May 1927
309
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
"form of government. God often deals with a people by giving them hard task masters, but the result ultimately is for good. The Bible leaves the Christian free to enter, as a spirit of good, into any form of government. Where Christianity prevails, its tendency will ever be to abolish hurtful laws and institutions; The fundamental principle of Christianity is the responsibil ity of living for the helping of others, recognizing the equality of all men before God. “Submit to every ordinance," (2 :13) says Peter, and Paul declares to those liv ing when Nero was on the throne that “whosoever resisteth the power resistetti •the ordinance of God” (Rom. 13:2). That distinctly forbid^; a Christian having part in any revolutionary action. To plot the demolition of a government, or to par take in a movement of violence against the authorities, is utterly condemned by the Bible. Does this mean that one is to look upon a drunken official as a representative of heaven ? Indeed not ! Action within the limits of the existing laws we may employ, but to take law into our own hands is to invite condemnation (Rom. 13:2). We also assume that when an unfair official commands what .is wrong, obedience to God is to take precedence, for a Christian is not to do evil for any man. Governors and kings are “sent by Him for the punishment of evil doers” (2:14). It may be said that as a class rulers are on the side of order and right. Civil authority in its most distorted form sel dom favors wrong as wrong, or punishes right as right. “Fear God. Honor the king” (2:17). But the fear of God comes first. We cannot kéep a testimony for Christ and do that which is morally wrong for any man. Where such questions arise, however, one needs wisdom beyond -his own. Personal judgment is apt to be biased when a man is acting as judge of his own case. The light of God’s Word, and the combined judgments of those who know Christ should be sought. Even though an unjust penalty is inflicted, if taken in quiet submissiveness, who knows what God may accomplish? While Paul wrote to Christians concerning their civil duties, he was in prison because he would “obey God rather than men.” IáJ fact, there would have been no church at all but for the fact that the Son of God suf fered unjustly. God’s will is that Christians should stop the mouths of opponents of the Gos pel by_living like Christ, whatever the sur roundings (2:15). One bad example spoils many a precept. Our doctrines are bound to be judged by our deeds. The man who enjoys spiritual freedom* (2:16) is certainly not expected to usé it for a cloak of mischief and as a pretense for disturbing the peace of society. The sum of the Christian’s duty to men in gen eral is to honor their rights (2 :17) ; to the Church is to love the brotherhood ; to the nation is to honor the rulers. In the midst of these exhortations occur two words— “Fear'God.” This is the common spring of all duty to men. The fourth chapter exhorts the believer to patience in suffering- for Christ’s sake. In a world of sin, the godly may not ex pect to lie in flowery beds of ease. Two things the apostle insists upon—the cheer ful bearing of all kinds of affliction and the careful forbearing of all kinds of sin.
Against the inclinations of the fleshly nature, the Christian is to “arm himself" (4:1) with the mind of Christ and set his heart upon doing the “will of God,” (v. 2). Let no one think that by becoming a Christian his old nature is totally eradi cated. Instead, he is called to live in arms against it to the end of his life. The yield ing of the will to Christ causes the Spirit of God to leap to the Christian’s defence and thus, after all, the victorious life is easiest;* for the Holy Spirit wins the vic tory. The worldly man may think it strange that the Christian “runs not with him to the same, excess of riot” (v. 4). He may even ridicule him for his narrowness. Yet he knows nothing of the inner springs of joy in a Christian’s .heart; the heart peacfe he knows as heaven’s citizen brief ly sojourning in this world; the blessed hope that is set before him of an abundant entrance to the eternal homeland. Let the Christian therefore live, not only as one who ,is accountable to earthly authorities but as one “who must give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead” (y. 5). Before this same Judge, the man who speaks evil of Christians (v. 4) must eventually stand. The great court day will surely come,; and all rejectors of the salvation which God has provided will be called to ac count, first of all, for their refusal of Christ, and then for all their sins; and withal for their reproaches of the godly who would not run with them in the ways of the world. —o— P ith and P oint When in Rome, do as the Romans ought to do. The love of country needs to be hal lowed by faith in a better country, even a heavenly. A Christian’s only real possession in the world is a way out of it. The world does not doubt Christianity as much as it does Christians. Sin is a mean guest, for it sets its lodging house on fire (2:1), Even the saints must be warned against the flesh which (literally—1 Pet. 2:11) “carries on a campaign against the soul.” He serves his country best who serves God best. He is no patriot who does not con sider his countrymen God’s creatures and himself as accountable for his actions toward them. S uggestive Q uestions Who is back of human governments, whatever their form? (Col. 1:16; Rom. 13:1, 2 ; Prov, 8:15, 16; Dan. 2:21; 4 :32; 5:18-20; Jer. 27:4-11). What is to be the Christian’s attitude toward the laws of his country? (Rom. 13:1, 5)._ . What is the Christian’s attitude toward revolutionary movements? (Tit. 3:1, 2). What does God say of those who de spise the government under which they live? (2 Pet. 2:10; Jude 8). What is the Christian called upon to do in-relation to the civil authorities? (1 Tim. 2:1-4). What is the Church’s best weapon against unjust conditions? (2 Cor. 10:4). In the case of unrighteous demands,
what is the Christian’s proper attitude? (Acts 4:19; 5:29; 1 Pet. 3 :13-17). —o— G olden T ext I llustration Love worketh no ill to his neighbor (Rom. 13:10). A girl in the Sandwich Islands, a con vert from heathenism, had a class of children. In order to find out which of them were heathen and which had ac cepted Christianity, in her simplicity she said to each child in her class, “Do you love your neighbors,' even those who are mean to you?” If a child answered “Yes,” the unsophisticated teacher said,, “Then you are a Christian—stand here.” If the child answered “No,” she said, with equal decision, “Then you are a heathen—stand on the other side.” Thus did she divide the sheep from the goats, and she was not wrong, for love is the first fruit of the Spirit, the badge whereby all men may know that one is a disciple of Christ. ' -At- .' ■ B y D r . R obert T uck TWITTING the New Life into Old Rela- tions— When a man is, born of God, and made conscious •of a new life, with new interests, new motives, new desires, ligations, or his social conditions. He must find out how to fit his neW life into them, so that it may ennoble them, and they may in no way hinder or injure it. The .difficulty is seen very clearly in the case of Christians who had been heathen, and must still keep in heathen surround ings. Those heathen round them were keenly on thè watch for grounds of accu sation against them ; quick to discern any inconsistencies. The Christians were bound to be careful not to give offence, and bring the Christian name into dis repute. In this paragraph one form of practical difficulty with which the Chris tians had to deal is indicated. Their new life could not fail to bring to them a sense of dignity ; it might easily take a bad form, and become an assump tion of ■ superiority, which would spoil their every-day relations with men, and make them unwilling to submit to exist ing rule and authority. Their new life would give them a sense of freedom from all restraints, which might readily pass into resistance to, and rebellion against, the constituted authorities. Apostolic advice was specially needed under such circumstances, and St. Peter is fully in harmony with St. Paul in the advice that he gives. I. Christians should loyally * accept the governmental system of the country in which they dwell. —It may be monarchical, republican, colonial, or otherwise. There are different systems of government, and there must always be differences of opin ion as to which is absolutely the best, and which is relatively the best for a particu lar nation, at a particular time in its his- and new sympathies, he is often troubled by the ' difficulty of fitting his new self to the old associa tions. Those old as sociations he must keep. He c a n n o t c h a n g e his family circumstances, or his business, or his ob
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker