Baptist Foundations - Respect for the State
1 Timothy 2:1-4
Changing the Government, One Prayer at a Time
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savoir, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.[1]
Apparently, one of the most difficult commands of all Scripture is that which commands Christians to pray for all who are in high positions. At least that is my judgement based on the paucity of public prayers for government officials, or even prayers for those who direct our great corporations and businesses. Perhaps one reason we fail to pray for such people is that we have permitted ourselves to become so clearly polarised politically, attributing unworthy motives to those with whom we disagree.
I am not suggesting that Christians should not hold political opinions, nor am I advocating withdrawal from the political process. However, I must remind the people of God that though we are not of the world, we are nevertheless in the world. Consequently, we are responsible to so live that we are salt in the midst of a decaying world and light in the midst of a darkened world. It is our presence as Christians that delays the progress of moral and ethical rot through righteous lives and through exercising godly discernment as we participate in the selection of national, provincial and municipal leaders. We reveal the grace of God through holy and godly lives that reflect the love of God and we thus create a desire for goodness in others who witness our righteous demeanour.
The message for this day lays a foundation for “religious liberty.” This is the doctrine that asserts mankind’s freedom to worship according to the dictates of the heart, a freedom that should be protected by the state. The tendency appears to be that the state intrudes ever deeper into the realm of the Faith, seeking to compel agreement with and practise of an unspoken, though nevertheless very real, state religion. These efforts seem at times to be aimed at dictating how worshippers of Christ the Lord practise their Faith.
In an address to the Southern Baptist Convention this past month, the American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, spoke of the necessity to protect religious freedom. As she delivered her address, Ms. Rice stated her conviction that “people everywhere are entitled to religious liberty.” Later, she followed that statement with the affirmation that “government simply has no right to stand between the individual, and the Almighty.” To these statements, each true Baptist would say a hearty “Amen.”
The question that must be raised is how we may change the situation in which we find ourselves? How can we transform government, assuring freedom to worship as we believe right? The answer provided in Scripture gives no comfort to those who wish to organise a noisy march or a raucous demonstration. The answer given in the Word of God debars us from even imagining that we can castigate government or speak ill of those who give their time to direct the affairs of state. Instead, what we discover in Scripture is that we are responsible to change government—one prayer at a time.
The Scope of the Teaching — Writing Timothy, Paul urges us as Christians to offer up supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings … for all people. The scope of his plea is as broad as humanity itself, saints as well as sinners. That this is the will of God should be no surprise since God gave each of us our life and being; and He has also provided salvation for all who receive the sacrifice of Christ the Lord, submitting to His reign. This is in accord with the Scriptures that teach us that God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life [John 3:16].
The opening words of the text—first of all—indicates that prayer is vital in the program and purpose of a church. Tragically, prayer appears to be an afterthought in the churches of this day. We no longer depend on prayer. When there is a need in the church, we announce the need and ask for volunteers or for contributions; but we no longer look heavenward to find the mind of the Master. A saying that once was common among the churches warned, “No prayer, no power.” That could well be applied to the life of churches today. If I announce a potluck meal, the church will be full; however, if I should announce a prayer meeting for the church, I will be fortunate if the elders attend.
Paul also adds the adverb then, thus providing continuity by drawing attention to the matters he has addressed and that have brought him to this point. He has encouraged Timothy to stand firm, resisting error, and especially to present in all its glory and clarity the message of God’s Good News in Jesus Christ. As a primary means of accomplishing this responsibility, the Apostle urges supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings. It is fair to state that in the mind of the Apostle, prayer is a primary—if not the primary—means of advancing the cause of Christ and in resisting error. The congregation that is not marked by prayer is susceptible to every sort of error and whether there is a large attendance or few members in attendance, that congregation will never enjoy sustained success in seeking to fulfil the call of Christ in the life of the assembly.
The prayers of the church must be offered up for all people. These prayers must include high and low. Both the Emperor in his power and the slave in his helplessness were included in the sweep of the gospel. Both the philosopher in his wisdom and the simple man in his ignorance need the grace and truth that the gospel can bring. Within the gospel, there are no class distinctions. King and commoner, rich and poor, aristocrat and peasant, master and man are all included in its limitless embrace. In the same way, our prayers must be non-discriminatory as we seek good for all people.
