Let
me first say that my BLOG is for the purpose of glorifying God and encouraging the
Church to walk by faith. I will not espouse
political views – conservative or liberal – Republican or Democrat or some
other party. I will address Biblical
principals and, hopefully, help you see your life and culture in the context of
God’s plan and design.
With
that said – what I want to address today is how we go about determining what is
right and what is wrong. It is really
quite simple. The Bible provides the
answers to life and the Spirit impresses them upon us and helps us understand
them. We make the choice to obey. When there is a conflict between what we want
and what God says is right, well … that is what we struggle with.
In
the Old Testament, there was a pattern among the generations in the nation of
Israel. There was a generation that knew
God, a generation that knew about God, and a generation that did not know
God. I am reminded of a song that goes “Prone
to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to
leave the God I love.” Man’s tendency is
to distance himself from God and what is right, to embrace the desires of the
flesh.
So
that is at the individual level. What do
you do when your culture, your government passes a law that conflicts with the
Bible? As a Christian your first
obligation is to God (Matthew 22:37-39).
You are to “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s” (Mark 12:17) But does that mean – even it means to do what
is clearly contrary to the Bible? The
answer is “no”. Does that mean you will
escape the consequence for not obeying the laws of man? No. It
means that we are willing to accept the consequence in favor of obedience to
God.
In
the military there is something called an “Unlawful Order”. It is an order that is in direct violation of
the Constitution and the Uniform Code of
Military Justice – put simply – military laws.
An order which is unlawful not only does not need to be obeyed but
obeying such an order can result in criminal prosecution of the one who obeys
it. Military courts have long held that military members are accountable for
their actions even while following orders -- if the order was illegal.
A
law that says that something can or can’t be done that is contrary to the clear
revelation of God to man – the Bible – is unlawful from God’s perspective. A Christian should not comply with it. Even if non-compliance means there will be
negative consequences for the Christian.
In the context of our culture in the United States – the easy thing to
do is just say or do nothing – to go along and get along. That will be to our shame when we stand
before our Lord. Watching the news om
the aftermath of the elections, one man said essentially that he was glad that liberals
were elected because it would be easier to do what the Bible says don’t
do and what he wants to do. (my phrasing – not his)
Each
of us must examine our hearts and where its devotion lies. If you are born again – you know what is
lawful – right from God’s perspective – and what is wrong. You should not condone or encourage what is
wrong. Silence is agreement. We are supposed to be salt and light in the
world.
(Matthew
5:13-16) “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be
made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out
and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on
a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a
bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that
they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Be
the Salt – Be the Light CHARLEY
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