Should I Obey the Government?
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· 21 viewsWe are better citizens when we are heavenly citizens first.
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
It is good to officially be together again. It has been three months since we have gathered physically and I hope the Lord has taught us the precious gift of assembling with the church to sing his praises, to pray, to encourage one another, to hear and listen to God’s Word, and Lord willing eventually partake of the Lord’s Supper. I hope we all have seen how essential the Local Church is for our spiritual health. We need one another to encourage one another in the fight of faith.
I long to see everyone again when our whole church is gathered together. It is a gift of God just to be together in person.
Please open your Bibles to Mark 12:13-17.
This is the first time we are gathering officially with limited capacity after three months. Churches were closed and considered non-essential.
Many churches were asking the question: When do we have the right to disobey the government? Especially in some states, churches were considered non-essential while liquor stores, restaurants, and sports were allowed to reopen sooner than churches.
In fact, some churches were willing to engage in civil disobedience because they believed their rights were being violated. Over a thousand pastors signed a petition in California demanding that churches open May 31st regardless of whatever guidelines were imposed. This put pressure on the government until our President called for churches to reopen May 31.
I read this past week casinos and strip clubs are reopened in Las Vegas, while churches in Nevada cannot meet of more than 50 people. It is definitely unequal treatment of churches.
Churches face criminal and civil penalties if there are more than 50 believers in a church service. The federal court ruled against not the casinos and strip clubs, but against the churches!
The text we are presented with in God’s providence addresses the issue regards the role of the government and our duty towards God. The title of today’s message is “Should Christians Obey the Government?”
We see a political, cultural, and social divide in our times that has been shattering our nation and has even been increasingly divided in light of the current events especially in regards to racism and injustice.
Some are completely disillusioned by the way local and federal officials have handled some of these issues.
Others have continued to praise those on their side or their tribe while demonizing those who do not belong to their tribe.
Even Christians have been arguing and have been divided over issues on COVID and now add race and injustice to the mix.
So how should we as Christians respond to the government? Should we obey? Or disobey? What is the Christian’s relationship towards a Government that is antagonistic and even at times hostile towards Christians?
The answer is not as easy as it sounds.
Do we submit to a government that is increasingly hostile towards the things of God? Do we support a government that has redefined human identity, marriage, and has aborted millions of babies each year?
Do we submit to a government that at times have used its power to oppress, rather than lift up?
Transition:
The same question was posed to Jesus and his followers in his time. The political and religious climate was just as intense as is today.
What we see in our passage today that a Christian does a temporal duty towards the government, but a greater and ultimate duty towards God (REPEAT). In other words, we will be better citizens for our country when we do not put the country first, but God first. The outline for today’s passage is as follows:
I. A Christian’s Duty towards Skeptics (vv. 13-14)
II. A Christian’s Duty towards the Government (vv. 15-16)
III. A Christian’s Duty towards God (v. 17)
Recap
This is the third controversy story between Jesus and the Religious leaders. The Religious authorities already questioned Jesus’ authority. They tried to discredit Him. We looked at the Parable of the Wicked Servants last week, and we saw how Jesus silenced them and angered them because they knew he was speaking the parable against them. But they could not arrest him because they feared the people. So they had to go to plan B. And through scheming and deceitful tactics, they hoped they could catch Jesus saying something wrong.
And in this passage, Jesus does not take the bait of these religious leaders who were trying to trap him in order to have him arrested. And the way he responds displays the wisdom of God and shows how we should treat skeptics, the government, and our duty to God.
Again, the big idea of this passage is that Christians do in fact have a temporal duty towards government, but a greater and ultimate duty towards God.
Let’s read our passage together. Just five verses picking up in verse 13.
And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
This is the reading of God’s Holy, Inspired, and Unchanging Word. Amen.
First, notice our duty towards skeptics and the unbelieving....
I. A Christian’s Duty towards Skeptics (vv. 14-15)
I. A Christian’s Duty towards Skeptics (vv. 14-15)
And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk.
