The Measure of Faith comes to the aid in our daily lives under the governing bodies as well. For if our object of faith took advantage of the ruling powers and orchestrated events so that through them the Gospel actually was brought into effect then there is no reason why a Christian should be raising his fists against those governing bodies. If anything the Christian should know, with a definite assurance who exactly is in control of those ruling bodies.
God is in control. He’s the one who established their boundaries. He’s the one who set them up and allowed them to be ruling powers. He is the Lord over Lords and the King over Kings and therefore any power in place is actually a power which God has allowed to be in place.
So if the ruling authority punishes it is because God has given them the power to punish. If the ruling power abuses its power and is pridefully lording over others God still allowed them to have power and have the resources which they (sinfully) take pride in.
That does not absolve the governing powers of their pride and cruelty; it merely reflects their sinfulness that they refuse to acknowledge the power over them.
But as a believer using his measure of faith, he understands that the state has that ruling power and if they offer the believer the option to renounce their faith or die: the believer acknowledges the power of the state and dies.
The fact that we live in a democracy which asks the citizens to perform their duties beneath the government means that Christians are to register for the draft, they are to pay taxes and they are to vote—still understand God’s control in the democracy but capitulating to the demands of the state in that previously stated respect. If the time ever comes when the democratic rules are against the Christian and he must in that scenario decide to divorce himself from God for the sake of the state or die: once again the Christian must allow the state’s power to rule and therein die.
This sounds harsh and is contrary to normal, everyday thinking where we stand up and revolt against the state but God’s Gospel is transforming even in the way we think: we’re to make way for God’s revealed wrath just as Daniel and his three friends did in previous days. The state gave the option of obedience by bowing or by death: they chose obedience by death.
4 replies on “The Measure of Faith Toward the Government”
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