It is because Christians have done so little in America that we are in the condition we find ourselves today. When only 2% of Christians regularly share their faith it is no wonder. Our own failures cost us the most.
Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) once said "You can't legislate morality." What he meant was that when individual's hearts and minds are changed through the power of the gospel and they begin to live that out in all areas of their lives including their personal lives (putting Christ first and putting to death their own sin), morality follows.
As post-Christian Western Civilization moves toward an increasingly humanistic atheism declaring religion and the spiritual world to be myth, or merely the result of pantheism, increasing political and religious persecution against authentic Christians sharing their faith and effecting real change in this world is expected. A point may come when Christians will not be allowed to engage in evangelism of non-Christians (especially those who claim another belief system) legally reduced to living for Christ. Of couse, we shall do as we always have and obey God over man on this matter.
God does not want us isolating from society. Nor does he want us putting human principles above scriptural ones. HE wants us involved in our communities doing His will as He has expressed in scripture. "So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." -Galatians 6:9 following sound doctrine such as that found in 2 Corinthians 6.
God urges us to do good in this world to help our fellow humans who are made in His image. Since government is ordained of God (without which chaos would result) and can be a huge means for good when properly implemented, we need to be involved in this means of influence in the world. To ignore this is to ignore many opportunities for good in this world.
We see in Acts that as conflicting legal versus moral situations arose, the Apostles obeyed God. John the Baptist called Herod out for having his brother's wife, so there are legitimate times when we need to call even our government to repentance (The Church's governance is for a different purpose. It is to raise followers of Jesus. Sometimes it is appropriate to call the Church to repentance as well).
We are to, in a Christian manner using the Bible as our guide, work to make our lives and our society as godly as possible acting as salt and light. In the case of our Republic, sad to say, if such a time where we have to disobey our government in order to obey God it will come because Christians did so little when they were so many and had the power to do so much. In the event we are, as Christians, disfranchised from participating in government, then we are to continue preaching the Word of God and living out our salvation even unto imprisonment and death.
The Apostles understood this preaching the Word of God and suffered floggings, stonings, imprisonment, and eventually 11 of the 12 were executed. They never took up arms against their government but they did change world history forever. Their weapons were spiritual and they applied them toward evangelism and engaging people and society for godly change within the framework of Jesus's commandments.
History shows the apostolic Christian church never took up arms against the Jewish state that oppressed them; however, the Jewish state that was oppressing the apostolic Christian church took up arms against Rome and was destroyed with their members scattered throughout the world as Roman slaves in the second Jewish diaspora.
Did the early Christians take up arms against Rome? No. They endured and eventually came to dominate it. When Rome fell to the pagans did the Christians then take up arms against their pagan rulers? No. They converted them enmasse to Christianity and these converted pagans saved Europe from Islamization building a Christianized Western Civilization in the process.
Did the Christians in the East take up arms against their Muslim rulers the Ottomans? No. They paid their unfair share of taxes simply for being Christians and withstood the second class existence they were forced to live under resisting when permitted and leaving when possible to assist Christian countries until that empire crumbled.
Did Christians living under godless Soviet Marxist Communism take up arms once it was clear the Communists were clearly in control? No. They outlasted them and watched this sweeping world power come to an end in less than a century. Same with the Nazis. In Communist China and North Korea, as well as Muslim theocracies like Saudi Arabia and Iran, today we see Christians reacting exactly that way. For more information on what it means to live as a Christian today in that political condition visit Open Doors http://www.opendoorsusa.org
When political entities do things such as oppress Christians or make laws that fly in the face of what God has intended we need to realize that they do so out of ignorance, deception, and a darkened unregenerate mind. They are only doing what they know because they have not been regenerated and are still "dead in trespass and sin" (Eph 2:1). This is true even if they claim to know a higher power or a god(s) that is not really God as revealed in scripture. One of the doctrines of demons is the teaching that there are many Jesus and many ways to God or to become god. The result is that their minds are at enmity with God and as such they are unable to please Him (Rom 8:6-8).
A Christian's duty, in response, is to demonstrate our love, seek to evangelize them, seek to live out godly lives, apologetically defend our position while spiritually resisting ungodly laws and behavior.
But what of the formation of America and the American Revolution? It certainly did have it's share of Christians involved. However, the American Revolution was not about Christianity, but about the nation's freedom from England. The Declaration of Independence is not a book of the Bible nor scriptural revelation from God, but rather reflected the desire of men and women who believed in God but wished to be free of the the power of a far away ruler. If our government said today that our nation was threatened by a foreign power, the United Nations, or a move of traitors within to overthrow our government and it were actually so; Christians could serve in the armed forces in defense of our nation even as they already do.
But if our duly democratically elected government voted to change our constitution electing to participate in a one-world government and forced oppressive policies on a citizenry (who would have duly voted in the representatives), then us Christians are bound to follow the laws we can but to continue to preach the Word of God and to follow His law even unto imprisonment and death.
Think of Daniel. He was in Babylon and the other officials wanted to set Him up so they had a law passed saying that no one was allowed to worship any God for 30 days, except for King Darius. Daniel didn't raise up an army for a rebellion. He continued to pray and when convicted of his crime he maintained his faith in God and was willing to give his life. In his case, God preserved him. For that matter you can go back to the beginning of the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel is an example to the exiles of Israel regarding how they are to live in exile. Their duty is to remain faithful to God while under the laws of their captors. Daniel and his three friends did this. They asked if they could have different food, Daniel's three friends did not bow down to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar and were thrown into the fire. Through all this though they maintained a level of respect for the king. Notice how Daniel addressed him in Daniel 6:21---"O King, live forever". This after the king had tried to execute him. We are also resident aliens in a foreign land as our home is in heaven.
