If, as Romans 13 states, political rulers are not just representatives of the people, if they are ministers of God, then what does that say about democracy? Representatives of the people in a democracy, a secular one, that is, are those who stand for their constituents before what? The government, the laws? The governed in general? All of the above? In a Christian democracy, where their status as ministers of God would also be recognized, wouldn't they also represent the people before God? But they wouldn't be priests; they wouldn't represent people in a way that acknowledges their need for a substitutionary, atoning sacrifice. So how would they represent the people? And how would they be ministers of God?
Back to David, he represented the people in courage, defending the nation. When he or his descendants failed to obey God, God's protection through the king failed. Yet, the people's lives could incite God also. "And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah." II Samuel 24:1. God's anger would not have been kindled if there had been no reason. The people must have been unfaithful in some way, and God used the king to do something improper - numbering the people - in order to cause judgment in order to discipline His people.
It seems that when the people disobeyed God, God could use the king as a scorpion to discipline them. Also, at other times, it seems the king represented the best of a faithful people. Yet, there could be kings who absolutely did not represent the people but acted contrary to God and to the people. Those were truly wicked kings. When they were faithful, His protection was full. Do you want a king?
So, who is King now? We know Christ as our High Priest, the head of the Church, but isn't He also Lord of all, which means He's the King. If Christ is King, why would we ever want another human king, even one as good as David? If Christ is the final, penultimate, never-to-die king, then we can live in a different political system. If Christ is King and Savior, and human rulers are His ministers, then no human ruler can claim greater power than or equal power with Christ. If Christ is our atoning sacrifice and our righteousness before God and perfectly reigns in love and justice over us, why wouldn't we want Him as our King? But how do you, as a nation, choose Christ as your king?
We should study Psalm 2:1-2; Deuteronomy 32:43; II Samuel 7:23; Psalm 9:17; 22:27-8; 67:2-4; 72:11, 17; Isaiah 2:1-4; 60:12; Jeremiah 4:2; Daniel 7:14; Micah 4:1-2; Zechariah 2:11; Matthew 25:32; Mark 11:17; 13:2; Acts 14:15-16; Romans 1:5; 16:26; Galatians 3:8; and Revelation 12:5; 13:17; 15:4; 21:26; 22:2.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Ministers of God
Romans 13 calls those in political office "ordained of God" and "ministers of God." Romans 13:1,4. What kind of minister? How are they different from pastors and preachers in the Church? Is there a difference between church ministers and political ministers?
First, there must be a difference biblically. In Israel, the priesthood was separate from the political, at least, in governmental function. The king who tried to offer incense as if he was a priest suffered immediate judgment from God, in the form of leprosy. "And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar." 2Ch 26:18-9 God placed carefully delineated duties and limitations on the priests and levites, in the form of minimum and maximum age for service, limitations on property ownership, etc.
Second, there must be a difference to limit power. When church and state are combined in one entity, the tendency to tyranny is practically automatic. Notice in Romans 13 the distinction. The political office has the "power of the sword." This is the power to fine, imprison, to even execute, if necessary. Therefore, the sword, the symbol of physical power and threat and death, represents political power. Whereas, the keys represent the power of the church. The church's power is greater because it carries into eternity. Jesus gave to the Church, not to Peter, the power to lock and unlock forgiveness, entrance into the kingdom, membership within the church, etc.
Third, there must be a difference to distinguish functions. Christ, the head of the Church, exercises healing power and preaches the word of truth, opening the way for people to understand the way to live and the way into the kingdom. Notice that as High Priest, he refuses political power when someone in the crowd demanded he exercise the coercive power of state political power to divide property forcibly. "And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?" Luke 12:13-4.
The state, carrying the power of the sword, is not a healing agency; it would mix functions improperly for the state to exercise a healing function. Therefore, when people demand welfare, healthcare, and all matter of other services from the state, they are demanding what it cannot give. It's like giving a sword to a soldier and demanding he use it to heal your cancer. The only way to end the cancer with a sword is to end you.
