OUR NATION AND THE ISSUES IT FACES: GOD, Caesar, and Me

We begin our 45 Days of Praying for the Elections.  For the next 45 days we will focus our Devotionals on how to pray for the upcoming elections.  This week we will be in prayer about Our Nation and the Issues it Faces.  May the Lord enlighten our hearts with His Word and may each devotional encourage our thinking to align with God's Word!

Our Lord Jesus in the world was often in the position that we find ourselves, an enemy of the institutions that exercise levels of worldly authority over us. Both the religious agenda represented by the Pharisees, and the political agenda of the Herodians who were aligned with the Roman authority hated Jesus because He, like we, who are His disciples, are committed to the truth of God’s Word, as even they acknowledged (14). They form the historic picture of our enemies in the world that are under the sway of the wicked one, (1 John 5:19), Satan, who will use the hypocrisy and heresy of the religious community, and the lies and deception of government authorities to come together against the Truth to destroy or suppress it by putting it against or under the authority of men. Jesus’ response was not an affirmation that condoned the ungodliness of Rome’s authority, but that human government is ordained of God and established for order in the secular affairs of men and it is accountable and will be judged by God. “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” (Romans 13).

The two groups sought to trap Jesus on the legal matter of taxes that were imposed on the Jews by the Romans, but our Lord’s response revealed that the issues were a much bigger matter by using the word, “THINGS unto Caesar” and “THINGS unto God”. Because the concept of the government is legitimately instituted by God, it has been given certain authorities over us and we have certain obligations, responsibilities, and accountabilities to the government in this world. The challenge for us in this world is how to live godly in this present age, maintaining appropriate allegiance to our temporary government on this earth and our eternal allegiance to the Kingdom of God for His ultimate glory and honor and praise. There is much resistance, ignorance, disinterest and neglect to understanding how important is our witness of to the government that God has placed us to live under for His glory,

First, Christians are to resist any obedience to the government when we are asked or ordered to disobey a command, instruction or principle that goes against the Word of God. Every law that we are called to obey from the government that calls us to disobey or denounces the authority of the Bible is in conflict with the higher and eternal allegiance to our God. We are to stand in the same manner as the Apostles Peter and John in chapters 4 and 5 of the Book of Acts when they declared, “We must obey God rather than men”. The higher call above the government is we have been created to be well pleasing to God (Philippians 2:13).

Second, Christian must obey the command of God to pray for those who have the rule over us. We owe our government authorities prayer not just for our agreement, disagreement or personality preference, but because of for their Biblically assigned position to affect the quality of the lives we live under its authority performing the works that we are doing for God. The language that God uses implies that this is to be a serious task that He calls to when He says, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all in high places of authority, that we might live a quiet, peaceful life in all godliness and dignity” (I Timothy 2:1,2).

Third, Christians are supposed to not only to support the government with our prayers, but we are to support the government with all legal obligations for taxes. In was taxes/tribute that The Pharisees and Herodians used to try to trap Jesus, and though Jesus to the matter to a higher level than they expected, His answer was in agreement that taxes that were legally imposed upon citizens are to be paid, especially by Christians who are committed to the same honesty of our Lord. Romans 13, says, “For because of this you pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due…” Support the government because they serve a purpose within the sovereign order of God’s plan.

Fourth, Christians must never go against their Christian conscience to obey the government. We must make choices on things that God either has not spoken specifically about, or things that He allows liberty when exercised with a clear, clean conscience before God. The Christian whose conscience that is regularly exercised by growing spiritually through use of the Word of God will usually have a law abiding sense of wanting to do the right and certainly anything that does not grieve (Ephesians 4:30) or quench the Holy Spirit of God (I Thessalonians 5:19). The Christian must have a confidence of faith and a peace in their hearts knowing they must ultimately give account to God (II Corinthians 5:10) and (Romans 14:23), “…whatsoever is not of faith to him it is sin”.

Fifth, Christians must resist and not condone when it comes to matters of legislating immorality or unethical acts that are set forth by the government. We are in a major time when the government has become corrupted by a legislative power that seeks to make outright ungodliness legal. They seek to make the moral mandates from God such as homosexuality, transgender assignment and surgical mutilation and transgender affirming care of children and same sex marriage the law of the land. Just because Caesar says it is right, we can never give it authority over God’s Word. (Romans 1:18-32) says that when a nation falls to debased legislation it is evidence that it has been given over by God to reprobation and is right for the judgment of God’s wrath upon it. (Romans 1:32),”…although they know the law of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but give hearty approval of those who practice them”.

Prayer: Almighty God, please make Your thoughts and Your ways crystal clear to us so that we find no peace aligning ourselves with anything that is against You. Give us courage to stand with and for You in this world. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we ask You. Amen.
By Pastor Wayne Cockrell