What about obeying the government?

Exodus 39; Proverbs 15; John 18; Philippians 2

Some Christians claim that God will not allow them to experience a plague. They quote Scripture and continue to meet in large numbers. In contrast, a friend said that we trust God yet wear a bicycle helmet, drive the speed limit, take our vitamins and so on. God promises protection but is it okay to play in traffic? One of the devil’s temptations to Jesus encouraged Him to jump off the top of the temple because angels wouldn’t let Him be injured. Jesus replied that this was putting God to the test.

God’s people, me included, need to remember that God’s protection goes hand in hand with obedience including this passage:

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. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. (Romans 13:1–2)

God is sovereign. That covers all authorities, even those we don’t like. Agreeing with separation of church and state does not include ignoring political authority during this crisis. That attitude is deadly.

My hubby once took a course called “Christ and Government” which suggests there is much to consider on this topic. I am challenged to think more deeply by this passage:

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. (John 18:33–38)

The kingdom of God is not like those of the world. It is not defined by boundaries. It has no flag or logos. Its citizens are not governed by military might, nor according to how much money they donate to their current political party. Jesus’ kingdom is about allegiance to Him and having a personal relationship with Him. All our ‘laws and rules’ are in the Bible.

My devotional book offers additional thoughts. It says that Jesus’ servants will not fight to advance His kingdom the way the kingdoms of this world achieve success — using military drive or human armies. Apparently, Pilate believed at least this part of what Jesus was saying, and therefore saw him as no political threat . . . . But this does not mean that Jesus is making no claim whatsoever with respect to the kingdoms of this world. He insists He is King Jesus, even if His source of authority is not in this world, and His servants will not defend Him by resorting to arms. However, the time will come when all will acknowledge that He alone is Lord of lords and King of kings and all the kingdoms of this world are destined to become His.

How does this work in a practical sense? Again, my heart says to obey those in authority, not because I trust them, but because I trust the One who tells me to do it.

What if they order something contrary to the Lord’s commands? The Bible answers that also. The authorities were worried that the Gospel would spread so they decided to warn the disciples:

So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:17–20)

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “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.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:27–29)

APPLY: Pay close attention to both the Bible and governing authorities. This could mean the difference between life or death even as God gives me a means to stay alive at this time. I am a citizen of heaven living as an ambassador for Jesus in a worldly kingdom. As long as I’m here, I’m to trust Jesus and obey His Word, especially concerning those in authority.

What’s worse than following a false teacher . . . ?

I was telling a seminary professor about a class I was taking and he asked what textbook the professor was teaching from. I said none; this professor was teaching what God had taught him, not what God had taught someone else.

This is what Jesus did. The religious people of His day always cited this rabbi or that, but Jesus was a breath of fresh air. He didn’t need to quote someone else to back up what He said. Those who heard Him often said there was no teacher like Him.

As I listen to teachers, good and not so good, I am noticing that the Holy Spirit is my greatest and most accurate teacher, but He does use a textbook. Like all others, I need Him to interpret Scripture, but I also need Scripture to make certain that I’m not merely getting my instructions from voices in my head.

I also need the Holy Spirit to help me with false teaching. John says, “I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.” (1 John 2:26–27)

The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God as His text and life as His classroom. He instills truth and gives purpose to His students. I am in the same school as the psalmist who said, “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” (Psalm 71:17–18)

Some of us come into this school without any skills at all. Others have abilities, but even the most gifted need the Holy Spirit to round out their talent and make of them what He wants them to be . . .

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. (Acts 18:24–26)

Apollos needed help because everyone comes into the kingdom from darkness. We may be with or without skills, but all of us need the Spirit to teach us and give us light. God tells us to learn from Him, and even after we do, to beware of falling back into that old way of thinking. I can avoid it by keeping my heart soft toward God and by continually relying on the Teacher that He has given me . . .

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ! — assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17–24)

In other words, life is not a mere classroom to walk in and out of without the lessons making a difference. If I do not put into practice the truths God is teaching me, then my old self will continue to rule. For that new life that Jesus has given me to be evident and effective, I have to obey what I learn.

Following false teachers is a sad and terrible danger, but it is just as sad and terrible to not pay any attention to the Holy Spirit who is teaching me truth each day.

To Live is Christ — in obedient gratitude

Years ago a friend and a new Christian was considering the claims of the young men who kept coming to her door. She had some relatives who belonged to their religious group and was interested because they were “nice” people. On the other hand, a few people in the church she attended were not so nice. She wanted to know what to do.

The Bible is very black and white, and I’m not referring to the type on the paper. God says that people either belong to Him or do not. He says that anyone who disobeys even the least tenet in His Law is guilty of breaking all of it. Notice this statement: 

When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. (Proverbs 29:18, New Living Bible)

From our perspective, this seems a generality that cannot possibly apply to everyone, but the Bible was not written from a human perspective. In the eyes of God, those who do not listen to Him are doing their own thing. If their life is not “wild” in our minds, it is in His. Doing our own thing might look “nice” to us, but to God it is running wild.

Obedience, according to this verse, produces joy. I know, as do others, that this is not always the case. However, a little research shows that the actual wording says that those who obey God’s Law are “blessed.” This word has more than one meaning. It can mean an enjoyable and subjective feeling of being blessed, but it can also mean “well-spoken of” referring to the way God responds to their obedience. That is, a person who does what God says is blessed by God’s favorable response to them.

Back to the friend with the dilemma. When we talked about it, she said that the people in the cult were nice and too many Christians were not nearly so pleasant. I reminded her of God’s perspective. I said that He sees the heart. When He looks at the nice people who belong to that cult, He sees that they have rejected His Son, Jesus Christ. Their personality is not as important to Him as what they do with Jesus. In His mind, they have run wild.

On the other hand, while Christians should be filled with the fruit of the Spirit and acting the way God wants us to act, sometimes we do not. However, God still looks at the heart. For those who belong to Jesus, He sees that Jesus is living in our hearts and that our sins are covered by His blood. In other words, when He looks at us in our nastiest moments, He rebukes, chastens, and corrects our sin, but He sees Jesus.

My friend understood. She went on in her Christian faith and learned that believers need to consider what God sees, not what we see. His perspective cuts a dividing line. His love and Christ’s sacrifice put His people on His side of the line where grace covers our sin and blesses our obedience.

This marvelous truth is most humbling and makes me fall on my knees in gratitude and worship. It is not intended as a license for me or any other believer to run wild. Instead, that term describes those who have no divine guidance or who if they have any revelation from God, they are not listening what He has said.