Read the four gospels. When did Jesus instruct His followers to rebel against oppressive and tyrannical Rome? Never. We see passages like, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's". Jesus said to buy a sword in Luke 22:36, for personal protection not for the engagement of armed rebellion against one's government. Paul appealed to Ceasar and the legal system for his protection and rights. He didn't form a violent militia and retreat into the woods to plot a violent uprising or wait for the end of the world.
But what of Jesus instructions to buy a sword in Luke 22:35-38? Christ wasn't telling the disciples to sell their clothes and buy a sword, any more than he was telling the disciples never to take an oath (Matthew 5:34) or to pluck their eyes out (Matthew 5:29). Christ was merely using hyperbolic language to communicate to his disciples that persecution was coming. By saying, "Look, Lord, here are two swords!" the disciples exasperated the Lord, Who said, in effect, "I've had enough." Two swords would hardly have been sufficient for twelve disciples against the force of the state. Jesus was going to war allright but it was against Satan, our true enemy, not the state.
Romans 13:1-5 states that, “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. Therefore whoever resists (The word "resisteth" means "arranges in battle" or "resists by force") 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.”
Paul was writing during Emperor Nero’s rule when Christians were persecuted more than any ruler to this present day. They were often sewn up inside animal skins and lions loosed on them, dipped in oil and tied to poles and lit on fire. Yet Paul wrote Romans 13:1-5. But Paul also wrote there is a time to not obey the government when the government tells us to stop doing something God has commanded us to do such as in Acts 4:18-20 where after being told to stop speaking in the name of Jesus by the rulers of their own government in their own city (Acts 4:18), Peter and John asked 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.” It was a rhetorical question for Peter and John continued speaking in the name of Jesus.
So while we should not obey the government when they are clearly telling us not to do something God has commanded us to do, as in sharing the gospel for example; however, that does not translate into we are to take up arms. We continue obeying God, and if necessary, suffer imprisonment and lay down our lives for doing so.
As of this writing, we live in a time when if Christians everywhere today would simply put God first and act accordingly in all areas of their lives (including the exercise of lawful political civic responsibilities) none of this would ever become necessary. As of this writing, approximately one third of the world's population classify themselves as Christian. Granted this breaks down into over 30,000 denominations with much disagreement; however 76% of United States citizens classify themselves as Christians: 76%!
Obviously if such a thing were to occur, and I hope it never does, it would be Christians who corporately are to blame for allowing it to happen when it was well within our ability to ensure that it never did.
But so many misunderstand and distort the separation of church and state believing that God should have no part in our decision making as a society. No wonder "In God We Trust" is under attack. Secularists want to lock believers up in their own holy huddle with no influence on society with the exception meeting felt-needs. This is tyranny plain and simple as Francis Schaeffer once called it. Our country's founders assumed that religion, not a particular state-run Church like the country they fled, would influence the state and vica-versa. As a Church, we are called to not just preach the gospel, but to "do good to all men" as Galatians says. Since Rom. 13 says the government is a means of good, we need to be a part of this huge area of influence as is our responsibility.
Which brings us to our final point; the difficulty before us lies in getting Christians to stop operating in their flesh and beginning to operate in God's Spirit. What is walking by the spirit instead of the flesh you ask? Read this article 'Walking by the Spirit': http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/sg90-34.htm
As you can see, that means surrendering control to God and letting Jesus Christ sit on the throne of our lives rather than ourselves or our idol(s). That means no more putting I before God; our best thinking before the least of God's revelation, no more idolatry and crass materialistic hedonism; no more hidden agendas and lying to get what we want; no more the ends justify the ends; no more allowing wolves in sheeps clothing into our fellowships, no more willful ignorance which leads to deception and bad decision making, no more deceitfulness, no more, no more, no more.
For those who think it's too much: excellent. God deeply loves us and is more than willing to work through the process of accomplishing such a life with us. The rewards are huge. On a personal level they include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (your family will appreciate this one), and self-control without any loss of strength. Other rewards follow like wisdom, understanding, and knowing that you know that you are moving into the perfect will of God for your life. On a corporate level (the body as a whole acting in this manner) they will preserve our government and society for future generations.
It's important to remember that authentic Christians come from a range across the political spectrum. From Christian Socialists (not to be confused with atheistic Marxist socialists!) to Christian Independents to Christian Conservatives: authentic Christians that are honestly applying God's Word to their lives and the world have something to contribute. Put Christ first and forgo the political infighting amongst yourselves. Listen to each other, learn from each other and find that desirable center (not to be confused with a moderate position necessarily) where the best of everything is.
Let us end with pointing out that Christians are free to take natural disaster, urban riot, and specific prevention measures like keeping a first aid kit, 30 days of food, water purification, firearms (if necessary in countries where they are legal to possess), an emergency preparedness plan they can implement, etc... in the event of an emergency. Emergencies periodically occur and we should be ready for them when they do.
Emergency preparedness measures, gardening, green energy, etc... are not to be confused with the discussion we just had of how a Christian ought to respond to their government when it is godly and when it is not.
God bless you and your family and bring you His peace which surpasses all understanding.
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