Government: How far should we obey?
I think we should be patriotic in the right way. We ought to look at God's providential care in the life of our nation according to Romans 14:1-7. We just need to look at the whole picture. God never commanded the governments to "spread the Gospels". God commanded to Christians to spread the Gospels. The Gospel is for "spiritual society" while the Governments are for "human society".
Every Christian should be loyal to their own country whether its USA, Canada, Scotland, China and etc.
I have read many great Christians persecuted under hardship of so called "godless government". The Bible did SAY that God did appointed all rulers ESPECIALLY Egypt and Rome. Even Jesus submitted to the Roman Government. It is an easy topic but NOT easy to accept the fact. Therefore, God allowed fallible man to run for government such as Hitler, Stalin, Rwanda and others. God is the one who began the process of government.
Some of the examples that I listed them as part of my personal "Hall of Faith".
1. Corrie ten Boom was born in Holland into a Christian family who loved the Word of God. This upbringing, with the focus on Jesus, meant that Corrie behaved as she did when the world, in the form of German troops, invaded Holland in 1940. The Germans despised the Jew and were persecuting them with great savageness. Their property was being possessed and Jewish families were being split up with men, women and children being shipped to work camps and concentration camps. Throughout Europe over five million Jews were murdered by the Germans, all of this within the lifetime of many people alive today!
Christians stand up to what is good and publicly decry what is evil and Corrie was no exception. She opposed this evil and joined the underground movement in an attempt to hide Jews from the Germans and to smuggle them to safety.
She and her family were eventually betrayed and imprisoned. Corrie and her sister were shipped to various concentration camps where they continued to teach fellow prisoners about Jesus Christ. Her sister died whilst they were imprisoned. Corrie was eventually released through a clerical error and during the week following her release all of the women of her age were gassed.
Following the war Corrie helped in rehabilitation camps and she travelled all over the world telling people of her experiences and of how faithful and loving God is.
Her story was written down in the best-selling book The Hiding Place and a film, based on the book, was made by the film company established by Billy Graham.
2. "Salvation is free, ... but discipleship will cost you your life." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) German theologian and activist Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Theologian, spiritual writer, author of fiction and poetry, central figure in the Protestant church struggle against Nazism. He was hanged in the Nazi concentration camp at Flossenbürg on April 9, 1945.
Sometimes it is really hard to figure out what to do. To many people, Hitler was probably the most evil government leader this world ever had. Peter and the apostles had opportunities to say, "We ought to obey God rather than men." The only time Christians can violate God's government is when a Christian is asked to disobey God. You can read many Bible characters including Daniel disobey the Government out of principle rather than simple disobience. During the time of Hitler, Bonhoeffer was being force to sign with Hitler's view of Christian church which of course he refused which lead to Bonhoeffer's plan to disobey Hitler and eventually that disobedient got himself hanged.
Reading history of great Christians who died in the hands of the government is a good learning history. We need to discern and figure out how FAR should we obey the Government before we decide to disobey as Daniel and Bonhoeffer did.
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