Under Authority

Posted on by korgrocker

“A man should not wear anything on his head when worshipping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory. For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.”
1 Corinthians 11:7-10 NLT

Another few verses from 1 Corinthians that, at least at first sight, are incompatible with the views in today’s society, particularly for women. If we did a survey today on any high street in Britain, and asked a woman if she was wearing a hat to show that she is under the authority of someone, what do we think she would say? But this interpretation of authority is not totally accurate. Paul was referring to spiritual authority, which is something very different from secular points of view. Paul was still writing about God’s spiritual order, summarised in 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God”. But spiritual authority is always displayed as a natural equivalent. Take men, for example. They are unable to say that Christ is their head if they behave in a way that is incompatible with their belief. Such a conflicted man may worship Christ in a Sunday service, but if he denies Christ in the workplace, how is Christ his head? The same principle applies to a wife, who may look to her husband for spiritual guidance, but then runs him down outside the school gates. All believers have an obligation to be under authority, something which ultimately, either directly or indirectly, ends up at God’s throne. Whether we believers like it or not, the authority implied in God’s order applies throughout every facet of our lives. 

Colossians 1:15-16, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him”. These verses establish the fact that Christ is the authority over all, including men and women, and, although authority may be delegated, Christ is the ultimate Creator and the One to whom everyone is accountable. 

In Romans 13:1, Paul wrote, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God”. This is a hard one for people, even Christians, to accept, particularly when the government of a country is not a good one. Everyone we meet in the street will have an opinion about how they could do a better job of government. But such thoughts are contrary to what God has established. God is not pleased with those who rebel against a country’s government. But what should Christians do if a government passes a law that is contrary to God’s laws? We have such a situation in the UK, with the law concerning abortion. Some Christians are prepared to stand up and declare that such a law is wrong, even to the extent of practising some form of civil disobedience. However, we believers have a responsibility to obey the government of the day. Still, in the case of a conflict between laws passed by the government and God’s higher laws, God’s laws will prevail, even though that might cause a Christian particular difficulties. We must pray that we never have to face the situation described in Revelation 13:16-17, regarding a law passed by the “beast” – “He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name”. 

No matter who we are, male or female, we must have the right attitude towards authority, because one day we will have to stand before God to give an account of our lives. 2 Corinthians 5:10 reads, “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body”. I should add that this judgment of Christians does not affect our salvation. This judgment is specifically for believers and is not a judgment of condemnation but one of evaluation for rewards. 

Our example is Jesus, and we look to Him as the Author and Perfector of our faith. Back to Philippians 2:5-6, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to”. Jesus knew all about God’s order. Although He challenged the rulers of His day, He never sinned, and he was ultimately crucified as a result of their decree. Today, we pray in an attitude of humility and submission to God for help in living this life we have in God’s way. 

Dear Father God. Thank You for revealing once again the importance of authority, Your authority, and helping us to evaluate the attitudes of our hearts. We pray for forgiveness for all the times we have got this wrong. Amen.

Government

Posted on by korgrocker

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
Romans 13:1 NIVUK

The page turns, the subject matter changes. A new chapter emerges. Paul now looks outside of the bubble that surrounds the Roman Christians towards the government of their day. The governing authorities in place within the Roman Empire were not renowned for their kindness and compassion. They brutally suppressed any form of dissent, and Christians were sometimes perceived as a threat to their rule. So Paul would not have been very popular when he said that everyone “should be subject to the governing authorities”. He made things potentially worse when he wrote that “The authorities that exist have been established by God”. I can imagine those early Christians wondering if Paul really knew what they had to endure. Could God really be behind the civil persecutions?

In those early days, and with a number of Jews, now Christians, in their midst, there would still perhaps have been a belief that there was no ruler except God Himself, and because of that they would be released from an obligation to be under the authority of the local civic rulers. The local government set the laws that provided cohesion in the society of that time. So thieves would face punishment if caught. Civil unrest would be dealt with. All the usual safeguards would have been in place to prevent the society descending into anarchy. The early Christians may have not liked the situation all that much, certainly from the perspective from how they were treated, but Paul told them to get over it and move on in their faith.