The state's function is to execute justice. Even if it doesn't do a very good job of that, at least it is acting within its boundaries and can do little harm in other parts of the society. But when it is given too much power and duties beyond its intended function, it not only expands power improperly, but it does harm by pretending to be the Church. Christ, the head of the Church and the source of all good things, does not use the state as a healing agency.
Fifth, there must be a difference to give glory to God. God can and has granted military victories to His people. See the stories of kings and such in the Old Covenant books of Exodus, Numbers, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, and I & II Chronicles. However, His Son is the key representation as to how He wants to work in the earth. Jesus had nothing to do with the state and its execution authority, except as a victim of its misuse of the sword for a purpose other than justice, and he had nothing to do with pursuing military power to advance his kingdom (John 18:36).
Look at the terrorists of our day, using every means available, sometimes very inventive, to kill. And they claim to be doing God's will. But anyone can kill a person; only the power of God can heal and raise from the dead. Therein lies God's greatest glory - resurrection power not killing power. The state does not exercise that power, and never should attempt to.
So the holders of political power exercise the sword as the ministers of justice, not handling the keys to the kingdom of heaven. And that justice should be a biblically limited one, not the expanded version of Marxists, Fascists, or any other -ist. As long as the state seeks to exercise healing power and attempts to create heaven on earth, it will fail and appear more to bring hell than heaven to earth, as it marches forth misusing the sword of justice.
First, there must be a difference biblically. In Israel, the priesthood was separate from the political, at least, in governmental function. The king who tried to offer incense as if he was a priest suffered immediate judgment from God, in the form of leprosy. "And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar." 2Ch 26:18-9 God placed carefully delineated duties and limitations on the priests and levites, in the form of minimum and maximum age for service, limitations on property ownership, etc.
Second, there must be a difference to limit power. When church and state are combined in one entity, the tendency to tyranny is practically automatic. Notice in Romans 13 the distinction. The political office has the "power of the sword." This is the power to fine, imprison, to even execute, if necessary. Therefore, the sword, the symbol of physical power and threat and death, represents political power. Whereas, the keys represent the power of the church. The church's power is greater because it carries into eternity. Jesus gave to the Church, not to Peter, the power to lock and unlock forgiveness, entrance into the kingdom, membership within the church, etc.
Third, there must be a difference to distinguish functions. Christ, the head of the Church, exercises healing power and preaches the word of truth, opening the way for people to understand the way to live and the way into the kingdom. Notice that as High Priest, he refuses political power when someone in the crowd demanded he exercise the coercive power of state political power to divide property forcibly. "And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?" Luke 12:13-4.
The state, carrying the power of the sword, is not a healing agency; it would mix functions improperly for the state to exercise a healing function. Therefore, when people demand welfare, healthcare, and all matter of other services from the state, they are demanding what it cannot give. It's like giving a sword to a soldier and demanding he use it to heal your cancer. The only way to end the cancer with a sword is to end you.
The state's function is to execute justice. Even if it doesn't do a very good job of that, at least it is acting within its boundaries and can do little harm in other parts of the society. But when it is given too much power and duties beyond its intended function, it not only expands power improperly, but it does harm by pretending to be the Church. Christ, the head of the Church and the source of all good things, does not use the state as a healing agency.
Fifth, there must be a difference to give glory to God. God can and has granted military victories to His people. See the stories of kings and such in the Old Covenant books of Exodus, Numbers, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, and I & II Chronicles. However, His Son is the key representation as to how He wants to work in the earth. Jesus had nothing to do with the state and its execution authority, except as a victim of its misuse of the sword for a purpose other than justice, and he had nothing to do with pursuing military power to advance his kingdom (John 18:36).
Look at the terrorists of our day, using every means available, sometimes very inventive, to kill. And they claim to be doing God's will. But anyone can kill a person; only the power of God can heal and raise from the dead. Therein lies God's greatest glory - resurrection power not killing power. The state does not exercise that power, and never should attempt to.
