Did God Really Say?

In my last post we discussed the beginning of man and how the exercise of free choice resulted in his expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the ongoing effects of the curse.

Man by his nature, is sinful, and needs to work at being good.

Perhaps we should define good. Going back to the Book, we see in Romans 3:23 (ESV): “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” The word translated as sin is defined as the missing of the mark, the analogy of an archer shooting an arrow that doesn’t hit the bullseye.

We also see in James 2:10 (ESV): “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”

Then we are reminded in Isaiah 64:6 (ESV): “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Polluted garment is a nice euphemism for the original Hebrew word!)

So how does this tie in with our discussion of Genesis and the beginning of all things? Oh yeah, government….

So what’s the first thing that the first family on earth does? They worship and then they fight, and Cain kills his brother Abel. One does not necessarily follow the other but in this case it does.

Romans 13, and elsewhere, acknowledges that God has instituted government. This should give us a clue that authority has one ultimate beginning.

Genesis 1:26 states that (NIV): “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.””

In this verse God states that he has given human beings authority over all the earth. This is key. As human beings, we have innate authority over the world around us as given to us by God. We have a right to work, we have a right to harvest, we have a right to feed ourselves, and so on. These have been given to us by God.

The first mention of government is Genesis 9 when Noah and his family are about to leave the Ark after the flood. Again, God reiterates His plan of Genesis 1:26 when in Genesis 9:1 He states: “Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” We can infer the concept of government when God goes on to state in this same chapter in verse 6 state: “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.” In order for capital punishment to be possible there would need to be a system of government in place that places people under its authority. If someone murders someone, the dead person can’t stand up and deal with the perpetrator, obviously other individuals need to exercise some kind of authority and deal with this situation.

Moving forward in scripture, we see how God reveals His plan for the world and for humanity. We see how various types of human governments are instituted to ensure that these natural rights are protected. (As an aside, the protection of these rights are all contained in the 10 commandments and point back to man being made in the image of God.)

The story of Abraham being called out and God’s promise to him to make him into a nation. The story of the Children of Israel, the government that God instituted for them and the exquisite set of laws that He put in place to teach them about Him and His purpose for them and for all creation. Fascinating.

In Psalm 72 we see a beautiful picture of a society with a just king.

Psalm 72 (ESV): “Give the king your justice, O God,
    and your righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he judge your people with righteousness,
    and your poor with justice!
3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
    and the hills, in righteousness!
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
    give deliverance to the children of the needy,
    and crush the oppressor!

5 May they fear you while the sun endures,
    and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
    like showers that water the earth!
7 In his days may the righteous flourish,
    and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth!
9 May desert tribes bow down before him,
    and his enemies lick the dust!
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
    render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
    bring gifts!
11 May all kings fall down before him,
    all nations serve him!

12 For he delivers the needy when he calls,
    the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
    and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
    and precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live;
    may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
    and blessings invoked for him all the day!
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
    on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
    may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
    like the grass of the field!
17 May his name endure forever,
    his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
    all nations call him blessed!

18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and Amen!

20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.”

Continuing in the New Testament, we see God instituting a new way of revealing His plans and His purposes for this world and that is via the Church. Prior to this His chosen vehicle was the Children of Israel, the nation of Israel and their prophets and system of civil government and temple worship. (I wish to be very clear, however, that the church in no way ‘replaces’ the Jews and God’s plan and intentions for them. God has established an Eternal Covenant with the Jews and His plans for them are not yet fulfilled.)

We had initially discussed man’s sinful nature and his propensity for evil, that he has to work at being good. Here Paul in his letter to the Romans describes how God has instituted governing authority to counter bad behaviour.

Romans 13:1-7 (ESV): “1 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. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 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, 4 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. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 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.”

In instituting the church, God set up a relationship between individuals, and between Himself and individuals, that transcend membership in earthly groups such as race, gender, and nationality. Specifically, a relationship that transcends government. Galatians 3:28 (NIV) states: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus introduced this idea with the concept of a spiritual kingdom, and membership in that kingdom when He spoke His many parables of the “Kingdom of Heaven”. This was a huge paradigm shift for His disciples as well as for all of the people hearing His message. John the Baptist introduced this concept in Matthew 3:2 (NIV): “”Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.””

