Trusting Christ by Doing what He Commands

 

 

What does it mean to trust Christ? Some wrongly believe that trusting God means that we no longer have a role to play. One devout Christian informed me, “I don’t trust in political solutions.” However, God does! He had continually raised up judges and kings to protect or to liberate His people Israel.

 

We find this principle at play even under the New Covenant: 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.

 

In this context, doing good is also a matter of obeying God’s institutions, taking advantage of what God had ordained for the good of our neighbors and our nation:

 

Romans 13:1–4 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.

 

According to Jesus, this principle even pertains to government, which we regard as hypocritical or evil: Matthew 23:2–3 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.”

 

Others say, “I’m merely going to prayer and trust God when I see my neighbors threatened by evil.” While prayer and trusting God are essential, our God-given responsibilities do not end there. If it is in our power, we are also required to intervene, call the police, and to expose the threat:

 

James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

 

This is especially true in view of the ongoing terrorism to bring the whole world under submission to Allah and Shariah. Ibn Khaldun, the 15th century Tunisian historian, stated:

“In the Muslim community, the holy war is a religious duty, because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and the obligation to convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force... The other religious groups did not have a universal mission, and the holy war was not a religious duty for them, save only for purposes of defense... Islam is under obligation to gain power over other nations.”

 

Here’s the Quranic basis for this:

“Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah’s religion (Islam) reigns supreme, (Koran 8:37)

 

“When the Sacred Months are over, kill those who ascribe partners [like Jesus] to God wheresoever ye find them; seize them, encompass them, and ambush them; then if they repent and observe prayer and pay the alms, let them go their way’.” (Koran 4:5)

 

“…kill the disbelievers wherever we find them” (Koran 2:191) and “murder them and treat them harshly” (Koran 9:123), and “Strike off the heads of the disbelievers” (Koran 8:12, cp. 8:60).

 

Some respond, “I have Muslim friends who are very nice people.” However, if they take their religion seriously, they use deception as does Allah:

 

Quran 13:42 And verily, those before them did deceive/scheme but all deception/scheming is Allah's. He knows what every person earns, and the disbelievers will know who gets the good end.

 

Quran 4:142 Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He Who deceives them.

 

Therefore Muslims use deception even in “friendship”:

Quran 3:27: “Let not the believers take the disbelievers for friends rather than believers. And whoever does this has no connection with Allah unless it is done [deceptively] to guard yourselves against them, guarding carefully.

 

Quran 5:54: O ye who believe, take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors. They are but friends and protectors to each other.

 

The following comes from the fatwa which quotes the Quran in support  (www.koranqa.com; fatwa 59879; but is no longer available):

 

“Undoubtedly the Muslim is obliged to hate the enemies of Allaah and to disavow them, because this is the way of the Messengers and their followers. Allaah says:

 

Quran 60:4: “Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibraaheem (Abraham) and those with him, when they said to their people: ‘Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allaah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred for ever until you believe in Allaah Alone’”

 

 “Based on this, it is not permissible for a Muslim to feel any love in his heart towards the enemies of Allaah who are in fact his enemies too. Allaah says”:

 

 Quran 60:1: “O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies (i.e. disbelievers and polytheists) as friends, showing affection towards them, while they have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth”

 

 “But if a Muslim treats them with kindness and gentleness in the hope that they will become Muslim and will believe, there is nothing wrong with that, because it comes under the heading of opening their hearts to Islam. But if he despairs of them becoming Muslim, then he should treat them accordingly.”

 

Love takes many forms. One form of love is to warn of danger. To fail to do so is to neglect the welfare of our neighbors. To trust in Christ is to do what He has instructed us to do: to love our neighbor and to expose the impending threats.

 

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR THE CHRISTIAN?

What would a church service look like in Hitler’s Germany? As people disappeared, never to be heard from again, and as reports came back of mass exterminations, would the sermons address these horrors? Would they instead be content to continue to just preach salvation and sanctification? Would the leadership argue that the church has no business preaching politics? Would the pastor not mention Jews being herded onto cattle-cars? Would he not direct a public outcry?