Our prayer must include good and bad. Barclay rightly observed that “a strange malady has sometimes afflicted the Church in modern times, causing it to insist that a man be respectable before he is allowed in, and to look askance at sinners who seek entry to its doors. But the New Testament is clear that the Church exists, not only to edify the good, but also to welcome and save the sinner. C. T. Studd used to repeat four lines of doggerel:
‘Some want to live within the sound
of Church or Chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop
within a yard of hell.’”[2]
The church’s praying ought to include: (1) supplications, which means telling God our needs; (2) prayers, meaning worship and adoration; (3) intercessions, which involves requests on the behalf of others; and (4) thanksgivings, or expressions of appreciation for what God has done. These words for the prayers of God’s people are the same as those found in Philippians 4:6 and frequently throughout the New Testament, with the exception of intercessions, which appears only here and in I Timothy 4:5.
The Apostle is not enjoining separate categories of prayer to be offered within the congregation, but rather that he is instructing Christians to be conscientious in praying. The multiple synonyms serve to emphasise the importance of praying. The initial term in this list of synonyms for prayer distinguishes the element of insufficiency by the requester, the second highlights devotion by the seeker, and the third underscores the childlike confidence of the petitioner.[3] All this must be suffused with thanksgiving for all that the Master has done and for all that He is expected to yet do.
The local church does not pray because it is expected of the people of God (although it is expected of His holy people); the church is commanded to pray because prayer is vital to her life. In Scripture, we learn that the Holy Spirit works in the church through prayer and through the Word of God [Ephesians 3:20, 21; 1 Thessalonians 2:13]. The congregation that will know the power of God must seek sound doctrine and it must be a praying congregation. The church that prays will have power and will make a lasting impact for Christ. Consequently, the church that does not pray will have scant power with God and little progress against the siren allure of the world. Therefore, the church must pray, and especially must the church pray for civic leaders.
Ii is necessary to observe that beyond the immediate text, Paul lays down three conditions for the public praying in the local church: (l) without anger or quarrelling—loving one another; (2) with holy hands—marked by clean, obedient lives; and (3) in faith. Moreover, the men of the congregation are to take the lead in the prayer ministry of the church. I make the dismaying observation that though we are prone to “say prayers,” few of us know anything about prevailing prayer? Though we tolerate prayers in the public services of the church, we do not know much about prayer for all people.
I suppose it is necessary to remind you that the text is not condoning the cult of spiritual nudity, as people bare their souls in a misplaced bid for pity or titillation. God is not calling us to drop every morsel of juicy gossip as a “prayer request.” He is, however, stressing the need to learn dependence upon the Living God for our relationship with one another, for our relationships with outsiders, and for our ministry within the world.
We must become a people of prayer. If we will please the Lord Christ, we must again learn dependence upon Him and upon His power. Instead of flinging an occasional plea Heavenward and giving a feeble tap at Heaven’s gate, we must work at becoming a people known for persistently knocking at the door of Heaven until our pleas are heard and we have received power and mercy for all that the Master calls us to accomplish. Until each of our loved ones are saved, and until our colleagues are serving the Master, we have great needs for which we can pray. Until we know the presence of the Holy One in each service and until our services are marked by holy unction, we need to pray.
The Focus of the Teaching — Having established the need to be prayerful and thankful as God’s holy people, and having also demonstrated that the scope of our requests and the expression of our gratitude should be for all people, the Apostle focuses our prayers on kings and all who are in high positions. Though we should pray for all people, those prayers that include everyone in a non-specific manner actually include no one.
Paul does not permit us to wander aimlessly through the hallowed halls of prayer, but instead, he compels us to focus our requests on the needs of those for whom it is sometimes hardest to pray. Prayer for those in authority can be difficult because government leaders are frequently distant from our lives. Politicians and bureaucrats are often detached from the everyday reality of the life of those they govern. Consequently, we fail to pray for them because we don’t really know what they are thinking or because we don’t really believe it will do any good. Underneath, we are too often disgusted with the arrogance displayed by those in power at the various levels of government.
However, the Word of God teaches that we are not only to seek good for those who are our leaders, but we are to pray for these individuals because we benefit as God blesses those same leaders. Verse two suggests that prayer helps to maintain the peace of society. As Christians pray for leaders in government, God overrules wicked men and protects His church from their evil. This is a neglected benefit of prayer, and one that we doubtless take for granted in our day. Because of our failure to pray for government leaders, the future of our nation is jeopardised. When Paul writes that we are to pray for kings, you need to know that this included Nero who was Caesar at that time and who had already set fire to Rome and laid it on the Christians whom he was also persecuting.
