Submissive Liberty
Notes
Transcript
Submission to laws:
This applies to laws as well as to anyone with authority to administer and enforce them (kings, governors, etc.)
We do this “For the Lord’s sake”
Submission does not extend to laws that violate God’s law.
Submission does not extend to laws that violate God’s law.
Acts 5:29
Acts 5:29
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.
Daniel 3:10–12
Daniel 3:10–12
You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”
When governments demand participation in evil—whether through unjust laws, corruption, or immoral acts—Christians maintain allegiance to Christ above all.
God’s authority always supersedes government authority.
Part of our submission is to recognize the government’s authority to punish.
Government has the authority to punish people, but mob justice is not lawful.
Therefore, we cannot supersede government by taking upon ourselves to punish lawbreakers.
To do so would be disobedient to government, and disobedient to God.
We are not to take the law into our own hands.
We are not to take the law into our own hands.
John 8:3–7
John 8:3–7
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
The Scribes and the Pharisees spoke of God’s law, but they had twisted it to fit their own desires.
The commandment that they spoke of was intended for the authorities to carry out, and only after the Biblically prescribed due process.
It is not for us to punish people.
God desires an orderly system, with authorities that are vested with that power.
Many christians today still try to twist God’s word to fit their own feelings and desires.
There are still those who celebrate mob justice.
There are those who argue against the death penalty by quoting the sixth commandment. (Exodus 20:13)
We’ve already seen that mob justice is not permitted.
We’ll also see that capital punishment is certainly within the Biblical Authority of government.
The sixth commandment only applies to murder…malicious killings.
There are many instances in the law that carry the death penalty. . . The law requires a “life for life. . .”
God’s law requires “life for life”.
God’s law requires “life for life”.
Exodus 21:22–25
Exodus 21:22–25
“If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Leviticus 24:19-21
Leviticus 24:19-21
‘If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him—fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man shall be put to death.
Punishment is only to be instituted after due process.
Punishment is only to be instituted after due process.
Deuteronomy 19:15-19
Deuteronomy 19:15-19
“One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.
Notice that the judges were in control of this, not a mob.
We see in Deuteronomy that the execution of the punishment came only after the presentation of witnesses and careful inquiry by the judges.
It was an orderly and structured process, that was carried out by the government. If the requirements were not met, there would be no punishment.
Another thing we see is that the punishment must fit the crime (eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life).
We see in our text this morning that the government is still ordained to punish evil doers.
Government should also praise those who do good.
This is also a model for parents (punish when necessary and praise when appropriate).
No earthly government is perfect, and they sometimes get these things wrong, but christians have a duty to obey, unless the government is openly defying God.
Our submission silences the foolish.
Our submission silences the foolish.
1 Peter 2:15
1 Peter 2:15
They will have no valid accusation.
Daniel’s accusers could find no fault against him, so they outlawed the practice of his faith.
Daniel’s accusers could find no fault against him, so they outlawed the practice of his faith.
Daniel 6:4–7
Daniel 6:4–7
So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.
The Lord has granted us liberty, but liberty is not a license to sin.
The Lord has granted us liberty, but liberty is not a license to sin.
1 Corinthians 8:9
1 Corinthians 8:9
But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
Galatians 5:13
Galatians 5:13
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Liberty is freedom to serve God
Liberty is freedom to serve God
Romans 6:18
Romans 6:18
And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
Honor, Love, Fear
Honor = show respect
Love = demonstration or showing of love
Brotherhood = having a strong sense of unity (fellow Christians)
Note the difference in our attitude toward fellow Christians, as opposed to the rest of the world.
We are to honor everyone, but love our brethren.
Fear God
Honor the king (it does not say to “fear” the king, we are only to fear God)
We are to honor the king, but fear is due only to God.
We are to honor the king, but fear is due only to God.
Matthew 10:28
Matthew 10:28
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
2 Timothy 1:7
2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
