I was asked recently to discuss why more Christians aren’t up-in-arms about the current political administration here in the U.S.. Now this is a very difficult subject for me because I am someone who likes to discuss politics, and it’s no secret that I find some of the current administrations actions ugly (Such as the abortion issue). So with an open mind, I decided to take a look at what God‘s Word says about how we react to a political situation that we aren’t in favor of.
Let’s start off looking at a passage from the Bible that some may find hard to swallow, and there will be a few who try to manipulate it’s meaning to allow them to resiste what God has put into place, but the verses are very cut and dry and tell us exactly how we should be reacting to the people who were voted into office.
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king” (1 Peter 2:13-17; underline mine).
So why would we submit ourselves to a government that we consider to be evil, or wrong? Number one, is that there isn’t anything in existance that isn’t ordained by God. Some politicians may be mean and evil, but eventually, like everyone else, anyone who is in power will one day have to give an account of their actions to God. He will be their judge, not us. Our Biblicalresponsibility is to submit to those who God has put into power and not to question or resist it. I know there are some people reading this right now already trying to find scripture to counter this verse and Theology, but we need to put our own pride aside and accept the fact that ultimately, God ordains who leads us, and we have no place in questioning Him. So having said that, if we want to take the right direction, we should be praying for the person who leads us, not complaining. Let’s think about it this way….What would happen if an unGodly leader had millions of Christians praying for him, then in the middle of His term suddenly accepted Jesus as Lord, what sort of witness would that be? If people who hated Christians saw us on our knees praying and supporting him instead of running around angry, how do you think their opinion of us would change? Our job is not to change God’s will, it’s to change God’s people, and being angry and mean will not accomplish that.Once again, I know there will be people who strongly disagree with me on this. The truth is, before I wrote this today, I would have been one of those people who were “Up-in-arms.” But having looked at what the Bible says about this subject, I need to swallow my pride, pray for those who lead us, learn to accept the direction that God has chosen for us without whining. So in closing…Sometimes the countries problems are a result of their turning their back on God. We have done that in most of the countries in the world. If you want change, then beging by evangelizing to those who don’t know Jesus. Show God that we care enough to turn our nations around and back to Him, then we will see more results than complaining will ever produce.
Romans 13:1-7 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. …
1 Timothy 2:1-2 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.
Matthew 22:17-21 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Deuteronomy 15:7-11 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Pastor Mike Says 