Paul’s instruction implies that Christians must pray that their leaders will have the knowledge needed to guide them in their duties. Freedom from anarchy, persecution, and economic hardship can facilitate the spread of the gospel. Wise rulers can provide sound, solid leadership to accomplish these goals. Paul was not merely requesting that Christians pray for the conversion of their leaders, although this was at least a part of the prayer. Our prayers for government leaders should include thanksgivings for those decisions that facilitate the spread of Christianity and requests for wisdom in making important decisions.
As an example of a great prayer offered for a bad leader, consider the prayer penned by Clement of Rome. This prayer was written about A.D. 90 when the savagery of Domitian was still fresh in men’s minds.
“Thou, Master, hast given [our rulers and governors] the power of sovereignty through thy excellent and inexpressible might,
so that we may know the glory and honour given them by thee,
and be subject to them, in no way resisting thy will; to them, O Lord, give health, peace, concord, and stability, that they may administer without offence the government thou hast given them.
For thou, Master, heavenly King of the Ages,
dost give the sons of men glory and honour and power over what is on the earth.
do thou, Lord, direct their will according to what is good and pleasing before thee,
so that with piety in peace and gentleness they may administer the power given them by thee and may find thee propitious.
To thee, who art alone able to do these things, and more abundant good things for us,
we offer praise through Jesus Christ,
the High Priest and Guardian of our souls,
through whom be the glory and the majesty
to thee both now and for all generations,
and forever and ever. Amen.”[4]
The apostolic churches always regarded it as a bounden duty to pray for those set in authority over them, and brought even their persecutors before the throne of grace. Even so, we who name the Name of Christ today are responsible to pray for all people, and especially are we to pray for those in authority.
Seeking God’s blessing on our leaders is the natural expression of confidence both in God’s sovereignty and in His mercy. Government and those who govern are divine gifts, though fallen mankind is prone to contaminate every good and perfect gift. We know from earlier studies that there is no authority except from God [Romans 13:1b]. Though at a given moment a reigning government may be more or less honourable, no government can long continue without divine permission. To seek good for those who govern our land is to honour God through honouring the office that He has established.
The Purpose of the Teaching — We pray for those in authority so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Moreover, we pray for those in authority because God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. These two concepts are not so different as we might suppose. Our first responsibility as Christians is to glorify God, and we do that through turning others to righteousness.
The benefits that accrue from God’s blessing poured out on civic leaders is sufficiently important to take a few moments to consider what the Apostle has written. Paul, as is true for each Christian, valued a peaceful and quiet life. However, the Apostle may not have intended us to imagine that this quiet life should be free of all conflict. Certainly, the Apostle did not anticipate that we would live a life free of persecution.
He invites Timothy to share in suffering for the gospel [2 Timothy 1:8]. Later, in that letter, the Apostle asserts that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted [2 Timothy 3:12]. The conscientious child of God can anticipate persecution because he is a Christian. However, it should be the desire of each believer to lead a life marked by peace and by quietude. When persecution comes, as it must, the child of God must know that even during severe persecution and at times of great opposition, the Faith of Christ the Lord has spread rapidly and widely because of the witness of dynamic Christians.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:11, 12 the Apostle urged the Thessalonian believers to aspire to live a quiet life in such a manner that they merit the respect of unbelievers. It is incontrovertible that the will of God is for His people to live in such a way that peace—calmness and serenity—marks their lives. Throughout the Word of God, we are urged to make every effort to enjoy an orderly life as a Community of Faith instead of surrendering to the chaos that characterises sin [e.g. Romans 12:16a; Colossians 3:14].
Lea and Griffin suggest that strife and discord in the church Timothy pastored may have caused outsiders to scoff at the religion of the Ephesian Christians. If their supposition is correct—as seems plausible, or even probable, they point out a situation that tragically persists among the churches to this day. Should they be correct, it would mean that Paul wanted his readers to live an orderly life free of strife and discord so as to convince unbelievers that Christianity was worthy of their attention.[5]
There is no question but that the reputation of a combative spirit within a church can so taint the reputation of the saints that it will require more than a generation to reverse the common perception of pious pugnacity. Just so, we should think of the impact on outsiders observing our life as a church when we demand our own way. Unity in the Faith should be our goal, instead of trying to have our way in matters.
