Yesterday I shared a few thoughts about how things would be in a perfect world, especially with an eye toward God and those who rule/govern. I even delved into the idea that there are some things that are from God which rulers/governors actually endorse in their rule, such things as not murdering and not stealing from others. These worldly leaders recognize that there is a benefit to society overall if everyone holds firm to these "ideals".
However, some of the things that God lists out as part of His design and desire aren't always seen as necessary by the worldly leaders. Take, for example, the command of God not to commit adultery. From a spiritual standpoint, we see that there are reasons for this command from God. But in some sense, from a strictly worldly standpoint, stepping over this line may not seem to be something worth "enforcing". A national ruler may look at those whom he rules and see the overall benefit of them not killing each other randomly, or the benefit if they don't steal each other's stuff. But he may also see that people can have sex outside of God's bounds of marriage, but it doesn't detract greatly from his nation. In fact, he may even see that, if he grants freedom in an area like this, people are more likely to listen to him and think that he's a good ruler.
The thing is, we've seen that this is true, to an extent, in our world. Someone may have multiple sex partners, but still be a "good" citizen. They pay their taxes. They keep the laws. They don't disrupt society. (Yes, there are some downsides to this, which will be pointed out in future posts.) But overall, rulers may look at them and see that they are overall pretty good citizens. So they don't place the same amount of importance on that particular command of God as they do, say, on what God says about murder or theft.
Permissiveness on the part of those who rule doesn't necessarily mean that we to go as far as our government permits. We are free to travel from state to state here, but you don't have to do that. We may be free to be promiscuous in our nation, but you don't have to be. But even as we recognize that, it doesn't mean we stand idly by and allow our leaders and rulers to be as permissive as they want. What I will argue in future posts is that working to pass more laws is largely going to be met not only with resistance, but can actually serve to detract from the hope that Jesus gives. I'm going to suggest that we, as Christians, adopt a different approach than merely trying to ensure that the laws of the land align with God's desire and design. So keep tuned in!
However, some of the things that God lists out as part of His design and desire aren't always seen as necessary by the worldly leaders. Take, for example, the command of God not to commit adultery. From a spiritual standpoint, we see that there are reasons for this command from God. But in some sense, from a strictly worldly standpoint, stepping over this line may not seem to be something worth "enforcing". A national ruler may look at those whom he rules and see the overall benefit of them not killing each other randomly, or the benefit if they don't steal each other's stuff. But he may also see that people can have sex outside of God's bounds of marriage, but it doesn't detract greatly from his nation. In fact, he may even see that, if he grants freedom in an area like this, people are more likely to listen to him and think that he's a good ruler.
The thing is, we've seen that this is true, to an extent, in our world. Someone may have multiple sex partners, but still be a "good" citizen. They pay their taxes. They keep the laws. They don't disrupt society. (Yes, there are some downsides to this, which will be pointed out in future posts.) But overall, rulers may look at them and see that they are overall pretty good citizens. So they don't place the same amount of importance on that particular command of God as they do, say, on what God says about murder or theft.
Permissiveness on the part of those who rule doesn't necessarily mean that we to go as far as our government permits. We are free to travel from state to state here, but you don't have to do that. We may be free to be promiscuous in our nation, but you don't have to be. But even as we recognize that, it doesn't mean we stand idly by and allow our leaders and rulers to be as permissive as they want. What I will argue in future posts is that working to pass more laws is largely going to be met not only with resistance, but can actually serve to detract from the hope that Jesus gives. I'm going to suggest that we, as Christians, adopt a different approach than merely trying to ensure that the laws of the land align with God's desire and design. So keep tuned in!
No comments:
Post a Comment