However, we need not place ourselves in Hitler’s Germany to ask these questions. Today, we are surrounded by reports, photos, and even boastings of genocide, beheadings, and the kidnapping of thousands of wives and girls for sex slavery. For example, in Nigeria alone, many thousands of Christians have been slaughtered and kidnapped:

• On April 14, 2015, Amnesty International released a report detailing the brutality of the Nigeria-based, radical Islamist group Boko Haram. The report estimated that more than 2,000 women and girls have been captured by the group since the beginning of 2014.  http://ow.ly/LHzbs

The horrors have reached proportions that have never before been seen. Entire communities of Christian have been utterly destroyed. Countries have been emptied of Christians, and the persecutors threaten to continue their rampages, aided by many nations. The church can no longer remain silent. We can no longer claim that we are called to preach the “Gospel” alone! Instead, the Gospel has profound implications.

Jesus certainly didn’t limit His teachings to matters of salvation and sanctification. For Him, the Gospel had to express itself in action:

• "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' … The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'” (Matthew 25:34-45)

We can no longer shy away from these concerns, fearing that we might lose church members or politicize the Gospel. Instead, the Gospel requires us reach out to the oppressed. Our brethren are being kidnapped into sexual slavery and the males are beheaded through no fault of their own.

We have never conceived of such mass horrors, and yet we remain silent, and our silence makes a mockery of our religion. God cries out through the Prophet Isaiah:

• "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:6-7)

However, the church is confronted with far worse today – the extermination of entire populations of Christians and other non-Muslims! Why then do we remain silent? Are we afraid of the results? Ironically, if we are really concerned about the results, we must act:

• If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:10-11)

We cannot model our lives after the priest who passed by the dying man. If we love our neighbor, we must instead model our lives after the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). What did his religion look like?

• Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

If this is true, we have to cry out for the oppressed! We have to awaken the conscience of the church.

What if we fail to raise our voices? It is nothing short of sin:

• Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. (James 4:17)

However, it is even worse. It is a betrayal and a rejection of the Gospel, which requires us to show the world our love for the brethren:

• “I [Jesus] pray… that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23)

But do our responsibilities end at the point of raising our voices against injustice? Is civil disobedience ever legitimate? This is a very difficult question. Why? For one thing, every situation is different and civil disobedience can take many different forms. And then we must deal with the verses that would seem to argue against breaking any laws. Here are some of the main verses:

• And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Mark 12:17)

• Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. (Romans 13:1-6)

• Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. (1 Peter 2:13-14)

Can we demonstrate in front of the embassies of nations that support terrorism? Certainly, as long as it’s legal. But what if it is not legal? Peter had written to “submit yourselves to every ordinance of man.”

This is troubling, because some laws are unjust. The Apostles also understood this. When the Sanhedrin commanded the Apostles to no longer preach the Gospel, they responded that God and His commands had to be their first priority:

• But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

They declared that they were willing to break the law in order to fulfill God’s commands. This was something that even the Sanhedrin should have understood:

·       But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.” (Acts 4:19)

Israelites had broken the law of the land on many occasions in order to follow the law of God. The Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, had been instructed by Pharaoh to kill the male Hebrew newborns. However, they secretly defied his instructions in order to save the lives of the newborns, and God was pleased because they had obeyed Him:

·       So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. (Exodus 1:20-21)

They are many other exceptions to the Biblical teaching to obey those in command. Daniel, his three friends, and Mordecai refused to bow before their respective rulers.

Rahab of Jericho hid the Israelite spies and lied to the Jericho authorities about their whereabouts and saved their lives. Consequently, Scripture commended her for resisting her own authorities as an act of faith (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25), not of sin.

We have a responsibility to honor God above our civil authorities, especially when life and death are involved:

• Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, "Surely we did not know this," does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? (Proverbs 24:11-12)

We have a responsibility for our brethren above all others (Galatians 6:10), especially as they face destruction in many Communist and Islamic nations. This brings us to the perplexing teachings about enduring “unjust suffering”:

• Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:18-21)

Do these verses teach us to allow the “unjust suffering” of others? Should we pass by a Christian who is being raped or kidnapped because “it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering?” Of course not! Instead, many verses require us to intervene (Luke 10).

Why then are we taught to tolerate unjust suffering as opposed to exposing it (Ephesians 5:11) and reporting it to the authorities? Is this a contradiction? Not at all! While a Christian employee should treat his unjust boss with respect and kindness for the sake of his boss’ soul, he also can report workplace abuse.

Paul and Silas had every reason to escape when an earthquake had destroyed the bars that had unjustly held them captive. However, for the sake of the jailor, they did not! Instead, they used this occasion to preach the Gospel, something of even greater importance than their own liberty. And this led to the salvation of the jailor and his family.

