One of the
most difficult things for a Christian – and for a pastor in particular – is to
separate the issues of human rights and self-preservation from the issues of Christian
ethics and morals when faced with such an ominous event such as the Paris bombings and the ISIS threat. In many respects, it
is a matter of comparing that which is good and acceptable to that which is righteous
and better. It is also a matter of
distinguishing between the responsibilities of the state and the
responsibilities of the individual Christian.
Before
addressing the issue of how our nation and we, as individual Christians, should
respond to the threats facing us today, I need first to address the growing
displeasure and dishonor that I see being directed at our national leaders. Do not get me wrong. I am in complete disagreement with the
direction our country and its leaders are heading and I am praying for them to
repent and turn before God judges them as he judged the unrighteous leaders in
the Bible. I am also praying that God will send us new leaders who will honor him. However, I want us as
Christians to be very careful about our own response to what we perceive to be their
injustice and unrighteous actions.
Without
question, God has established our government to protect and to serve its
people. As individual Christians, we
must take seriously what God’s word says about our government and one of the
most important such passages is in Romans 13.
13:1 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.
This passage
reminds us that no matter what we may think of our government or its (current)
leadership, it is still an institution established by God, to do God’s will,
and deserving of our respect and honor – even when in our minds we do not think
they are being faithful to that commission - or deserving of that honor.
Keep in mind that even the Apostle Paul, standing before evil and wicked
religious leaders who had killed and crucified his Christ, showed respect to
them and quoted Exodus 22:28, which says, “You shall not revile God, nor curse
a ruler of your people.” Let us not
forget what Paul says in Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were
created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for
him.” In other words, all authorities
and all rulers are put in place by Jesus Christ himself to accomplish his
purposes. That may seem like a difficult
thing to grasp or even accept – especially when we know that some authorities –
such as ISIS - are well beyond evil. Before we
jump to conclusions, however, thinking that there is no way our current
leadership or ISIS or whatever other government leadership we may disagree with
can possibly be a part of God’s plan, let us not forget that even some of
the Kings of Judah and Samaria (the Southern and Northern kingdoms of Israel, respectively)
were considered to be amongst the most evil men who ever lived. Yet the Bible is very clear that they were
in leadership because God put them there, and let us also not forget that each
and every one of them ultimately experienced the full wrath of God’s judgment
for their evil doing. Let us also not forget that one of the most pagan kings in history, Cyrus of Persia, was called "the anointed of God" because God used him to return the exiles to Jerusalem. And let us keep in mind Paul’s words in Romans 8:28 that “for those
who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called
according to his purpose.” Despite what we may think of them as individuals, our leaders are still God's instruments, appointed by Him to rule over us.
Christian
ethics tell us that it is the responsibility of the state – as God’s divine
instrument – to carry out justice. That can
mean punishment to the wrong-doers within its borders and it can also mean
engaging in a “just” war. More
importantly, though, it can also mean protecting its own people – which is one
of the key elements of entering into a “just” war (for a good summary of St.
Augustine of Hippo’s original just war theory, try this link: http://www.breakpoint.org/component/content/article/71-features/1583-a-fact-sheet-on-just-war-theory). In other words, it is the State’s
responsibility to protect its people from evil and aggression by whatever means necessary, even – as a last
resort – going to war. From that
perspective, it is absolutely appropriate for the state to consider closing its
borders to anyone or any group of people it believes may be a threat to the safety and security of its
people. If the state believes that
Syrian refugees pose a threat to the nation’s security, it is the state’s
obligation to protect its people against that threat. If the threat of ISIS meets the criteria of a
just war then by all means the state ought to do its duty. However, no action taken by the government
should be based upon hatred, bigotry, the desire to hurt or punish the
aggressor, or even to avenge the dead. That
is neither righteous nor just. “Vengeance
is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Deut 32:35, Rom 12:19, Heb 10:30). In other words, be careful in praising the Godless leaders of other countries who are promising vengeance. That is not God's way even for a government.
On the other
hand…
How the
state responds has nothing at all to do with how we respond as individual
Christians and together as the church.
We are under a completely different set of rules and ethics than is the
state. We are under the rule and
authority first and foremost of King Jesus – and while we are to be subject and
submissive to the God-ordained state authority, our ultimate authority is Jesus
Christ. Jesus is Lord. That means we heed the words of Jesus when he
says “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven”
(Matthew 5:43-45). We must respond
appropriately to Paul’s words in Romans 12:20 (where he is actually quoting
from Proverbs 25:21-22): “To the contrary, ‘if you energy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap
burning coals on his head.’”
What this
means to us as individuals is that we are to reach out in compassion and mercy
to those who are hurting as a result of this conflict – even if they are our
enemies – even if they ultimately intend to do us harm. Does this potentially place us in harm’s
way? Well, remember I said it was an
issue of good versus better. If the
state chooses not to let in the Syrian refuges then we will be safe and that is
good. Our responsibility will be to pray
for them and even to seek out ways to help them if we are able. On the other hand, if the state chooses to let
the refugees in, then yes, we might very well be in harm’s way, but we are to
be compelled by Christian love and charity to still seek out ways to help
them. This may even be “better” since
then we will have a more direct means of showing them love and compassion - and more importantly the hope that it is in Jesus Christ.
The irony is
that regardless of what happens, it is unlikely that you and I (well, most of
us individually anyway) will personally be able to provide direct, hands on,
help to any of these refugees and so our primary and main course must be to
pray for them. Then again, you never know
and so we must be ready and prepared to render aide as necessary.
What then,
do we do about the threat of terrorists claiming to be refugees if the state
decides to let them in? We trust in
God. We rightfully expect the state to be
diligent to screen the refugees as they enter the country, but we rely on God
for protection. He is our rock, our
refuge, our fortress. He is our defense
and our strong tower. But at the end of
the day, we know that we are safe in the arms of Jesus. We remember his words from Matthew 10:28 – “And
do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him
who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
We remember the conviction of Paul in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that
neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to
come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will
be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And we consider the possibility that some of
us may be called to live out Paul’s words in Philippians 1:29 – “For it has
been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in
him but also suffer for his sake.” Or 2 Corinthians
12:10 – “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Or even Jesus’ own words in Matthew 5:11-12 –
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds
of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great
in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Whatever may be our situation, our response must be Christ-like. We must seek the good even of our enemy - and by "good" I mean the salvation that comes in Jesus Christ.
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