Primary Allegiance

"My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise" - Proverbs 24:21

Beginning in grade school, like many of you, I was taught the pledge of Allegiance. 

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In case you are wondering, a "Republic" is a version of democracy when citizens elect people to represent them in the government. The representatives serve the people, not the other way around. This is in contrast to a direct or pure democracy where citizens make policy decisions without the input of representatives. In a Republic, authority is delegated by the people to the representees through elections.

So that is how our country was established and is functionally organized. We have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights that serve as the foundation of our Republic. 

So what does this have to do with Proverbs 24? Indulge me for a few more sentences. 

I spent a good bit of my life serving our country in the Army. I took an oath when I joined the Army as a private after high school and as an officer after college. 

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God." (The enlisted oath includes the words "and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice")

I have pledged allegiance to this country and its citizens a number of times in a number of ways, but there is a caveat to that allegiance. Unspoken and for many not understood. As a Christian, my primary allegiance is to God, the Father and not my country. What that means is that if there is a conflict between what God says and what the military or government says, I am obliged to obey God and not the military or government. That is called civil disobedience. It means that although God would declare me innocent - it is possible that the military under the Uniform Code Of Military Justice (UCMJ) or the government might find me guilty of violating man's laws. It is something that could happen at some level, and it is at those times when you must choose. Like Joshua

"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:15

In the military that level of commitment where you are willing to stand on what is right was revered and called moral courage. For Christians the reason for that commitment is what Jesus implied when He was asked what the greatest commandment was.

"And he [Jesus] said to him [the lawyer who knew the law], “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment." - Matthew 22:37

Choosing what God says over the government or the culture. 

Do you love God like that?

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone