Politics and Biblical Authority on Exercise of Authority

As we continue in Romans Chapter thirteen, look at these first seven verses we have come to verses three and four. We looked at an overview really of the very idea of politics and how we approach politics, and how we engage politics, and how we think about politics. We looked at some of the presuppositions that we have inherited from our culture and from our past. And then the next segment, we looked at our submission to authority in those first two verses, recognizing that all authority comes from God, that our submission to authority is always by proxy, as we submit to those human authorities that God has placed in our life as our submission to Him, and that because of that, rebellion against those authorities is rebellion against God. How our submission to authority is absolute but limited, and that there are times when we cannot obey an authority who requires what God forbids, or forget or forbids what God requires, And during those times our response is to appeal to authority when necessary, and should the opportunity arise, to confront authority, and as a last resort, to defy authority. All the while, in all of those phases recognizing that it may cost us the loss of property, liberty, or life, but that God is still indeed in control. This week we turn the corner and we look at the exercise of authority in verses three and four. This is often overlooked in Romans chapter thirteen. Again, the usual way that Romans Chapter thirteen is discussed among Christians in our culture is basically, Romans thirteen, close your mouth and submit. That's all that's there in Romans chapter thirteen, close your mouth and submit. Whatever the government does is right, and that's government. We're Church. You know. They have nothing to do with us. We have nothing to do with them. We're not political, so on and so forth. So just be quiet and submit. But in verses three and four, God has much to say about the exercise of authority. God gives us clear instructions as to what those in authority are required to do, how those in authority are required to exercise their authority. And because of this, these two verses dispel many myths that exist about politics and the Christian The first myth is this. It dispels the myth of myth of political neihilism, the idea that politics don't matter, unimportant it's just all terrible anyway, it's all corrupted anyway. It dispels that myth because right here in God's Word, right here in the New Testament and Magnum Opus on Justification and Sanctification, the Apostle Paul takes the time to discuss the issue of politics and government, so he dispels that it does matter. It also dispels the myth of political Palagianism. Political Palagianism is a term that I'd like to use to sort of categorize those people who believe, you know, like pelagious. Pelagian heresy was basically that man was somewhat corrupted by the fall, but not completely corrupted by the fall, and because of that he could reason his way to God. God. And there are many people who call themselves Calvinists, but when it comes to politics, they're Pelagian because they believe that corrupt man doesn't need the Bible in order to govern rightly, that we Christians just need to leave them alone and they'll figure it out. That's political Pallagianism. We have the Word of God, but the word of God doesn't say anything to the subject. They don't need the word of God on the subject. They're outside of the realm of God's authority. Let them go out there and do politics, because you can do politics without the word of God. That's political palagianism. Paul dispels that myth here in this text because he speaks clearly to what the responsibility is of those who govern. It also dispels the myth of political syncretism. Political syncretism happens when we try to sort of merge and in mesh the worship of God in the service of the state all sort of rolled up in the one as though there are no distinctions whatsoever. There are distinctions, and this makes that clear that those distinctions exist. And it also dispels a myth of the poisonous combination of these things. Think about this. Conservative Bible believe in Christians who believe that the Bible is the Word of God, who believe that Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. It's ironic that people would use that phrase and then say that Jesus has nothing to do with politics. You know who kings are, who lords are the political figures. He's the king of kings, He's the Lord of lords. We believe that wholeheartedly. That the Bible is true, it is the word of God. And at the same time, we believe either in political nihilism that that stuff over this corrupt, it doesn't matter, can't get any better, or you know, you know, somehow political pallagianism, they'll figure it out without the word of God. And then on the other hand, there are people who have corrupt doctrine, who do not believe the Bible is the word of God, who are governed by other philosophies and theologies, who are allowed to run rampant and promote their theology as the one that teaches the magistrate how to govern. God help us, God help us. So what does that look like? You know, we have a perfect example of that there is right now. And this is a controversial thing. And I think it's so funny that this is a controversial thing among Christians. Right now We got you know, there's a monument in Washington, d c. To a pastor that nobody thinks of as a pastor. Why because he's part of the political syncretism movement, combining the pulpit and politics in such a way that he is known not for his preaching but for his I have a dream speech isn't it amazing that in a country where today, if someone who believes the