As Christ followers, we are to love even our enemies by
doing good to them. Nor are we to seek to avenge ourselves against those who
have assaulted our children. Instead, we would refer the matter to the
designated authorities. However, if we require our police, elected officials,
and government to merely forgive, it would lead to chaos and bitterness. If my
neighbor assaults me, I would be disappointed if the police took him into
custody to merely show him how much they love him without warning him against
assaulting me. We would be equally disappointed with a president who cared so
little about the welfare of children that he granted every pedophile freedom
from prison with the guarantee that they would never be arrested again.
These are examples of role confusion and the resulting
breakdown of a nation that fails to fulfill its divinely designated roles. While
the Christian must lead the life designated by the Scriptures, we would also
require this of our elected officials who have been assigned a different role.
The judge is not to tell the convicted rapist that since he is a good Christian,
he will let the rapist go free. This would constitute a betrayal of their
ordained role. We have courts and police so that we do not have to play these
roles. This frees us up to love and provide for others:
·
Romans 12:16–21 Live in harmony with one
another… Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable
in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably
with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God,
for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the
contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him
something to drink”… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Scripture continues with the designated complimentary roles
of public officials:
·
Romans 13:1–5 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. Therefore whoever resists the
authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur
judgment. 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, 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. Therefore one
must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of
conscience.
Consequently, we do not attempt to punish our neighbors but
leave this task to God’s designated authorities to exercise God’s wrath.
Likewise, we should not require the government to feed and forgive our enemies.
That’s our job. This is why we do not expect government to provide a host of
entitlement programs. Instead, this should be the responsibility of the Church,
family, and community. Besides, when government takes over these
responsibilities, we encounter many unintended costs like the breakdown of
families, communities, and even Church. Besides, those who are “helped” are
often harmed.
However, the “Christian” Left are often disdainful of these common-sense
role distinctions. For instance, one had written:
·
“There are Christians who are preaching and
practicing the ministry of Jesus, the son of God, who himself was unhoused and
undocumented and sided with the poor, the sick, the indebted, the incarcerated
and the immigrant, while decrying the idolatry of tyrants.”
If Jesus was unhoused and undocumented, this doesn’t require
us to tell the government to allow all undocumented aliens. Yes, Jesus’
ministry had been concerned for the poor and the sick. However, these were the
ones who had cried out for His help, who were receptive to His message rather
than the religious leadership. However, these observations have nothing to do
with the question at hand: “What is the role of the government?” Is it, and not
the family, community, and Church, to fulfill all of our needs? Are entitlement
programs able to produce gratitude and the desire to live Godly lives? Yet the
Left and their cancel culture will do almost anything to fulfill their
oft-discredited ideal of a Marxist world, even to denigrate those who are
trying to follow Jesus:
·
And then there are Christian nationalists, whose
religion of empire is more akin to the worship of Caesar than the Jesus of the
scriptures. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/inside-the-christian-left-s-battle-for-the-bible-and-the-country-opinion/ar-AA1J3RUl?ocid=socialshare
Have you ever met a Christian nationalist? I do not even know what they are. However, this term is a convenient fear tactic to malign Biblical Christianity. Instead, there is nothing in the New Testament about the use of violence or foul play to disable those who oppose us. Instead, Jesus simply warned us about the oppression we will have to endure:
·
John 16:1–4 “I have said all these things
to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues.
Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering
service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the
Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told them to you. I did not say these things to you
from the beginning, because I was with you.”
Nothing has changed. Instead, now, if not murdered, we had
been largely excluded. However, we know
that this world isn’t our treasure, but an eternal heaven with our Savior.
I respect a government that maintains order by protecting all, irrespective of color and origin, by punishing evil-doers:
1 Peter 2:13–15 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human
institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as 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.
Jesus required no less (Matthew 23:2).
