And The Christian Duty Of
I have been following the blog over at "Without God Castles Mean Nothing", and he has been doing a very good job of posting what he is rapidly learning about law. His posts are stirring up a bit of opinionated commenting in the realm of Biblical submission to authorities and how Christians are to relate to "Caeser". My own 17-year-old son, mijahu, has left his own comments over there too, right here. He inspired me to comment over there as well, and this post is just a 'cut and paste' of my comments as follows:
I think everyone is making good points, but my favorite points are coming from mijahu when he says this:
"... I still think people should take proper measures to protect their family from death, ...I think there is some difference between just letting someone kill you and paying taxes, ... isn't going against the government at all. It's a totally neutral thing, really, surviving."
This point overshadows all other points as this is an act of love, despite government oppression, despite submission principles in scriptures. The law of loving your neighbor, (and family), as summed up in all God's Law, trumps any allegiance we may have to the Constitution and/or breakers of the Constitution.
If submitting to evil laws and pressuring others to do the same with theological or political ease endangers the lives of your neighbor/family, you are actually participating in the evil yourself and are just as guilty as if you were the oppressor.
This can apply to tax laws, family laws, traffic laws, or whatever else evil men can lobby onto the law books...if it harms our neighbor/family, and we "comply/submit", we are the guilty ones. WE, have shed innocent blood.
Proverbs 24:10-12 -If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, "Behold, we did not know this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
Isaiah 58:5 -"Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?"
The above passage from Isaiah 58, though COULD be a worthy spiritual exercise, is seen here by the Lord as a self-righteous piety. It's a 'work', but not a 'good' work, because in this case it is false pietism. My analogy would be submitting to gov't no matter what, EVEN at the expense of the wellbeing of my neighbor or my family.
The rest of the above passage says this:
Isaiah 58:6,7 -Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke,(SERMONWRITER parenthetical...oppressive laws, tax or otherwise),
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"
These later verses from this passage also suggest a 'work', but it is a 'good work', because it is not focused on trying to be self righteous, but on helping those who are oppressed in one way or another.
One comment at the Castleman blog stated:
"Did Jesus go around telling everyone to store up canned goods, and to start sharpening their swords for battle?"
...an obvious opinion that we should not do this type of thing.
"Sharpening one's sword for battle", could mean a lot of things. It could mean getting ready to cut the cords tied around your neighbors hands. It could mean getting ready to slaughter the calf to feed your neighbor. It could mean making a display of strength , and a willingness to use it, against an oppressor who might otherwise harm or kill your neighbor should the oppressor be unaware of the presence of your sword and your will. And yes, it could mean, that should an oppressor descend upon the innocent, that God would have YOU be the ordained instrument in His hands to save a life or many lives.
Either way, that "sword", whether it is money, a home, weapons, food, or whatever resources the Lord has blessed you with, is to be used in a Biblical and loving manner, and that means protecting your neighbor and your family from oppression...whether that oppression is in the form of starvation, slavery, false imprisonment, nakedness, homelessness, or an out-of-control and self-ordained tyranical government.
We are not slaves to God just so that we can 'appear' holy and 'appear' to love God, or 'appear' to be Christian. We are His servants to serve others by freeing them from oppression...FIRST by feeding them (material oppression...first because it is the most urgent), and SECOND, by sharing with them the means of eternal life through the Law and the Gospel, (spiritual oppression).
THAT, is true love for God, and true love for your neighbor, and, what it truely means to "act" like a Christian. James 1:27
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