Bible gets involved in some of these issues, the immediate response is you need to be quiet and go back where you came from. But there's a monument to a pastor in DC. Why because he wasn't about the gospel. That's why. It's a political figure, that's why. And the legacy that he has left is the legacy of the jesse Jacksons and al Sharptons of the world who hold the title reverend over black people's heads so that they can be trusted religious figures and do things politically that run completely counter to the Gospel. Yes, that just happened, but that's what happens. And all of a sudden, it's like, you know, there's political syncretism, and we got to you know, that's that's what they're doing over there. We got to stay over here. We can't speak to that issue. And now we have an entire legacy. By the way, why do I bring this up because I just want to, you know, be messy and say stuff that's controversial. No, I want you to watch this very carefully. What was the essence of doctor King's theology and political philosophy. It was Black liberation theology which is rooted in Marxism. Now black liberation theology rooted in Marxism led to the growth of his movement and the growth of these men who call themselves pastors only so they can hold sway in the black political community. Why is that significant? Well, one of the sons of that movement as a pastor by the name of Jeremiah Wright. Jeremiah Wright stands in the tradition of Martin Luther King black liberation theology, an open Marxist who disciple, a man for twenty years who is now our president, who is currently operating in accordance with Black liberation theology and Marxism, exercising his theology and his faith in the office of the president. While conservative Christians say out of place for us, it's marinate on that for a moment. This text also helps us understand the limits of governmental jurisdiction. There are limits of governmental jurisdiction. We've said this before, but it bears repeating. The home bears the rod of correction, the church wields the keys to the kingdom, the state wields the sword. Those are jurisdictions that God has ordained and that must be respected. And as we've said before, here's what we can't do. We can't say that. On the one hand, we have, you know, the home and its jurisdiction that is checked by outside jurisdictions, which both the church and the state check the jurisdiction of the home. So if within the home that jurisdiction is being abused, there's a parent abusing a child, or a child abusing a parent who later on in life or whatever. If that's happening, then the state comes in and exercises its authority against that individual who's abusing their jurisdiction. Or if that's happening and the church sees that abuse of jurisdiction, then the church comes in and responds and disciplines an individual for the usurpation of that jurisdiction. If the state is doing something, if the church, for example, is doing something that's out of line and is running up against the laws of the state, then the state comes in and says, no, you can't do this. But there are Christians who think it's fine for the jurisdiction of the home and the jurisdiction of the church to be checked when they're out of whack. Who would argue that there's no one who's supposed to check the jurisdiction of the state. That dog won't hunt. God did not make two institutions with limited jurisdiction and one that could do whatever it pleased. It's not what he created. The jurisdiction of the state has limits and must be checked as well. Thirdly, we also see the limits of governmental influence. The limits of governmental influence, and here's where political syncretism goes wrong. The government is not responsible for the Great Commission. The government is not the place where we fulfill the Great Commission. By the way, neither is the home. The Great Commission is the commission of the church. Yeah, but I thought in my home I was supposed to. Yeah, you are, But you do that under the jurisdiction of the church as a member of the church. You don't do that independently of the church. The Great Commission is given to the church. It's not given to the state. So when we try to use the state in order to expand the Kingdom of God, we have aired. We've aired when we try to exercise our authority. Let's say what we become a member of the government or whatever, and we're exercising government authority, and we try to use our authority in a great commission kind of way and use our office in order to expand the Kingdom of God. As an officer of the state, we're out of line. We're in the line. You as an individual, proclaim the Gospel, regardless of which one of those offices I hold, Yes, but I don't use my office for that cause. So if your goal is the advance of the Gospel, there's a place for that. It's called the church. Well, what am I doing then, as a Christian with my life, if I'm serving in one of these offices, great commandment, you're doing good to your fellow man because he's made in the image of God. So if you you desire to serve your fellow man because he's made in the image of God, and you want to benefit him because he's made in the image of God, the exercise of political authority may be a wonderful place for you to go and do that. God bless you get after it. Do it, and do it extremely well, do it better than anybody else. But what does it look like when you do it? That's where Paul informs us and verses three and four. Let's go back again to verse one. 