They refers to the Sanhedrin. It was the religious supreme court of the day. Notice the two different group sent to Jesus.
First, the Pharisees. These were the revered religious teachers of the day. These were your conservatives. They wanted nothing to do do with the Romans and wanted a political Messiah to overthrow the Romans so that they could have their land under the rule of their Messiah worshipping in the Temple.
Secondly, the Herodians. If the Pharisees were the conservative right, the Herodians would have been considered your leftist group. They were those who supported Roman rule. They weren’t really concerned with religion as they were with politics and making sure they had political power.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Nine: The Servant in Jerusalem (Mark 11:1–12:44)
The Pharisees, however, considered the Herod clan to be the evil usurpers of the throne of David; for, after all, Herod was an Edomite and not a Jew. The Pharisees also opposed the poll tax that the Romans had inflicted on Judea, and they resented the very presence of Rome in their land.
These two groups opposed one another because one believed one was to conservative and the other group thought they were too liberal for supporting Caesar. Yet these two groups came together to trap Jesus. We already saw this earlier in Jesus’ ministry.
The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
In other words, these two groups were trying to seek from the beginning how to get Jesus arrested so that he would leave them alone in their false religion and their politics.
The word trap is actually a word used for hunting for a wild animal. It is a snare designed to capture and kill.
These men were vicious beast trying to get Jesus to bite their bait and fall into their trap. But first, they were going to use flattery...
A. As Christians, we need to beware of the sin of flattery that skeptics use.
And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”
And notice what they say to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God.”
The irony is that what they were saying was true about Jesus even though they didn’t believe it.
They said Jesus taught (1) the truth.
They said Jesus was not (2) a people-pleaser.
They said Jesus was not (3) partial.
They said Jesus was (4) truly teaching God’s Way.
They didn’t believe that, but they were just trying to butter up Jesus for the kill. They were trying to compliment him before they attacked him. They were trying to build him up before they would tear him down.
Christian—Beware of Flattery. Flattery is the sin of saying something to someone’s face you would never say behind their back and gossip is the sin of saying something behind’s someone’s back would you would never tell them in front of their face.
Flattery is deception. Flattery is a violation of the 9th commandment, “You Shall Not Bear False Witness”. Flattery is lying. It is not telling the truth.
Preachers—Some preachers flatter their congregations by preaching a skewed gospel telling them how great they are, but never really telling them how wicked they are. Some preachers flatter their congregations by saying God would never judge regardless of how you live your live.
Evangelism—We must be careful of flattery in our evangelism. Giving people a skewed truth. Telling people to accept people as Savior, but not Lord. Telling people the benefits of following Christ, but not telling them the cost of following Christ. Telling them the cross saves, but not to pick up their cross daily and the demands of discipleship.
Church—Let us be careful of not telling the whole truth.
We will commit to preaching and teaching the whole Bible. A Christian needs to be aware of the sin of flattery among skeptics.
His speech was smooth as butter,
yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
yet they were drawn swords.
B. Christian, beware of false dichotomies that skeptics present.
A false dichotomy is a flawed argument that only presents two possibilities while excluding a third..
For example,
“Have you stop hitting your children?” If you say “Yes”, then that implies you were hitting your children before. If you say “No”, then it implies are currently hitting your children?” The answer is neither, I don’t hit my children.
Let me make it a little more relevant...
Culturally,
“Are you for black lives or you for blue lives?”
“CNN or Fox News?” Because only one media outlet is the source of truth.
These false dichotomies happen in theology as well.
“Is God sovereign or humans responsible?”
“Is God a God of Judgment or a God of Love?”
One of my heroes of the faith is John Stott. He called for a balanced Christianity.