But there would have been those in Paul’s day who rejected this earthly kingdom and its laws, the society in which they lived, and it was to those that Paul was directing his teaching. We mustn’t forget that just a few verses earlier, Paul had written to the members of the church in Rome advising them to “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). So the early Christians had to really work out their role of being in the world but not of it.

What about today? Are we pilgrims subject to our “governing authorities”? Do we cherry pick the laws and customs that we want to follow and reject the rest? It is easier to follow laws that are in harmony with what we believe and what the Bible sets out. But what about those customs and laws that are in direct contradiction to Biblical teaching? In our Western societies, the legislators have brought in laws that must upset God deeply. Laws, for example, that legalise abortion or allow same sex marriage. But as we read just a few verses ago, God will deal with such evil in the fullness of time. However, at the present time, there is no law that forces a Christian to make a choice between God’s way and society’s way, causing them to personally disobey the authorities, but the trend is ominous. Though Christians can worship today without breaking the law, there is legislation being discussed that would make it illegal for pastors to pray with, or for, anyone around issues such as gender. Such a law has already been passed in Australia. How can we be subject to such a law that flies directly in the face of what God has ordained?

There will come a time when Christians in the West will be subject to the same draconian suppression that can be found in places like North Korea, where Christians are locked up, mistreated and even killed for their faith. Christians there are subject to the governing authorities and suffer the consequences if they choose to have faith in God. But God knows what they are suffering, and one day they will receive a reward for their faith. 

We pilgrims pray, and continue to be obedient to both God and the authorities. But when there is a conflict, God is the higher power. The authorities have been established by God, but when they go against His Word and will, there will be consequences. Paul wrote in the previous chapter in Romans, “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

We can choose to be subject to the government, a choice made easier because that is what God wants us to do. So the next time we see a politician on TV and feel rebellious thoughts arise, we must remember that, objectionable that they may be, God put them there. Hmmm…

Father God. You have blessed those of us who live in the West with stable societies. They are not perfect we know, but You have ordained them, for which we thank You. Please help us to remain in Your will, honouring and obeying those You have placed in authority over us. Amen.

Justice

Posted on by korgrocker

“Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge people with equity? No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth.
Then people will say, ‘Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.’”
Psalms‬ ‭58:1-2, 11‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

“Do you judge people with equity?” Surely a good question. A question just as relevant today as it was in David’s time, but with a difference. In 21st Century UK society I would like to think that the laws set out by our parliamentarians are judged upon by our various courts with total and complete honesty. Justice is administered with almost total transparency, and avenues are available for appealing decisions that might be perhaps a bit dubious. However, in David’s day judges had a reputation of being corrupt, accepting bribes, with no right of redress. It didn’t stop there – hundreds of years later Jesus spoke a parable about the “Unjust Judge” – you will find it in Luke 18:1-8. And throughout history, justice has been a rather hit and miss affair.

So to me the issue of justice is not about corruption within the UK legal systems, but about the way secular and godless principles are creeping into law through unjust parliamentarians. Historically, UK law has been established on Godly principles over many years and these have established a society that is strong and stable, a society that is, for the main, implicitly comfortable with the fairness of its laws. But sadly, in recent years, UK governments seem to have lost their moral compass, and have weakly given in to godless minority groups and passed laws at odds with God’s principles. And the consequences of such legislation has had an unsettling effect on society, with unintended consequences coming to the fore. Verse 2 of our Psalm today talks about “violence on the earth”, surely another description for a society without peace, at war with itself.

David ends his Psalm with the comforting thought that God is still on His throne and will judge righteously, rewarding His people, those who abide by His principles. Though we would like God to judge now, He patiently allows everyone the opportunity to respond to Him, and we too need to be patient, trusting Him to bring about righteousness in all the earth. So we pray. And keep praying. For our governments, for our parliamentarians, for our judges, for our communities, for our families. For those who seem set on anarchy with their lobbying and disruption. And with faith, wait for God to bring about His will and purposes. Will we have to wait long? It may be a lifetime. We may never see justice served in the way we would like or expect. But we can be assured of this one thing – God is still on His throne and will one day judge those who devise injustice in their hearts.