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. Therefore, because these authorities come from God, because they've been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resist what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. Now again, he's talking about temporal judgment here, not eschatological judgment. He's talking about temporal judgment. Now that temporal judgment is sort of a foreshadowing and a picture of the idea of eschatological eschatological judgment. But it's not the same. Verse three four. Rulers are not. Rulers are not. Paul's making a statement about what rulers are and what rulers are not. The Bible teaches speaks to what rulers are supposed to do and what they're supposed to be, not just in theocratic Israel. Paul is not speaking to a theocracy here. Rulers are not a terror to good conscience, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is an authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good folks. He's talking about Rome. What are you talking about, Paul. Are you talking about some theoretical government in the future that exists, you know, based on biblical principles and biblical foundations. Is that what this is, Paul? Are you talking about a government that we establish someday as Christians somewhere in the world. Certainly that's what you're talking about. No, Paul's talking about right now, right here, everywhere, the Roman government. Paul knows nothing of America. Amen, he knows nothing of America. By the way, John knew nothing of America. All these people want to go and the revelation and find America. This is not the new Jerusalem. This place is gonna burn. Heymen, It's gonna burn. This is not the be all, the end all, folks. Paul's talking about Rome. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is the servant of God and avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrong doer. Wow. Therefore one must be a subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes. For authorities or ministers of God attending to the very to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them, taxes to whom tax are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. So in this even we see the universality of governmental responsibility before God. Paul is not saying, in the event that there's ever a Christian government, this is how government officials are supposed to conduct themselves. Paul is speaking in universal terms about every person, everywhere, in every time in history, who has ever or will ever hold an office of authority in any governmental structure. Let's be clear about that. Okay, let's be clear about that. By the way, this is an important point. You'll see the import and of it later, but first let me demonstrate the point. A possible does not say the Christian ruler is a servant of God for your good. He's speaking about any ruler. He is here giving instruction to those who would rule. Now, as I say this again, our tendency is to think, you know, yeah, but that's isn't that really just what we believe. That's what people believe all over the world. Even the radical secularist of our day believe the same thing. In fact, let me read some excerpts for you. This is from a speech on October first by our president. And listen to this. And as you listen to this, here's what I want you to keep in mind. So called secularists want us to believe that what they want is the separation of church and state. What they want is religion out of politics. What they believe is that you cannot legislate morality. That's their argument. And again, remember we've already defined those terms. If you mean by you cannot legislate morality, you cannot make a law that will make people moral. Yes, if you mean by you cannot legislate morality, that you cannot make laws that are moral. No, morality is the only thing you can legislate. Everything that we legislate is morality. You cannot divorce morality from politics. You cannot divorce religion from politics. Now listen to this. In light of that, he is speaking to the Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest homosexual advocacy groups in the world. Every single American gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society. That's morality. By the way, it's all religion. That's a religious conviction of his. He goes on. But we can be proud of the progress we've made these past two and a half years. Think about it. Two years ago, I stood at this podium, in this room before you, before many of you, and I made a pledge. I said I would never counsel patients that that it wasn't right to tell you to be patient any more than it was right for others to tell African Americans to be patient in the fight for equal rights a half a century ago. We are going to succeed. We are going to build a more perfect union. So let's see what happened. I met with Judy Shepherd. I promised her that we would pass a hate crimes bill named for her son, Matthew, And with the help of my dear friend Ted Kennedy, we got it done. Many questions whether we succeed in repealing don't ask, don't And yes, it took two years to get the repealed through Congress. We had to hold the coalition together. We had to keep up the pressure. We took flat from all over the place, says we got it done. All around the world. You've got gays and lesbians who are serving, and the only difference is now they can put a family photo up. No one has to live and serve the country they love and secret vowed to keep up the fight against the so called Defense of Marriage Act. There's a bill to repeal this discriminatory law in Congress, and I want to see it passed. But until we reached that day, my administration is no longer defending doma in the courts. I believe the law runs counter to the Constitution, and it's time for it to end once and for all. Be good and to the end. Ultimately, these debates we're having are about more than just politics. They're about more than the polls and the pundits and who's up and who's down. This is a contest of values. That's what's at stake. This is a fundamental debate about who we are as a nation. There's a final paragraph and then he says, thank you very much, everybody, God bless you. That's theology Black liberation theology, that's morals, what's right, what's true, what's fair. It always has been and it always will be. It is not possible to govern apart from theology, religion, morality, and ethics. Politics don't exist out there in a vacuum that somehow fails to encompass who we are as moral and ethical and religious people. It does not. God knows that. That's why here in these two verses, Paul expressly tells those who govern, here's what your job is before God. Yeah, but that's only if they're Christians. Right in the Old Testament, God spoke to the issue of unjust scales, not just among his people, but against all people when it comes to the failure to honor God. Listen to this, Daniel, chapter five. You remember Belsizzar is the king, and he goes and he having a wild night in the castle, and he says, go bring me all that stuff that we took out of Israel, out of their temple. Go bring me that stuff. And they're drinking out of goblets, and they're they're carousing with all of these things. And listen to what he says. And then all of a sudden, the hand appears and some handwriting appears on the wall. Just go get me somebody who can interpret this. There's nobody who can interpret this. The queen mother remembers Daniel. Daniel's been off the scene for a while. He's an old man. Now go get Daniel. Daniel comes in and he interprets what's on the wall. What does it meaning mean? He Tuckler, Parson, you've been weighed and found wanting, he says. But watch this, what's what Daniel says? And you his son, Nebker's son, Belsa's ar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this what God did with nebukd Nezzer. But you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, and of bronze and iron, and wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know. But the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. He says. You're going to die because you, as a king, have not honored God. But wait a minute, he's not a Hebrew. Certainly, God would not expect government officials who do not openly identify with Him to honor him. Listen to me, folks, God is not running for God. He does not need your vote to demand your allegiance. All authority comes from God. Every king, every ruler will bow before God. Oppression of the poor Ezekiel sixteen forty nine. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom, Not Israel, not Judah, Sodom, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom. She and her daughters had pride, excess of food and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. Not They didn't come to me in faith. They didn't do what God requires of every person who governs. And the New Testament, how can we read in Romans chapter two that God will render to each one according to his works, and somehow believe that God is going to judge all men according to the works that they have done or have left undone. But somehow those who govern are not going to be judged by the way they governed. It just doesn't follow, folks. There is a way that you must govern. So today follow this number One. God's going to hold those in power accountable for how they serve Him through their office. Let me say that again. God is going to hold those in power accountable for how they serve Him in their office. Every man, every woman who holds an office is going to be judged by God according to whether or not what they do looks like Romans thirteen, three and four. Two. We know what they need to know in order to serve appropriately. We know what they need to know in order to serve appropriately. Three we want to be a blessing to those who lead us and to those who may lead, especially since we are among those whom they lead. Amen. Does this follow so far? Four? We want them to be a blessing to us, which means five we must tell them what we know. How can we not do that? How can we sit here and go, oh, Sheriff, God's gonna get you because you're not serving in accordance with what God said. Now, no, no, I'm not gonna tell you, because you know you're the state. I'm the Church. I'm not gonna tell you. But God's gonna get you, folks. That's evil. It's evil, pure and simple. How can I know what God requires of those in leadership and not speak to that which God requires of those in leadership? I cannot do that. It makes absolutely no sense. And that's why political Pallagianism cannot be the way we look at the world. We also see here the exercise of governmental authority. Let's get here more carefully. Government authority is service to God and one's fellow men. Look at verse three and four again carefully. For the rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority, then do what is good and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is the servant of God and avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrong doer. He is God's servant. He is a servant of God. He carries out God's wrath. And again this is rome people. Those who serve in a position of governmental authority are serving God. They can serve him well or they can serve him poorly, but their authority comes from God. They're serving God. Therefore, any man seeking public office or to seek to acknowledge God, and anyone casting a vote for a man seeking public office ought to inquire as to whether he acknowledges God, and don't vote for him if he doesn't. How could you if you believe this? You know his job description? How can you know the job description God's servant, servant of God, executing God's wrath. How can you know that in his job description and not care what his