I do not claim any close personal acquaintance with the devil. . . . But what I do know is that he is a fanatic, and the enemy of all common sense, moderation and balance. One of his favourite pastimes is to upset our equilibrium, and tip Christians (especially evangelical Christians) off balance. If he cannot induce us to deny Christ, he will get us to distort Christ instead. In consequence lopsided Christianity is widespread, in which we over-emphasise one aspect of a truth, while under-emphasising another.
Tim Chester; Justin Taylor; Stephen J. Nichols. Stott on the Christian Life (Kindle Locations 1037-1038). Crossway.
I see a lot of false dichotomies play out in social media everyday. People have no longer try to reason or persuade on sound logical arguments, but in our day, people just shout to one another on the basis on how one feels rather than what is true.
And that is what the religious leaders were trying to do to Jesus. They were trying to put in him a corner to trap him.
“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”
Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Mark (Revised Edition) Caesar and God
The actual taxes imposed were three.
(i) A ground tax, which consisted of one-tenth of all the grain and one-fifth of the wine and fruit produced. This was paid partly in kind and partly in money.
(ii) An income tax which amounted to one per cent of a man’s income.
(iii) A poll tax, which was levied on all men from fourteen to sixty-five and on all women from twelve to sixty-five. This poll tax was one denarius, roughly 3½p per head. It was the tax which everyone had to pay simply for the privilege of existing.
Is it right? Is it lawful? You can see they were smelling blood like ravenous wolves depending on how Jesus responded.
Like I said, it was heated politically back them.
“In A.D. 6, a Galilean named Judas, the founder of the Zealots (to which Jesus’ disciple Simon had belonged; Mark 3:18), let a revolt in Galilee in response to a Roman census connected with collecting the poll-tax (see the reference to this revolt in Acts 5:37). Though the revolt was crushed and Judas and his followers killed, Jewish resentment against paying taxes to Rome lingered. Eventually, it would help trigger the Jewish revolt against Rome in A.D. 66-70 that led to the devastation of Israel and the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem.” MacArthur
Jesus even had a zealot as one of his disciples.
Whatever Jesus would say, would damn him.
The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Mark The Roman Poll Tax (12:13–17)
Yes’ would alienate Jewish patriots, who would see it as a pro-Roman answer; ‘No’ would provide a basis for denouncing Jesus to the provincial authorities as a rebel (Lk. 20:20 makes this last point explicit).
YES! PAY TAXES! YOU SUPPORT AN IDOLATROUS AND PAGAN GOVERNMENT!
NO! YOU ARE REBELLING AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT!
The Pharisees would have charged him that he was not nationalistic enough or even the true Messiah to support these pagan rulers. and the Herodians would have charged Jesus with sedition and rebellion against the Roman Government.
So whatever Jesus said, they hope they would be able to discredit Jesus and disarm him.
Christians—Be wise and discerning.
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
We must be careful when people try to put us in these traps. Sometimes, people are not asking from a position of sincerity, but a position of hostility. Trying to set up a trap.
You can watch Ravi Zacharias disarm some of these skeptics in his university evangelism.
Christian—Do not be caught in false dichotomies.
We must be people of the truth. A Christian can condemn the sin of racism while at the same time call for civil obedience. We do not have to be cornered and choose a side when our allegiance doesn’t ultimately belong to a religious sect or a political party. We are better citizens of whatever nation or state when we learn our priority as Christians first.
Non-Christian—God will not reveal himself to you if you are already prejudiced and hostile and seeking every hole you can find with him. He will not reveal himself to a double-minded man. If you humble yourself, and truly seek Him, He will be found.
Transition: Our response towards skeptics is to be gentle, but also wise and discerning as we are aware of flattery, deception, and false arguments...
II. A Christian’s Duty to the Government (vv. 15-16)
II. A Christian’s Duty to the Government (vv. 15-16)
How should we respond to the government when there are so many inconsistencies and even injustices?
And in light of the current events regarding the tragedy of George Floyd, the trending hashtag is #defundthepolice and #abolishthepolice.
Some have been arguing that our system of government is broken and needs to be replaced or even abolished. That is why Bernie Sanders has been influential as he has labeled himself as a democratic socialist.