This is something that we as Christians in our very comfortable, extremely affluent, highly educated, modern society need to reconnect with: The difference between our citizenship in our earthly country and our higher citizenship in the Kingdom of God.

Am I calling for the abolition of borders and states? No, absolutely not. Am I calling for anarchy and the overthrow of governments to create a new utopia? No, not in the least. What I am calling for is the interpretation of Romans 13 in the context of delegated authority.

Hebrews 1 speaks very eloquently of how God has given His Son all authority over the earth. Verses 1 & 2: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”

“Appointed heir” refers to someone being granted ownership of something. The verses following build on that theme and make it even clearer.

So back to Romans 13. We know that God has instituted the idea of government. God has revealed Himself to be a God of order, a God of laws, a God that places rules on how people are to treat each other. We need to always remember, however, that the ultimate authority is God and that His very first command was to give man authority and freedom over creation. So, does submission always require obedience? To be subject to someone means to acknowledge their authority over you. Does that imply obedience? Generally, yes, however, what happens if the delegated authority is ascribing authority to itself that God has not given it? If you are given an order by ‘government’ that will cause you to do something that you feel is wrong, something that violates the principles found in Genesis 1:26, what is your response?

Let’s take a quick look at Daniel 3 and the three Hebrew young men who refused to follow the command of their local government. You may recall that earlier in the story these young men negotiated with their local government with respect to the food that they were given. They felt that the food was unacceptable to them for religious reasons and, after proving that the food that was acceptable to them, left them in a better state of health than those other young men surrounding them, the local government agreed to their request.

Now this time the three young men were faced with a situation that they could not negotiate their way out of. They were instructed to bow down and worship an image of the king. This time they refused to obey the directives of the local government. Now did they mount an armed insurrection and seek to overthrow the local government? No, they submitted to the authority of the local government, allowed themselves to pay the price of disobedience. They remained in subjection to local government while at the same time refusing to obey something that they could not do. In this particular situation Jesus came down and walked with them inside of the fiery furnace. The king called for them to come out of the fire and so they did, without even the smell of smoke on their clothes. Many many Christian martyrs throughout history stood up for the truth as these young men did and it cost them their lives.

Submission to governing authorities therefore, does not imply blind obedience. This submission can be understood on an individual basis as well as a corporate basis, however, generally the consequences of not obeying are borne by individuals.

Now what are the implications of this for the local church? Much has been written on this by individuals much smarter and much more experienced than I. Pastor John MacArthur spoke and wrote and acted eloquently last summer and fall on who is the head of the church, Christ or Caesar. He very definitively proved that Christ, not Caesar, is head of the church. This has huge implications when local governments attempt to impede or, in any way, control the activity of the local church. Arguments are then made saying that individuals are ‘the church’ using scriptures that state we are the ‘temple of God’ and God resides inside each one of us as Christians. True, but a typical way of misinterpreting and twisting scripture to make it support something that it in fact doesn’t.

Christ, not Caesar, is the Head of the Church. July 24, 2020: https://www.gracechurch.org/news/posts/1988

God has instituted the church, a local group of individuals, accountable to each other, supporting each other, loving each other, ministering to each other, worshiping God together, that is in turn, part of the larger universal church consisting of all people that have accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour.

Do we see church as just another piece of modern society like schools, cultural clubs, hockey arenas or curling rinks, or basically anything else where groups of people get together in an organized fashion?

I ask again: Do we see our local church as just being one other such organization and subject to the same rules and governance?

A lot of people have pointed to Hebrews 10:25 as a command from God that supersedes civil authorities’ lockdown orders.