What does it mean, then, for us to lead a peaceful and quiet life? The two adjectives are synonyms, both referring to a life that is calm, serene, orderly and peaceful. This worthy aspiration of each of us as Christians is tied to the ultimate goal of our prayers for civic leaders—we seek to live in a land that permits us to worship according to the dictates of our own conscience. We are not self-centred when we are altruistic in our prayers. This is because we know that only within an ordered society are we free to fulfil our God-given responsibilities without hindrance.
The peaceful and quiet life we are called to exhibit as followers of the Lord Christ will of necessity also be characterised as godly and dignified. The life of a Christian should exhibit confidence in the One who saved him or her, even as that one moves with determination toward the goal of honouring God in all things. Underscore in your mind the thought that God values a life that is orderly and peaceful. So, our prayers seeking God’s blessing for those in authority are tied to our earnest longing to be a good people. Our prayers are ultimately tied to the lives we live.
The terms peaceful and quiet refer to the behaviour of believers, just as the terms that follow—godly and dignified—obviously refer to behaviour. Our life-styles display the reality of our faith. To be godly involves a proper respect for God, and dignity demands a serious and earnest life-style before observers, even observers who are hostile. To be godly is to respect God, treating Him with the reverence due His Holy Name. To be godly is to take worship seriously, refusing to surrender to the spirit of the age that insists that we must be “free” to do our own thing instead of serving God. To be godly is to honour God through giving Him first place in our lives. The godly person takes seriously the admonition of Jesus that teaches us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness [Matthew 6:33], instead of seeking “first” our own comfort and our own desires.
Dignified is translated from the Greek word semnotēs, which is somewhat difficult to translate into English. One scholar, defining the dignified individual, says he “has a grace and dignity not lent him from earth; but which he owes to that higher citizenship which is also his; being one who inspires not respect only, but reverence and worship.”[6] For the dignified person, all life is one continuous act of worship. When Christians are dignified, they realise that all life is lived in the presence of God. When we are dignified, we move through the world as if it was the Temple of God. The godly and dignified individual never forgets the holiness of God or the dignity of man.
Recently, seventeen men and boys were arrested and charged with plotting terror bombings in Ontario.[7] Shortly after these arrests, authorities in the United States announced the pre-emptive arrest of seven individuals plotting war, beginning with the destruction of the Sears Tower in Chicago.[8] As was true of the individuals who perpetuated the co-ordinated bombings in Great Britain and Spain, these individuals were for the most part citizens of their respective countries. These angry men were determined to destroy their individual governments. They obviously have no respect for the governments under which they live or the freedoms afforded by those governments.
These recent arrests represent the latest in an ongoing series of incidents throughout the world in which individuals identified with one particular religion that presents itself as a religion of peace, have slaughtered innocent people and sought to topple governments. Economic status and social standing seem not to be factors in driving the terrorists to destroy and rebel, but rather the common tie in each instance is the unspoken adherence to one particular religion that knows nothing of righteousness.
If those arrested all held membership in Baptist churches, we might reasonably conclude that there was something in the teaching they were receiving each Sunday that disposed them to attempt to kill or to endeavour to injure their neighbours. If those who carried out terror raids were all Presbyterians, we might correctly assume that something within the Reformed Faith motivated adherents to maim and kill innocent people. However, in every instance, those accused of or identified as participating in these terrorists attacks or in planned terrorist acts have been have been religiously motivated. However, the world is deliberately blind to the religious underpinnings of their violence.
Police chiefs and politicians of all stripes and at all levels of government rushed to assure citizens that the adherents of this religion are peaceful people and that the continuing production of violent individuals is not the result of religious persuasion. We are assured that these religiously motivated attacks against western governments are aberrations. However, one’s religion must either produce respect for government, or it must create resistance to government. Either religion recognises government as a force for good, or religion must set itself in opposition to government.
The reason there is no concerted effort among Catholics to overthrow the government, and the reason there is no significant number of Presbyterians plotting harm to those who do not share their faith, and the reason there is not a general movement among Baptists to assault the institutions of society, is that we share a common faith that teaches us to glorify Christ the Lord through obedience to His commands. The Prince of Peace has taught us to honour those whom He has placed in authority. More than that, we are taught to give thanks for those who lead us and to pray for their welfare, asking God to grant them wisdom so that we will be permitted to worship in peace.
There is a corollary that is neglected, no doubt because we Christians have adopted a laissez faire attitude toward our world. Christians are taught to seek the salvation of all people. That is why we pray for all people. However, as Baptists convinced by the Word of God, we can never coerce or compel the conscience of another person.
