Question:

Rich:

I've got one of those deep theological questions for you. I know you're busy, so time is not of the essence here. But when you get time, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Scripture teaches that we're to obey our government leaders (Rom 13:1), right? Passages like this make it clear that God has divinely put these leaders in authority over us. So here's the question(s). When do we stop following government authority for the sake of righteousness? For example, if we know that our tax dollars are going to organizations that fund abortions (like Planned Parenthood), are we to continue submitting taxes to this government? Do we render unto Caesar what is his under any circumstance? We both know that if our government leaders told us that we would not be allowed to read our Bibles or meet together starting tomorrow that we would not obey it. (The Apostles didn't obey it, the Reformers didn't obey and countless others in Christian history took a stand for righteousness.) We would meet and print Bibles in the underground. So why the difference when murder is involved? We obey a government that condones murder of innocent lives but we don't obey a government (like communist countries where we support under-ground missions projects) that takes away our right to congregate and read.

Am I missing something? Have we Americanized Christians of the 1990's gone absolutely mad? We stand by and not only allow but support the murder of innocent lives in the name of obeying government authority, and then turn around and disobey government authority for lesser evils, perhaps when the consequences aren't quite as great? Is there any logic in this? Maybe you have some thoughts that would help me out. I've been chewing on this for quite a while.

GRACE!!

J______

My Answer:

Hi J________,

Fret no more! When Paul wrote the passage you refer to and when Peter wrote similar sentiments in 1 Peter 2:13-17, they were writing under the governing authority of one of the most sinful, despicable, immoral rulers that ever lived -- Nero Ceasar. It was public knowledge that he was a homosexual, a murderer, and corrupt to the core. And still both Paul and Peter command us to obey and honor those in authority (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17)!

Any government is better than no government. We have not Americanized Christianity by submitting to our government. Instead, for the most part Evangelicals have not obeyed the Scriptures in these areas -- we have dishonored our leaders, we disrespect them, we malign them, we don't think twice about joking about them, we honor guys like Rush Limbaugh who ridicule and mock them and think we are being righteous, etc.

We must submit to the governing authorities until we are personally commanded to do something that would be wrong. If the government just gives us the option to sin or not to sin (for example, women who get abortions are not forced to), then we must understand that we live with those around us in a pluralistic society -- in tolerable conflict. We are not out to make this a "Christian nation." Calvin and the Puritans tried to do this (to interweave church and state) and failed miserably!

Also, keep far from the "guilty by association" false doctrine. You are responsible for how you spend your money. You are not responsible for how others spend the money you justly give them. If you pay $2 to get a snow cone and its a reasonable purchase, your association is over. God will hold you accountable for how you spend your money. God will then hold the person who received your money accountable for how they use it, but you are not responsible for how they use it! There is no such thing as guilty by association in the Scriptures. We will all give account for what we do with what we have, not for what others do with what we give them -- they will give account for that!

And besides, if you take this argument to its logical conclusion, you would have to leave the world entirely, for no organization is without corruption -- even the church (cf. 1 Cor. 5:9-13). Our job is to judge those within the church, to seek purity within the church. Our job is not to judge those outside. Check out 1 Cor. 5:12 if you don't believe me. If Christians would quit focusing so much on judging the government and far more on judging those within the church (beginning with ourselves) maybe the world would actually pay attention!

Hope this helps!

Your brother in Christ,

Rich

  © Richard J. Vincent, January 3, 2000