So the holders of political power exercise the sword as the ministers of justice, not handling the keys to the kingdom of heaven. And that justice should be a biblically limited one, not the expanded version of Marxists, Fascists, or any other -ist. As long as the state seeks to exercise healing power and attempts to create heaven on earth, it will fail and appear more to bring hell than heaven to earth, as it marches forth misusing the sword of justice.
Small Government versus Bigger Government
Back to the attitude of those whom we choose to serve us in political office. Although Saul became a grasper after power, an abuser of power, even he was originally reluctant to take office. When they went to find him on the day of his election and coronation, it was said: "Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff." I Samuel 10:22. So the career politician, the ambitious political animal is not following the biblical model. And, the legislatures which meet part time or that have low paid or unpaid legislators and those jurisdictions with term limits are closer to the biblical model. Still not convinced? Look at God's assessment of big government.
In I Samuel 7, the leaders of the people petition the prophet Samuel for a king, when they came to him "and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them." I Samuel 8:5-10.
Samuel then explained God's view of what the king, whom the people chose to replace God, would be like. "And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day." I Samuel 8:10-18.
He would take from them, he would take their produce, he would build bureaucracies from the servants he created from their sons and daughters, and he would build armies. These servants of the king would end up governing, making rules, applying sanctions to the disobedient, and meddling in the people's lives and families. It was bigger government, bureaucratic control and monitoring, and higher taxes. According to God, this result was its own punishment for forsaking Him.
Before, they were small, geographically-separated tribal entities. They fell to unfaithfulness often, as shown in the book of Judges, and at those times, God punished them with marauding bands and armies from other nations. When they served the gods of other nations, those other nations conquered them.
The regimes of Egypt and Babylon are the models for large, efficient (at least as the goal), powerful governmental bureaucracies. Those nations bent on domination of others, of taking from people through taxation and force, of giving to those whom the king wanted to have stuff and power along with him, of solving everyone's problems, of playing god - these were the heathen nations, not the people of God. Those who argue for trained, professional, full-paid politicians and staff have already bought into the idea of a large, bureaucratic system for solving our problems. Who is the largest employer in the U.S.? Who can shut down for 16 days and run up a 2 billion dollar bill instead of saving money? Who considers itself indispensable to the life, health, and protection of the American people? "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD." Jeremiah 17:5. The federal government.
In I Samuel 7, the leaders of the people petition the prophet Samuel for a king, when they came to him "and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them." I Samuel 8:5-10.
Samuel then explained God's view of what the king, whom the people chose to replace God, would be like. "And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day." I Samuel 8:10-18.
He would take from them, he would take their produce, he would build bureaucracies from the servants he created from their sons and daughters, and he would build armies. These servants of the king would end up governing, making rules, applying sanctions to the disobedient, and meddling in the people's lives and families. It was bigger government, bureaucratic control and monitoring, and higher taxes. According to God, this result was its own punishment for forsaking Him.
Before, they were small, geographically-separated tribal entities. They fell to unfaithfulness often, as shown in the book of Judges, and at those times, God punished them with marauding bands and armies from other nations. When they served the gods of other nations, those other nations conquered them.
The regimes of Egypt and Babylon are the models for large, efficient (at least as the goal), powerful governmental bureaucracies. Those nations bent on domination of others, of taking from people through taxation and force, of giving to those whom the king wanted to have stuff and power along with him, of solving everyone's problems, of playing god - these were the heathen nations, not the people of God. Those who argue for trained, professional, full-paid politicians and staff have already bought into the idea of a large, bureaucratic system for solving our problems. Who is the largest employer in the U.S.? Who can shut down for 16 days and run up a 2 billion dollar bill instead of saving money? Who considers itself indispensable to the life, health, and protection of the American people? "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD." Jeremiah 17:5. The federal government.
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