical teaching that God is the final reality and that God created man uniquely in his own image, then man as man has no intrinsic value. In a secular sense, human life is no different from animal life. Or in other words, when one accepts the secular world view that the final reality is only material or energy shaped by chance, then human life is lowered to the level of animal existence.5

God demonstrated His love of man by providing the means by which all men might regain fellowship with their Creator. This was attained by the sacrificial death of His Son on the cross. He accomplished this because He regards man as His highest creation and therefore man has dignity and intrinsic value. It is essential that we Christians “contend earnestly for the faith" (Jude 6); proclaiming Christ as the eternal and sole celebrity of the universe. He doesn’t consider men's lives as cheap and expendable and neither should we.

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[1] From the Three Dog Night Album (1969), Suitable for Framing (Dunhill DS 50058)

[2] Ryrie, Charles C. (1995) Ryrie Study Bible. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, p. 6 note

[3] The right of a nation to administer capital punishment is so stipulated in Scripture: Romans 13:3-4; 1 Peter 2:13-14.

[4] Romans 12:19; 13:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:6;

[5] Schaeffer, Francis A. (1982) The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 4.374

© 2023 David M. Rossi