How do we respond to a government that discriminates against churches and some would even argue oppression?
I absolutely want to see reform in our societies. But is overthrowing the government the answer?
Well, keep in mind, the Roman government was the most powerful government in the ancient world. Not only was the Roman government powerful, but idolatrous and brutal. They could enforce the sword swiftly with any rise of the people in their time. That actually happened in Judas revolt in AD 6, which would eventually culminate with the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.
The conservatives of the day despised the Romans. You remember, they wanted a Political Messiah. If there was a hashtag back then, it would be #defundtheromans. The Pharisees would have a #abolishtheromans and #makeJerusalemgreatagain hashtag. This is what the Pharisees would have posted. The Herodians would be the supporttheromans.
Yet it was within that context, they pose the question to Jesus.
But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”
Jesus was wise and discerning wasn’t he? Knowing their hypocrisy. The word hypocrite was an actor in the ancient world who would put on different masks. They weren’t sincere. They were appearing sincere while inwardly calculating how to arrest Jesus.
The other gospels tell us “pretended to be sincere” (Luke 20:20) and “he perceived their craftiness” (Luke 20:23). Matthew tells us Jesus was “aware of their malice” (Matt. 22:18).
The word test means is the same word used of Satan when Jesus was tested in the wilderness.
And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
So these religious leaders, the protectors of truth, were in fact acting like the evil one in their deceit and their testing of the Messiah.
Jesus Response’
Bring me a denarius and let me look at it...
Denarius was about a day’s worth of work.
I think it is ironic that Jesus didn’t have the coin, but the religious leaders had because they were lovers of money.
The Gospel of Mark 7. The Question Concerning Tribute. Ch. 12:13–17
The only coin that was accepted for payment of taxes in Judea, as throughout imperial territory, was the Roman denarius. This was a small silver coin that was worth normally about eighteen cents. The denarius of Tiberius portrayed the emperor as the semi-divine son of the god Augustus and the goddess Livia and bore the (abbreviated) inscription “Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Son of the Divine Augustus” on the obverse and “Pontifex Maximus” on the reverse. Both the representations and the inscriptions were rooted in the imperial cult and constituted a claim to divine honors.
For the Pharisees, the coin was a symbol of idolatry. Caesar was claiming to be divine, and the high priest.
Imagine if North Korea printed out new currency. One one side is the a picture of the dictator saying Supreme Leader and on the other side it would be Lord.
That would be considered offensive and blasphemous to Christians.
And yet that was the political and religious tension of the day.
Jesus’ Famous Question and Response
And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
Likeness is the Greek word icon. You here the echoes of Genesis 1:27 don’t you?
Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s....
What is the role of government?
The Role of Government..
Separation of Church & State
State Control of Churches
Churches and State have distinct spheres of influence/roles
Jesus doesn’t see state and church operating in two distinct independent realms. Or he does not see the state controlling the church as we see in some countries in Asia. No, government and church have distinct realms, both under the Lordship of Christ.
The authority from the state come from God. And the authority from the church comes from God.
God has given the power of the sword to the government while he has given the power of the Keys to the church. Each is not to operate independent of one another, but serve one another.
Here we see the role of Government. Government is good because it was instituted by God to protect, serve, and enforce justice to the evil doer
Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Mark (Revised Edition) Caesar and God
It is beyond question that the Roman government brought to the ancient world a sense of security it never had before. For the most part, except in certain notorious areas, the seas were cleared of pirates and the roads of brigands, civil wars were changed for peace and capricious tyranny for Roman impartial justice. As E. J. Goodspeed wrote, “It was the glory of the Roman Empire that it brought peace to a troubled world. Under its sway the regions of Asia Minor and the East enjoyed tranquillity and security to an extent and for a length of time unknown before and probably since. This was the pax Romana. The provincial, under Roman sway, found himself in a position to conduct his business, provide for his family, send his letters, and make his journeys in security, thanks to the strong hand of Rome.”
