Tuesday, September
12, 2017
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in
positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is
rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in
people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the
authorities? Do what is right, and they
will honor you. The authorities are
God’s servants, sent for your good. But
if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power
to punish you. They are God’s servants,
sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid
punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Romans
13:1-5(NLT)
On the
political scene we are nearly 8 months into a new administration in
Washington. I fully expected that one of
two things would have happened by now; either the world would have ended, or
the angry rhetoric would have simmered-down to a grumble level. There is no indication either has
happened. The news cycles, with the
President and everything he does subject to micro-inspection crosshairs of critique,
push the envelope from the (so-called) moral high ground. This is the traditional role of the side that
lost an election. Pushback from the
other side is as fragmented as can be, the president seemingly not beholden to
any group, and willing to fry anyone at any time. And the leadership of the party in power mill
around dazed and chaotic as to whether they really “won” anything, and what to do about the power/non-power they
possess.
It is a
strange time!
Whichever
side you voted for in the election, the critical question for any thinking
citizen, (particularly those who want to follow Christ) is: What do
I do now? If you pulled the
lever in either direction last November – or if you chose to stay home and stay
out/above the process – you do have a life to live, and responsibilities to
your neighbors; we are our brother’s keepers.
Paul
reminds us that a believer’s responsibility is first to God. It is from God all authority is
received. Whatever party and platform of
government you favor, it is with an eye towards obedience to God that you must
choose your actions; that is, if
you wish to have a clear conscience.
Of course
this brings into view the whole matter of the possibility of civil
disobedience. For a Christian,
disobeying civil authority only comes into focus when that government clearly requires you to do
something clearly
opposite of what God’s Word requires of you.
For instance, if a government wants you to murder, steal, or otherwise
violate the God-given life of a fellow human being, and your conscience tells
you this without doubt, you are bound to obey God rather than man.
My Dad had
a clear conscience the day he refused to fire a man, when ordered to do so by
his superior. Jobs were scarce, and the
man to be fired was a good, hard-working employee who’d served the company well
for many years; he’d also done nothing wrong.
My Dad’s superior just happened to be having an extra-marital affair
with the woman who was only a temporary employee. The boss wanted to keep her on the payroll. Dad stood firm, and told the boss if he
insisted on firing the man, he could add my Dad’s name to the termination
list. As a result, my Dad was out of
work along with the man he stood-up for.
You don’t have to ask whose conscience remained clear.
For You Today
You chew on
that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!
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