We live in tumultuous days, though I suppose many peoples throughout history have said the same. Today nations are rising and falling, there are questions about what to do with refugees, when to go to war, who to aid and who to leave to their suffering, and in the U.S we continue to argue over who should be president over the country, who we should ad should not let into our borders and why, what should be legal and what should be outlawed. Among all of these things, I have seen one that disturbs me more than many others... Christians waving the flag of America above the Bible, fighting for, loving, and adoring the country in which they reside more than they fight for, love, and adore God. So what do we make of this patriotism? On the other side of the spectrum, there are Christians who openly rebel against the law of this country, seeking to punish, outlaw, and persecute those who do not claim to be Christian and are following the law of this land. They believe this government should be overthrown and replaced with one that follows only the law of the Bible and reflects the kingdom of heaven. So what to we make of this rebellion? Is there a side in this spectrum that is right and side that is wrong, or is there a deeper truth we must seek out? I encourage each person to come to their own conclusion by prayerfully meditating over the Scripture, but I will present my own case.
When Jesus is questioned about the morality of paying taxes, which was a trick question to put Jesus on one side of the spectrum or the other, He asked them whose face was on their gold coins, the answer of course being Caesar. In response to this, "Jesus said to them 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Mark 12:17) This was a hard answer for many people to swallow, Jesus was not swearing allegiance to Caesar, but neither was He inciting rebellion against Caesar. We are reminded to respect and submit to the authorities of the lands we live in. Titus 3:1 says, "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work" Everyone that is in power, everything that has ever happened has passed through the hands of God. He has allowed it and in our obedience to Him we are also subject to the authorities He has allowed. However, in Acts 5:27 we are told, "But Peter and the apostles answered 'We must obey God rather than men" So where do we find this balance between submitting to earthly authorities and obeying God? In Genesis, Joseph is ordered by his master's wife, who also had authority over him, to sleep with her. Joseph refused, because he knew doing so was a DIRECT violation of God's word, and so in order to remain faithful and obedient to God, he had to disobey a figure of authority. When Daniel was exiled to Babylon, he was ordered to do many things that went directly against God. He was given food to eat that the Lord had declared unclean, and in response he refused to eat it and requested clean foods. The king of Babylon passed a law that no one was to pray to or worship any god, but must worship the king himself. Daniel refused to follow this law as it went directly against God, and he continued to pray to the only true and living God, and refused to pray to the king. For this, he was thrown into a den of lions, but because he had remained faithful to God, he was kept safe in the lion's den, and this miracle brought the king himself to believe and trust in God. When we are ordered by the law to do something that goes directly against God's law for us, we must disobey the law of the land even if it disrespects our authorities, because "Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20) We should not expect the laws that come from the authorities of this world to reflect the laws of God, but it is not our place to rebel, and try to force those who do not follow the living God to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. They are bound by their own rebellious actions, but our place is to lovingly teach them about the grace and freedom that can be found in Christ, not to force a religion upon them using the authorities of this world. Our concern is not with this world, "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come." (Hebrews 13:14) at the end of days there will be a kingdom run by Jesus Christ that will be perfect, and will follow the law of heaven, and every other kingdom of this world will fall before then and their authority will be void. "Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom of God the Father after destroying every rule, and every authority, and every power," but until that day, we seek to bring people into the kingdom of God by living in a way that honors God, shines His light, and proves His UNCONDITIONAL love to everyone. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you," because our concern is not for the church to rule over the kingdoms and authorities of this world, but to focus on the eternal, "for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Our allegiance is not to a country, a flag, a president, an earthly king, or an authority of this world, our allegiance is to God alone, and our concern is with heavenly things, with reaching the broken and lost on a personal, one on one basis. Neither are we concerned with changing the rulers and authorities of this world, for God is already in control of it all. They will rise and fall at His command, and it is not our place to force the whole world to follow a law they do not believe in. So when someone tells you that you have to love your country and be a true patriot in order to be a Christian, or when someone tells you that it is our job as Christians to force the law of the land to follow the law or God, remember that "God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men, and sets over them anyone he wishes," (Daniel 5:21c) and "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ," (Colossians 2:8) but instead remember that Jesus lists the most important commandments in Matthew 22:37-39 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself"
~Katie Stone