Christian—Pay taxes and submit to the government.
Jesus is not calling for an overthrow of the government. He is calling for a Christian to submit to a government even though it is idolatrous and at times oppressive to even believers. Even though it acts beastly.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.
Both Paul and Peter write this to a government that will eventually execute them!
Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament Chapter Twelve
Our Lord’s word is apodidōmi (ἀποδιδωμι) which speaks of paying something as a debt.
A Christian first posture towards government is not rebellion, but submission.
Christian—Use your political stewardship or influence or voice, to fight for justice, whether that is voting for leaders, whether that is electing officials who will speak for the oppressed and defend their rights. Some should even aspire to work in the government to bring about needed reforms.
The Reformers really recovered the doctrine of vocation or calling, and it is good for some to serve in the military and law enforcement. Even in the WCF called working as a civil magistrate as a noble calling.
We need good leaders who will protect life and punish the wicked.
We need good officers who will use their authority to protect and serve, rather discriminate and oppress. Just because there are wicked cops, does not cancel at all the bad cops. Just because there are wicked men who pose as pastors, does not mean we get rid of the office of pastor.
Augustine---A necessary evil made necessary because of evil.
Church—We are to pray for the government.
What is our posture towards government? Are inclined to rebel, riot, and protest, or is our fist inclination to pray and submit?
There is a time and place for protest when it clearly violates a clear command of God, but generally we are to show a submissive posture.
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
Render to Caesar what is Caesar....pray, submit, pay taxes....because government has been instituted by God and has authority from God to enforce justice, to promote peace, and protect the church to fulfill its calling to proclaim the gospel.
Transition: But notice that second half of Jesus’ response, render to God what is God. Our allegiance to the state is only temporary and secondary, because our allegiance to God is primary.
III. A Christian’s Duty towards God (v. 17)
III. A Christian’s Duty towards God (v. 17)
“And to God, the things that are God...”
Are allegiance to the state is temporary and secondary, while our allegiance to God is eternal and primary. We must be careful not to let politics govern our Christianity.
“America is a Christian nation.” Really? It doesn’t seem like it to me.
“God Bless America” Which God are we talking about here?
I commend you a book I have been reading which is so relevant: How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age.
We must stop letting our political parties set our political agenda. Even more, we should not conflate our parties with our faith. Parties are good servants, but bad masters; useful instruments, but awful identities. Instead, I’d encourage us—this is going to sound stranger—to switch our primary political loyalties to our local churches…Christian politics always begins with Jesus. How the Nations Rage, pg. 131
In other words, whenever the state calls for our disobedience to God, then we must always obey God first, rather than man.
We see Biblical examples of this throughout the Bible.
Hebrew midwives disobeyed Pharaoh’s command to execute the mail children.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abenego refused to bow down to the idol of Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel was thrown into the Lion’s Den because he continued to pray.
Esther, would go to the King’s throne to appeal to him to save her people without his permission.
Apostles refused to cease preaching Jesus and the Resurrection.
Don Carson, “Jesus’ famous utterance means that God always trumps Caesar.”
The Gospel of Mark 7. The Question Concerning Tribute. Ch. 12:13–17
The second part of his response, seen in the total context of Jesus’ life and teaching, shows that the duties toward God and Caesar, though distinct, are not completely separate, but are united and ruled by the higher principle of accomplishing in all things the will of God.
New Testament II: Mark (Revised) Money to Caesar, Self to God
You give to Caesar only money. But to God, give yourself.
Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.
“Those who destroy political order are rebellious against God, and therefore, that obedience to princes and magistrates is always joined to the worship and fear of God; but that, on the other hand, if princes claim any part of the authority of God, we ought not to obey them any farther than can be done without offending God.” Calvin
There is a time when Christians must disobey the government when it conflicts in obedience to God.
