So it should be with any friend of God. God is my friend and I am his. Any who are counted among his friends are then counted among my own and are entitled to the same deference and respect as though they are my own personal friend. This is a hard concept to practice for I find that many times God has friends that I don't particularly like. Yet by treating them as my own friend, in that is the true nature of sacrifice and love. In that way, I am serving God in a way that he finds pleasing.
But wait... it gets harder. Our God, being sovereign in all matters, often uses people that are not his friends, to accomplish his will. He places people in positions of authority as he sees fit in order to accomplish his plan in our lives. Recently, he placed Barrack Obama into the position of President of The United States of America. Knowing his moral leanings which may run contrary to my own, it is a difficult but necessary decision on my part to yield to his authority. First because God has placed him in this position and secondly because the position of President deserves my respect and submission. No matter my judgment of the quality of the man, the position remains.
From the top of the political, judicial and administrative hierarchies, God has placed people into those positions according to his purpose and his plans. And he has charged me, as a disciple and as a friend, to honor his appointments and to submit to the authority of those he has chosen to place in authority over me.
We see this quite clearly in Romans 13. My study verse today comes from that section...
Romans 13:4 (NIV)
4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984
This verse refers to those people whom God has placed in positions of authority within our government. It reminds us that no matter what our opinion is of that person, he has been placed there by God for our own good. That person is functioning as "God's servant" and as such is entitled to our respect and submission.
We all know that so long as we are not "doing anything wrong" we need have no fear of these authorities. But as this verse explains, "if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing." This is a necessary condition within our society for it preserves societal order.
Consider that societal order is established and maintained in three different institutions. There is the family where the 'husband' or 'father' is the authority. Any breakdown in this structure results in a breakdown of the family and this undermines society in general. The second institution is the church where the Pastor is the authority. To diminish this authority is to tread on apostasy and leads to the division and destruction of the flock. The third institution is the government where the meting out of justice, punishment of crimes and the levying of taxes are all necessary to the maintenance of the greater society and the country. Therefore, God has given the authority to exact punishment for criminal behavior to those in authority over us. For that reason, he has been given a sword. "He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer."
I do not interpret this verse to mean that we are to suffer tyrants or to permit injustice among those in authority over us. In the face of such realities, we are to prayerfully seek God's will and act accordingly. Short of that, we are to submit to and obey the laws for the sake of society and to honor God.
Peace,
Carl
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