Looking at this in context we read: Hebrews 10:19-25 (NIV): “19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

I’ve heard many well meaning and sincere Christians, Pastors even, saying that this command can be followed virtually. We livestream the service and people can connect via zoom or some other video connection. They can obey God’s command by worshipping in the safety of their own homes and thus also demonstrating their love for their neighbours by respecting and obeying local health orders. (The book of James teaches us not to judge people’s motives, however, I think it is safe to say that a LOT of this ‘obedience’ is mere virtue signaling seeking approval and affirmation from the world around us or fear of the consequences of disobeying.)

We have seen over time many culturally aware Christians speak stand up for the plight of refugees and illegal immigrants to the extent that certain churches allow these individuals to stay in their buildings to avoid arrest and deportation. The building becomes a literal ‘sanctuary’ that the civil authorities hold inviolate and do not enter. Compare that with the heavy-handed tactics of by-law officers and police personnel over the past year as they enforce health measures.

Grace Life Church in Edmonton Alberta fenced off and barricaded.

Partisan politicization of issues perhaps? I would imagine these same “sanctuary” churches all closed their doors without a whimper in response to the imposition of these health measures.

The simple question is whether or not civil authorities have the right to direct how a church operates and holds its worship services. How much authority does a civil government hold over a gathering that is uniquely spiritual in nature?

Does it have any? If a crime is committed inside a church, we would generally tend to agree that the civil authorities have the right to enter and perform an investigation. Do health measures carry the same weight as the criminal code? We have no issues with following the various building and electrical codes imposed. Zoning regulations are followed.

But what about those things that are unique to a church. Laying hands on people while praying for them? Covid health measures would forbid that yet we see that as a specific command in the Bible.

Grieving together when we hold funerals? Speaking from experience, the zoom livestream of the memorial service for my son in November last year was a wonderful opportunity for people from all over Canada and the United States to participate and to be part of this service. The reality however, for my wife and I, getting up from our seats and walking past a few masked individuals in an empty church, was not the same as the funeral service for my Grandmother or the services for my uncles, where grief was shared in the company of hundreds of friends and family members filling the church.

It is impossible to comfort each other virtually. We need that face to face – without masks – interaction, with the ability to show affection through hugs or handshakes. This is who we are as human beings. Forbidding that dehumanizes a society.

I could go on and ask if it is possible to worship God without vocalizing, without singing out loud, or without shouting praises if that is what your personality is inclined to do?

Is there a difference between the government coercing a behaviour that goes against the commands of God or forbidding behaviour that God commands us to do?

I have often said that Christians are the canary in a coal mine of a society. If Christians are doing well, society is most likely functioning well. As the freedoms of Christians begin to be impacted, you can see that society is beginning to deteriorate and fray around the edges with more and more inequality and injustice happening just out of sight.

Do we see ourselves as having inalienable rights granted by God as human beings, or do we see ourselves as citizens of Canada with rights that are granted to us by the various levels of government that make up Canada?

True Christians have always been the counter culture freaks, the strangers in a strange land, the peculiar people.

In Canada, and what is often referred to as Western civilization, society was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Following those principles has resulted in phenomenal success, beyond what any group of people have ever been able to accomplish since the dawn of time. This has increased life expectancy and the standard of living for the entire planet.

We as Christians, have become accustomed to being part of a good society. We enjoy the accolades of standing up for what is right, for being seen to do good things.

Intoxicating! Pride, the deadliest of the seven deadly sins.

With respect to the lockdown restrictions impacting churches, I had one commenter tell me, “it’s not like we are being dragged out to be fed to the lions”. Nope, our temptations today are much, much more insidious but ultimately just as deadly.

It’s easy to protest, to ‘speak truth to power’ when the cause is politically acceptable. To take a knee against racism will earn you millions of dollars or millions of votes.

But is that what we as Christians are called to do? Is the accolades and affirmation of our neighbours, the world around us, is that what we should be aiming for?

What did Paul instruct Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV): “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Paul’s final words in 2 Timothy 4:7-8(KJV): “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” shows us what our motivation should be, the approval of God.

So what is our response to a government that is overstepping its God-given authority and role?

I would suggest we respond by refusing to live the lies, by daring to stand up for the truth. This is hard, not socially acceptable whatsoever, and always comes with a price.