“The principle is this: whenever any authority (civil magistrate, employer, father in the home, husband in marriage) commands us to do what God clearly forbids or forbids to what God clearly commands, we may not only disobey, we must disobey.” R.C. Sproul
If it violates conscience.
If it violates a clear command of God.
It it is immoral.
Our duty to God is love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves.
Christian—We are better American citizens when we are Christians first. We are better patriots when we don’t put our patriotism first, but God first. If we care about justice, let us look for the injustices within our own heart. Let us look to the prejudices of our own heart.
Christian—With everything going on the world, do we really see the value and priority of the local church. Do we see that the place where change begins is within our own hearts with other justified sinners and enemies that have now been made friends because of Jesus.
But if you claim to care about politics and you are not an active member of a local church, I’m tempted to think you don’t understand politics at all. You are like someone who claims to love cars because you play with Matchbox cars on the floor making “Vroom!” noises. How easy it is to make pronouncements on political policies afar. Get up, climb inside a real car, and turn on the ignition.
Join a church and figure out how to love the person who looks different from you, or who makes a lot more or less money than you, or who even sins against you. Real politics begins not with your political opinions but with your everyday decisions, not with public advocacy but with personal affections, not all by your lonesome but with a people. Leeman pg. 135
Christian politics should become visible in the life and the fellowship of the local church—both in its teaching and its fellowship. Whether you’re a member of this party or that party, the local church is where we learn to love our enemies, forsake our tribalism, and beat our swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks. Here is where we tutor one another in the righteousness and justice of God. Here is where the righteousness and justice of God become tangible, credible, and believable for the onlooking nations. Leeman
Non-Christian—Do you want to see genuine change in the world, pray God changes your heart and makes you a new creation? Pray God deals first not the evil out there, but the evil within here. And when God changes you, you will be the type of person who does love the things of God.
Our supreme duty and allegiance is to love the Lord with all of our hearts.
Gospel of Jesus Christ
They marveled at him...
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who rules all things. Who has all authority in heaven and on earth.
He became a man.
He was wise, patient, and gracious in his dealings with men.
The Son of God, who governed the universe, submitted Himself to a government He made! Before Pilate he said,
Christ remain silent before Pilate.
So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”
The governing authorities and religious authorities would condemn the Son of God to death.
Why?
Because the Jesus loved God with all his heart, mind, and soul, so much so that He was willing to go to a cross for sinners like you and I.
He was punished, so that we would be released.
He was treated unjustly by a government he ruled, so that those who repent and place their faith in Him might be made new and learn to live justly.
He was our model and our sacrifice.
Lived perfectly in his duty to man and the government.
Lived perfectly and sinlessely in his sacrifice to God so that sinners would become saints.
You who want change in our world, look at the evil in your own heart. And look at the Son of God who was treated unjustly for your sins, so that you would sin no more and learn to live justly in regards to men and God.
Summary:
What is our duty towards skeptics? To beware of flattery, false dichotomies, and traps they try to set up.
What is our duty towards the government? To pay our taxes, to pray for our leaders, and to submit because it is an authority instituted by God.
What is our duty towards God? To love Him and give our ultimate allegiance to Him because of His great love and sacrifice for sinners.
Conclusion:
We will be better and just citizens when we learn to live as citizens of heaven. We will fight injustice and oppression, when we look at the injustices and prejudices of our own heart and love the people God has placed us with in the family of God.
If we want change for our cities, our government, our nations, let us begin looking within our own hearts and make sure we are first devoted to God in all things.
If you want change in your cities, do we see the local church as the light of the world.
The greatest need for our world is not reform in our government or policing system, although we pray and act for those things, but reform and regeneration within our own hearts.
For God to make enemies friends and family in the family of God. This is where true change begins.
“The Church’s most powerful political testimony is the gospel. And teh church’s most powerful political testimony is being the church.”
What the world needs is God’s image bearers, marred by the Fall, renewed and restored so that we bear the image of Christ in loving God supremely and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And render to God what belongs to God.