Statism & Socialism

Today Bob Renewing Your Mind. Christians have lived under every form of government and serve Jesus Christ in the hearts. The advancements of the kingdom of Christ cannot be stopped by the kingdoms of this world.

Whatever form they take throughout history there have been examples of civil government still set themselves up as the final judge is right and wrong amending the people surrender all of the rights and identities to the state as we consider what it means to uphold Christian ethics. Dr. W.

Robert government examines what Scripture has to say about the role of those in authority over us.

What do we as Christian need to think about the state and about government in our time because one of the things that has concerned me is how very polarized. We have become, and when your historian, you know to be suspicious about those who tell you this is the worst of all possible times in which to live. That's usually not true but perhaps because of the social media and television, and the other ways of communication in our time.

It's a lot easier to get outraged that it used to be and I think us Christians. There are surely things about which to be outraged, but we as a people ought not to be characterized by outrage. We are to be seen as the people who know how to listen who know how to love who know how to be concerned who know how to communicate other times for righteous anger. There are times for disagreement, but I think we all need to have a clear and settled foundation of what the Bible directs us as Christians to think about the state. The Bible does not tell us everything about the state but it surely tells us the most important things it tells us the necessary things they directs us in our thinking about the state and he challenges us so I want to think about the state under three points in the first is that the state is a divine institution, however much we may get annoyed that government whether local or state or federal we have to always have clearly in mind that the state is a divine institution. Think of these words from first Peter chapter 2 of your through first Peter recently I taught first Peter in our Sunday school that our church couple of years ago and discovered that the first Peter is a really annoying book. Nobody wants to listen to Peter. He tells wives to be obedient to their husbands. We want to hear that. He tells slaves to be obedient to their masters.

We want to hear that. He tells citizens to honor their government.

We want to hear that read from first Peter anyway and Juergen have to listen first Peter chapter 2 verse 13 be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors are sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good for this is the will of God, that by doing good. You should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God honor everyone love the brotherhood, fear God. Honor the emperor by Peter is encouraging the Christians to whom he writes to think carefully about the state as a divine institution because if we read between the lines here. It would appear that some Christians were saying. I am free in Christ, I am delivered in Christ I'm a citizen of a new kingdom.

I'm looking forward to a new heaven and earth in which righteousness dwells. And that means I don't have to pay attention to this government on earth anymore. I'm free. And Peter says you are free in Christ, but that freedom does not give you the right to despise or disparage the government. God has set over you on earth. There is a new heaven and a new earth coming, but it hasn't come yet. And even though your first allegiance is to Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of lords that doesn't dissolve your responsibility to be subject to the emperor.

Peter is very concerned that Christians think clearly and accurately about the state because God has instituted the state he instituted it not like marriage, God instituted marriage before the fall, but after the fall, God instituted the state to restrain evil in a fallen world, the governments calling the government's task is to punish evil and promote the good and however little we think the government successfully does that that's the calling laid upon the government by God calling that we have to honor Peterson's and that's interesting is honor the emperor. It's not just a grudging obedience to which were called, but we have to recognize in the ruling authorities in the governing authorities. The work of God. The purpose of God. The calling of God and that leads me to repent of some the things I've said about some of our governors even though they were probably correct. Whether we agree with them or not they serve the purpose of vital purpose or critical purpose. Luther said the worst government imaginable is better than chaos. And I think that's true when you look again at those awful pictures coming in from Ukraine of utterly bombed out cities, no food, no water, no power would be like to live in their chaos it, it's so painful it's so unimaginable that I think we we rather quickly just don't want to see those pictures anymore. There was Joseph Stalin who said one death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic and I don't think I agree with Joe Stalin about much, but it's sort of true, we can process the notion of a million tragedies. What that is actually like. We need to honor a government because God is established, the government to restrain evil and and Paul in terms very parallel to Peter in in Romans 13 does and he reminds us that we can think of the government as deacons reply don't do that very often maybe don't think about deacons at all, but government officials pulses are to be thought of as deacons and also as the lights are going worship leaders.

They have a divine mission that's been given to them and they need to be honored for that and that needs to be the first thing that we think about when we think about the state and that challenges me, I think you're up you're a better people, but I think Christians have perhaps gotten into habits where we don't honor the government the way we should. Now the state is also a human institution.

It's a divine institution but as a human institution and that means we as humans have responsibility for God is given us that responsibility and the state in history has taken many different forms, hasn't. We've had monarchies repent oligarchies. We've had dictatorships. We've had republics.

We've had democracies. There's a whole range of forms that the state can take by human choice and part of the good news is Christians have lived under every form of government and serve Jesus Christ in the hearts. The advancements of the kingdom of Christ cannot be stopped by the kingdoms of this world.

Whatever form they take and that needs to be a great encouragement to us as Christians and in every human form of government. The basic duty of government remains to do justice, and particularly to protect the weak. Because the rich and powerful can protect themselves. Most the time government is given to restrain evil and to promote the good, the course as a human institution. The state can become corrupt. I don't want to shock you and the Psalm speak very pointedly and eloquently about that danger of corruption in human government. Psalm 94 talks about wicked rulers who framed injustice by statute. What an awful thing, but those who were given responsibility and power would use that power to pass laws to entrench injustice, we should be outraged about that and Psalm 94 says God is outraged about that. And God will come to judge that injustice and part of the testimony we should bear as Christians to governing authorities is to remind them that there is a great day of judgment coming and they should factor that in to the laws they pass from Eddie to calls governments to give justice to the weakened fatherless to maintain the right of the afflicted and destitute. We have to let those words grip us. We who can come here are not the we can be afflicted and the destitute, but we as Christians are called to have compassion on such people, so the state is a divine institution that we must honor it's a human institution that we should seek to influence in proper directions. Despite its sinfulness, but it can become the Scripture says a demonic institution and that's probably what this title of statism was intended to get us to, but I thought we shouldn't just start there. We should get oriented before we get there, but the state can become a demonic institution when the state claims for itself. All power, all meaning all direction of life. One of the great ancient examples of bad was ancient Egypt. And so it's not so surprising that the great story of the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt is a confrontation between the true and living God and Pharaoh who claimed to be God.