Though we solemnly plead with people to believe the message of life, and though we carefully marshal our arguments to persuade people to believe, our conscience will never permit us to force anyone to agree with us that Christ is the Saviour of the world. In verse three Paul states that this is good. The antecedent of this is the reference to prayer for all people in the first verse. Paul attests that God is pleased to see believers earnestly concerned for the salvation of all humankind and not simply for an elitist group. The knowledge that such prayer pleases God provides a powerful incentive to pray.
In the third verse, Paul describes God as our Saviour because he was dealing with the concept of salvation in the verses that follow. Paul’s use of this phrase attests that God is the author of salvation [e.g. 1 Thessalonians 5:9], and that Paul and his readers had experienced the divine gift of life in Christ Jesus. Salvation leads to concern for the lost. The absence of concern for the lost may well be evidence that though we are religious, we know nothing of the grace of God. If we are not serious enough to pray for the salvation of others, we should question whether we have known the salvation of the Lord.
What is God’s will? The salvation of lost souls, for one thing. We can pray for all people because it is God’s will that all people come to the knowledge of the truth through faith in Jesus Christ. Among the best-loved verses of the Bible is that one which teaches us that God … loved the world [John 3:16]. Related to this is the teaching that Christ died for the whole world [1 John 2:2; 4:14]. The Son of God provided His life as a sacrifice that He might draw all people to salvation [John 12:32]. “This does not mean all people without exception, for certainly the whole world is not going to be saved. It means all people without distinction—Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, religious and pagan.”[9]
I am reminded of the story of a lad who sought baptism and membership in a country church. The elders questioned the child in a perfunctory manner, but they were not inclined to believe that such a young person could actually understand what it meant to be saved. So, they solemnly announced that they recommended to the congregation baptism and membership in the church be delayed for the child.
With that decision, the child began to weep. As tears began to flow down his cheeks and he tried to stifle the sobs that broke from his chest, one of the elders, perhaps embarrassed that their decision had distressed the child, attempted to console the lad. “Son, you’ll be grown up soon enough and then you can be baptised and join the church.”
The child responded to the elder’s effort at consolation by saying, “Oh, sir, I’m not crying because I cannot be baptised; I know that I’ll be a man one day. But, I’m concerned because my friend is not saved; and I’m weeping for my friend.”
The Pastor of that congregation, overhearing this exchange, intervened to say, “Gentlemen, I recommend that we reconsider our decision. If this child is thus concerned for his friend, does that not show the heart of the Saviour?”
Are you concerned for the salvation of the lost? When did you last weep because your friend was lost? When did you last find yourself disturbed as result of your own lethargy though your loved ones were outside the life of Christ? When did you last pray for the salvation of the lost? There is need for a revival among the churches of our Lord, and the revival needs to begin with us. I need to heed the teaching of the Word to seek the salvation of the lost; and until I seek the peace of Christ for my nation, I am not serious about the lost.
The message concludes with a call to the people of God to commit themselves to prayer. Specifically, the message calls for God’s people to pray for those in authority. Let us, as His holy people, commit ourselves to pray for national and provincial and municipal leaders, seeking His blessing on their lives and on their duties. Let us do this so that we may enjoy a peaceful and quiet life and so that we may be marked with godliness and dignity in the conduct of our lives.
For those who have yet to be saved, heed this offer of life in the Beloved Son. The Word of God declares, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. That passage continues by asserting, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9, 10, 13].
And that is our invitation to you—to believe this message of life and to be set free from all condemnation. Believe that Christ died for your sin and that He rose for you justification. Believe and be saved, even now. Amen.
----
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers, 2001. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible: The Letters to Timothy, Titus and Philemon (Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA 1975) 56
[3] See Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, New American Commentary: 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (Broadman & Holman, Nashville, TN 1992) 86
[4] 1 Clement 61, in Jack Sparks (ed.), The Apostolic Fathers (Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN 1978) 52
[5] Lea and Griffin, op. cit. 88
[6] Richard Chenevix Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI 1880), 346
[7] 15 of 17 Ontario terror suspects appear in court, http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060604/terrorists_court_060604/20060604?hub=Canada, 4 June, 2006, accessed 4 June 2006
[8] FBI: Terror Suspects Sought to Form Own Army, http://wcbstv.com/topstories/topstories_story_173192838.html, 24 June, 2006, accessed 27 June, 2006
[9] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Volume 2 (Victor Books, Wheaton, IL 1989) 216