To Rely _ re·ly -To be dependent for support, help, or supply.I am not posting this to claim that I am now some sort of an autonomous humanist.
Self Reliant _ self-re·liant adj. -Being able to rely on one's own capabilities, judgment, or resources; independence. -free from external control and constraint.
Don't freeeak out you theologians! This is not a Bible study. I'm just pointing out that self reliance is not foreign to Scripture.Psalm 18:34 -"He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze."
Luke 22:36, Jesus paraphrased: -"Take money, take a bag, and ...whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one."
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 -Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Timothy 5:8 -"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
1 Corinthians 6:3 -Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?"
But, as is historically the course of the Church, whether Old Testament Church or New, upon growing apathy to God's standard, slavery always follows. Well we've been there, we're there, and we're going to stay there until the Church repents and wakes up to the Biblical principles of self reliance as sampled in the above verses. What follows following God's law, is self reliance and freedom. It's just that simple.
The problem is, the Church won't repent. Not yet. How can we, when we can't even admit to ourselves or to each other just how utterly and sinfully dependent we are to unregenerate men and their systems? Some may, well, except for the sin part. Because if they do see their own dependence and the Church's dependence to Satan's wicked systems, they still don't see their dependent allegiance, as sin and rebellion. They simply excuse this as the providence of God and think they are honoring God as they honor sinful men and systems claiming to be "submitting to authority". In so doing, they only demonstrate who their God really is. The only way to overcome this is to repent of idolatry and honor God by honoring his Law of self-governance. I'll be explaining this in my sub-sequent posts on this subject.