Pharaoh who in his leadership of the state was both king and priest and God and therefore all honor and obedience had to be given to Pharaoh that is stated as an in its ultimate form.

The state claims to give all meaning and claims to have all power is a state that has become demonic and we have seen that at various times in the history of mankind. We saw that in the Third Reich didn't wake when Adolf Hitler claimed he could build a kingdom that would last a thousand years, and in which the state claimed all authority and all meaning we saw it in the Soviet Union when the Communist Party claimed to have all power and all meaning and to direct all living in this kind of demonizing of the state always happens in places where the true and living God is neglected and rejected at the great picture of that in Scripture is the great prostitute of Revelation 17 which is in some ways a picture of the Roman Empire, but is much more than that, as a representation of a state that claims the worship of its citizens. Revelation 17 talks about the great prostitute as sitting on the back of the scarlet beast that is Satan. So the state is serving Satan in that picture.

And the kings of the earth are described as committing immorality with this great prostitute which is meant metaphorically to talk about idolatry. It's spiritual adultery that's in mind here, and this prostitute is adorned richly inexpensive cloth, and in valuable jewels to talk about her wealth and domineering position and her madness. She's described as drunk drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus Christ and this prostitute of those who serve her. Revelation 1714 says will make war on the Lamb.

What a contrast between the beast written by this great prostitute and all this claim of wealth and power in the Lamb. The Lamb looking as it was slain. The apparent powerlessness of the Lamb in the face of the beast.

They will make war on the Lamb and the Lamb will conquer them for he, the Lamb is the Lord of lords and King of Kings and those with him are called and chosen and faithful to talk about you.

Are you with the Lamb everywhere is call do you know that your chosen no election in the Bible is never a doctrine that brings uncertainty or confusion or misery or mystery election in the Bible always brings encouragement and certainty and stability. Are you with the Lamb, are you called are you chosen by your faithful called and chosen are the two parts. God does. Are you faithful to know the number one sin in Revelation 21 that is disqualifying from entering the heavenly city, the number one sin is cowardice. Those who haven't been faithful to stand with the Lamb in the battle. Are you faithful because the Lamb is winning.

The Lamb is winning and however demonic the state become that state to be defeated. Pharaoh ruled in Egypt's maybe as much as 2500 years.

That's a long time that's older than Harry Reeder, older than Bob Godfrey 2500 years course, Pharaoh today where is Hitler today where is Stalin today. Note the first word in the book of the Revelation about Babylon that great prostitute is the first word. Revelation 14 eight. Don't forget this first word the first word in the Bible in the book of the Revelation about Babylon is fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, those forces that rise up against God will not stand, however powerful they seem to be in the moment. How should we as Christians think about these things as Christians. It seems to me we are to think this way this world is important and we ought to seek to be as faithful as justice promoting as a loving in this world as we can be. And we ought to use what influence we have that our government would reflect real justice and real love. But while we believe that sincerely while we should work for that earnestly we have to even more fundamentally, remind ourselves is Hebrews 13 tells us we have here. No continuing city.

We have a city here forever were from where the city we should be concerned about the city but when we are concerned about the city that we have here and now we need to remember that city will not continue. It's not our ultimate concern. It's not the ultimate value because Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world.

My purpose is not to challenge Pilate to be governor of Judea.

My purpose is to call people into a kingdom that cannot be shaken that will endure forever. That will be a kingdom in which finally finally finally, there will be righteousness through and through. Read Psalm 87, maybe even sing it.

Psalm 87 says everyone. Everyone everyone who knows the Lord God is born again inside. That's our city. That's the city that will continue. That's the city in which righteousness will dwell.

That's the city in which we will all love one another as we ought to be loved and until then until the revelation of that city. Let's try to be less outraged and more loving and in that way you liked to living under the authority of a secular government presents us with ethical dilemmas doesn't I'm thankful for Dr. Robert Gottfried clearly today as he explored the Christians ethical duty in society all week here on Renewing Your Mind. We have been pleased to bring you sessions from the 2022 link international conference. Our theme this year was upholding Christian ethics and throughout the conference or speakers taught us how we as Christians can live with integrity in a world where God is hated immorality celebrated in the truth, suppressed, and that's a big part of what we do here at later ministries teaching Christians to live with integrity, as we engage a hostile world and hold tight to biblical truth. We recently heard from Sarah who told us a story about how the many resources we publish and produce eerily generic have helped her and her family in particular, one teaching series. I grew up in a strong Christian household working is specifically something I wanted to learn more about it like I remember my dad telling me stories about how much he would argue about faith, reformed theology, and how he does but it sure how to feel about it, but it wasn't until he came across RC's both teaching. The holiness of God that his faith was just truly all. Her forever and it's something that had blessed him last his marriage, and my mom left me my siblings going up because of this, I'm sorry for my dad. RC Sproul has a really special place in my heart passing that he has for God is she still beautiful and something that I love hearing when I learn more about God and what his word says is like we like to ask you to come alongside us to give a donation of any amount to later ministries. Your generosity enables trustworthy teaching that proclaims the holiness of God to millions of people and equips Christians around the world to think and live biblically.

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