January 19, 2014

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.  … Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. – Romans 13:1-3

In today’s writing, Dungy discusses how he believes it is important to stand for what is right to enact a change, but in so doing not to hide form the civil authorities but to accept the consequences.  Here on the eve of Martin Luther King, Jr day, he uses the movement of courageous people standing in the face of wrongs and having to endure the consequence of their civil disobedience as an example.  Having watched the movie The Help last night has these same racial wrongs fresh on my mind.

I have always felt uneasy with these verses with the knowledge that a government could force you to do things that violate the Word of God directly.  In that situation, how would these verses apply?  Certainly God would not favor the word of a government over His Word.  Therefore, you would have to stand on His Word and be disobedient.

How do we weigh these Words with the actions of the founders of this country?  They obviously rebelled against authority.  But the end result, at least as far as I can weigh history, has been a profoundly benefit to Christians and the spread of God’s Word everywhere (at least up until now).  And certainly these men were convicted Christians.  This is very evident in the principles that they wrote our country’s founding documents and in how they wrote in their journals and wrote to one another.

So, how are we, as Christians, supposed to handle our current corrupt government?  J. Vernon McGee explains the conflict like this. “Christianity never became a movement to improve government, help society, or clean up the town.  The gospel was the power of God unto salvation of the individual.  …  It is very difficult to say we are to obey a corrupt government.  …  I feel resentful when I hear of certain government officials and certain wealthy men in positions of power who pay no taxes at all when I am under a heavy tax burden. …  What is a Christian to do?  My business is to get out the Word of God, and my business is to obey the law.  …  Christianity is to preach the gospel which will bring into existence individuals like the men who signed the Declaration of Independence.”