Let’s face reality. Sin makes things hard, and complicates life. Satan corrupted God’s creation by offering Adam and Eve a better deal than what God had provided for them. Adam and Eve bought (or should I say, ‘bit’) into the plan and here we are, dealing with the ravages of sin that manifests itself in pure corruption. As the scripture says, “the wages of sin is death” (Roman 6:23), but the verse does not stop there; it continues, saying, “but the gift of god is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Sin produces bad news with a horrific result, called Hell; God has given His Son, and brought good news, with a hopeful result, called Heaven. What makes the difference for an individual? It is the message of the Gospel. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, then I encourage you to search out the truth of the Gospel. You can reach me through this blog site at livingwordsofencouragement.com and I will share with you the Gospel of Christ. Or, if you have a Bible, I recommend that you read I Corinthians 15:1-11, and then the Gospel of John.
.As a believer, I am torn, wrestling over my civic responsibility to this nation. Are you?
The Pharisees were seeking to trap Jesus verbally so that they could accuse Him of not being ‘politically correct’ (Matthew 22:15-22). They sent their representatives to pose the following question to Him. “Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:17, NKJV). Verse 18 tells us that Jesus “perceived their wickedness”. Asking for a coin, (I assume He took the coin) , and posed this question to those who had asked Him their question. Jesus said, verse 20, “Whose image and inscription is this?” His inquirers responded correctly by saying to Him, “Caesar’s”. (verse 21); and so Jesus simply says to them (verse 21), “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s , and to God the things that are God’s” (NKJV)
That was Jesus’ response to a verbal entrapment set up by the Pharisees to ensnare Him in a politically incorrect answer so that they could accuse Him of not being loyal to the Roman nation. Jesus’ response gave to us the guideline that we should follow as citizens of the nation in which we reside. Consider the following commentary taken from my Study Bible, page 1448, Matthew 22:21, “An earthly state provides for the welfare of its citizens, who are thus obligated to support the government. But citizens of God’s kingdom also owe allegiance to Him. Ideally, there should be no conflict between the two (see Romans 13:1-7), but where there is disharmony allegiance to God takes precedence ( see Acts 4:18-20).” Simply stated, Jesus told us to pay what is required to whatever political government we live under; unless as previously stated, that government requires us to something that is directly unscriptural according to the Word of God.
As a citizen of the Kingdom of God, we are instructed by the Word of God to pray for those in authority over us. I Timothy 2:1, says, “I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all me, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and reverence” (NKJV). May I say, Paul did not stipulate that some kinds of governments or certain leaders were more or less appropriate than other governments or leaders. That does not mean that we do not use wisdom; what it means is that we ask for wisdom regarding praying for nations and their leaders.
Why? In the letter to the Romans, Paul tells us in Romans 13:1-10, the true relationship between those in authority over us and God, Himself. Verse 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” (NKJV). Those words can be very troublesome to individuals who have personally suffered; or have had family members persecuted; or lived under regimes that have been horrendously evil, wicked, vicious, etc. How does one reconcile the despicable, detestable, hateful regimes throughout the history of mankind that have destroyed untold numbers of individuals for their own personal gain, pleasure, or cause. The logical consequence of these thoughts would be for someone to ask the question that many others have asked over the millenia. “How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world?” There is an answer to that question; however, it requires more thought and study than I have personally done. We must remember that evil in our world did not come from God. However, God in His Grace, Mercy, and Love, has dealt with sin, and consequently with its evil and death. Jesus the Lamb of God has come to take away the sin of the world. That was accomplished at the cross. Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection has defeated death, hell and the grave. The Love of God has conquered Evil. The Day is coming when it will be totally eradicated; out of existence. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. O, glorious Day.
TBC
Living Words of Encouragement 