However, when the town authorities wanted to quietly force Paul and Silas out of town, Paul demanded redress:

·       But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out." The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. (Acts 16:37-39)

We must demand legal protections for those unjustly suffering, even as we trust that the Lord will provide for them, if not here, then in the next life. But this is God’s role. We have our own ordained role to play:

 

·       “’For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'” (Matthew 25:35-40)

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, ISLAM, SECULARISM, AND HOW IT BLINDS

The Daily Mail just revealed that:

·       During his election campaign, [the French Socialist President Francois] Hollande was regularly on the estates, claiming he was at one with poor communities. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3834003/President-Hollande-admitted-France-problem-Islam-warned-country-s-national-symbol-one-day-woman-burka.html#ixzz4Mz20wue0

However, Hollande has evidently changed his mind:

·       Francois Hollande has admitted the country 'has a problem with Islam' and warned France's national symbol will one day by a woman in a burka.

·       The words were all part of a more general attack on people from Muslim backgrounds whom the Socialist Mr Hollande views as a major difficulty for his country.

·       …exposed by authors Gerard Davet and Fabrice Lhomme, Le Monde journalists who base their book on 61 interviews carried out with Mr Hollande over the last four years.

·       He reveals that he no longer supports mass immigration, saying 'I think there are too many arrivals,' and says: 'It's true there's a problem with Islam, it's true. It's not in doubt.'

Hadn’t this always been obvious?

1.    Hundreds of Islamic no-go-zones growing across Western Europe

2.    Riots, rapes, and a burgeoning assortment of criminal acts

3.    Explicit Islamic threats to take over

4.    Non-Muslims relegated to a demeaned status in every Islamic nation

5.    The terrifying teachings of the Koran and Hadiths on jihad and world domination

Why hadn’t Hollande and a vast assortment of Western leaders seen this before? The evidence was there. Why didn’t they seriously consult the available evidence? Evidently, they didn’t want to. Why not?

I think that the reason is obvious. Our Western elites have adopted a philosophy or worldview that prevents them from seeing Islam as it really is, as it has always claimed to be. They are wearing a pair of eyeglasses that filters out what they do not want to see, leaving only what agrees with their worldview.

It is a common worldview, albeit naïve. It maintains that if we accept others, they will reciprocate. If we love them, they will just naturally love us back. Love conquers all. It must! If we merely accept all forms of anti-social, immoral behavior, they will naturally disappear on their own. Therefore, we can take down our borders, remove our border guards, and embrace everyone. After all, we are one big human family, aren’t we!

The secularist wants to view himself as a good person, perhaps even a morally superior person. He is therefore above those medieval ideas of crime and punishment. He is, after all, enlightened.

However, reality has a way of stripping us of both our arrogance and perhaps even our upside-down lenses. So check the rubbish heaps for all of those discarded lenses.

THE WORLD’S INSANITY CONFIRMS THE GOSPEL

The West continues to privilege Islam despite its cries “Death to the infidel,” its intention to subjugate the world, and its horrific crimes and human rights abuses. Here is just one small and recent example:

·       A man from Manchester in the United Kingdom has been sentenced to 180 hours of unpaid work and a 12-month community order after posting comments that were said to be "grossly offensive" towards Muslims.

What did this man say that was so offensive?

·       "Don't come over to this country and treat it like your own. Britain first," according to the Manchester Evening News.

In contrast, the West treats its founding faith with utter contempt, closing Christian businesses and intimidating Christians.

In view of this galloping insanity, we might do well to read the words of the former atheist turned Christian, C.S. Lewis. He asks us to imagine what a visitor, who knew nothing about Christianity, would think when observing the Christian West for the first time:

·       He would find that this same religion has always been healing the sick and caring for the poor; that it has, more than any other, blessed marriage; that the arts and philosophy tend to flourish in its neighborhood. In a word, it is always either doing, or at least repenting with shame for not having done, all the things which secular humanitarianism enjoins. (God in the Dock, 147)

Why then the hatred towards such a religion? Why the attempts to drive it into the back alleys of existence? Jesus explained the world’s antipathy towards Him this way:

·       “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” (John 7:7)

And we are still doing the same thing. That is why the world also hates us:

·       “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (John 15:18-20)

As such, this insane persecution confirms the truth of the Gospel.