theology is, not care if he acknowledges God, not care if he actually believes that his role is to be a servant of Almighty God. These distinctions between what's good and what's bad have to be made based on God's truth. So you don't get to, you know, sort of pervert this. Obama's not going to get to stand before God and say, listen, God, I promoted homosexuality because that was my truth. Wrong answer. God is the one who makes the determination between good behavior and bad behavior, which means any man who would seek to serve in public office who was to serve God must not only acknowledge God, but must know what God says about what's right and what's wrong. Listen to this I've read from this statement before, from this document, before the agreement of the settlers at Exeter in New Hampshire in sixteen thirty nine. Listen to the oath of office for a public official. You shall swear by the great and dreadful name of the High God, Maker and Governor of Heaven and Earth, and by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of the Kings and rulers of the Earth, that in His name and fear you will rule and govern His people according to the righteous will of God, ministering justice and judgment on the workers of iniquity, and ministering due encouragement and countenance to well doers, protecting of the people, so far as in you liath by the help of God, from foreign annoyance and inward disturbance, that they may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. So God be helpful and gracious to you and yours in Christ Jesus ah Man. That's the oth of office. Folks, do you understand that you're a servant of God must make a distinction between good conduct and bad conduct. He has to because the Bible says he's supposed to encourage good conduct and execute God's wrath upon bad conduct. He has to make a distinction between good conduct and bad conduct. By the way our President does that in his speech good conduct, open homosexuality in the military, bad conduct, don't ask, don't tell, good conduct, don't have doma bad conduct stand for the defensive marriage. He's making a distinguished a distinction between good conduct and bad conduct. That's what all governors do. And the reason that I want you to hear that, the reason that I want to lift that for you is because oftentimes when we get here and start making these distinctions and say this is what a governor is supposed to do, this is what a person in power is supposed to do, people sit back and they go, yeah, well, you're a Christian. You're holding everybody to your standard. No, I'm holding everybody to God's standard. But newsflash, this is how people govern, regardless of whether they've read Romans thirteen. They make a distinction between what is good conduct and what is bad conduct. One not only must this distinction be made based upon God's truth, but the person must view himself as acting in God's authority. When he does what he does. He must praise and reward good conduct, and he must execute swift vengeance against bad conduct. By the way, when you hear this, I want you to know something. We are far less religious here than the culture at large. I haven't said anything here about people's souls, their salvation and the governor's gotta read this, or I haven't said anything here about that, nothing here about that. But just follow me for a moment, because our culture at large is very religious when it comes to these matters and the execution of justice in what way well, social justice and wealth redistribution. What is that? That is an attempt to forcibly execute the laws of the Old Testament as it relates to the way we treat the poor. But they want God out of politics, hate crimes, legislation? What is that? That is judging the intentions of a man's heart based upon a distinction that you can only make if you have a biblical framework hate crimes. Hate is something that a person has in their heart. Rehabilitation Where does that come from? That's not Romans thirteen. The Bible knows nothing of rehabilitation outside of regeneration. The Bible knows restitution and vengeance. That's it. What's rehabilitation? We want to make a man a new creature through the power of the state. Criminal justice? What is criminal justice? Making a man repay his debt to society on society's dime? Folks, do you hear how religious all of that is. Romans thirteen says his job is really simple, punitive retributive justice. First of all, avenging God and the godly. Secondly protecting the godly. Thirdly, striking fear in the hearts of the wicked. Notice what he says for rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority later on? But if you do wrong, be afraid. He's an avenger, wrath of God. Fear terror? What is that? His job is to strike fear in the hearts of the unrighteous and to remove threats when necessary. This goes all the way back to Genesis nine. And for you and for your life blood, I will require a reckoning from every beast, I will require it, and from man, from his fellow man. I will require a reckoning for the life of a man. Whoever sheds the blood of a man by man, shall his blood be shed for God made man in his own image. The bearing of the sword goes all the way back to Genesis chapter nine. You kill a man, you die. Why an acknowledgement of the fact that that man has made in the image of God, and you have no right to take his life unless it is for a cause that God has established, thus emphasizing the value of human life. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked, Give justice to the weak and the fatherless, maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute, Rescue the weak and the needy, deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm eighty two two through four. What about the influence of governing authority? Here's where the robber sort of meets the road. If we understand that this is what God has called these individuals to do, to acknowledge God, to praise and reward the wicked, to punish those who would do evil. If we understand that this is what they are to be about, then what does this mean for us in the exercise of governing authority? Several things. One we've already alluded to. You have the privilege of being a part of a constitutional representative republic. It is your duty to know and exercise your rights as a citizen. You have to You have to know and exercise your rights as a citizen. Why because knowing and exercising your right as a citizen is your part in participating in this process. God says, this is what a person in governing authority is supposed to be. And for most of the people in the world, and for most of the history of the world, all people have been able to do is just sit down and hope that people did good by them, and if they didn't, hope that they died. You and I have the privilege of going to the ballot box. You and I have the privilege of examining candidates based upon Romans Chapter thirteen and the duties of candidates, and going to the ballot box and leaving the ballot box with a clear conscience because we cast our vote not based on who we thought could win, but based on what their duty is. Do you know why we don't get better candidates because we don't demand it. Amen, Because we don't demand it because we're pragmatists and we don't stand for anything. We don't take God at his word. Secondly, some of you need to be involved in the political process. Some of you are very well qualified to do this on behalf of your fellow citizens, and perhaps you ought to. You know why we don't think like this anymore because we have been trained to believe that the only thing that matters is the big offices. Who's the president, who's the governor. I've said this before and I'll say it again. It is far more important to who your sheriff is than who your president is. Why let me introduce you to a little principle. Remember when I talked about us as individuals submitting to authority, and remember what I said, when authority gets out of whack, there's a way that you address those grievances and respond to authority. Well, what do you do. You appeal to authority, you confront authority, and then, if necessary, you defy authority. What happens if you are a person in governing authority and there's a desk spot in another position of authority, then you have an obligation to appeal to that authority, to confront that authority, and maybe to oppose that authority. What does that look like, Well, it could look like the federal government passed in a law telling your sheriff to go execute it, and your sheriff saying that is immoral. I won't do it to these people here locally who I know, because it's not right. You can't do that, But he's obligated to. Don't you want to know that guy? Don't you want to be careful when you elect that guy? Does somebody in here want to be that guy? Why not? Why not? You may need to participate in that process. And one of the reasons that we don't as Christians participate more fully in that process is because of these myths that we've come to believe. But here's what I cannot, for the life of me comprehend. How can we as Christians know what is required of those who govern, cry, moan and complain because they don't do it in a land where you literally have the opportunity to one vote them out regularly, two run against them. Why so that you can establish the Kingdom of God in America? No, so that you can do good to your fellow man as a servant of God and a sphere where he's given clear instructions about how he's to be served. Two considerations before I close, because I cannot address Romans thirteen and these issues without addressing the two big questions. And the two big questions are these. What about the Revolutionary War and what about the Civil War? Those are the two big questions. Now you get people on many sides of this, and you get people on the side who'll say, well, you know, those wars were wrong because people rebelled against authority. Let me tell you that I believe that both of those wars were right. Let me tell you why. Those thirteen colonies were being governed laws by men who had been given the authority to govern them lawfully. The men who were duly elected and authorities in those thirteen colonies believed that there was a man in authority across the water who was abusing his authority. And they not as individual Christians who were avenging themselves. You never avenge yourself. Remember that you never avenge yourself. However, if you are a person in governing authority, you wield the sword in order to protect people, even if you have to protect them from another person who wields authority. The heads of those thirteen colonies got together and they voted and wrote up a legal document, And in the legal document they referred to the fact that they had appealed to George and confronted George, and now they were defying him. Did they do it perfectly? Nope, no government ever has. And then individual Christians had to choose which governing authority do I follow. Some went to England to be under the authority of King George because they believed he was right. Others stood with the people who were their local governing authorities and fought for independence. Those folks were well within their rights to do that. What about the Civil War? Did the Southern States have the right to secede? Let me make this very simple. Regardless of all of the things surrounding the Civil War and what you believe about the Civil War, what you've been taught either accurately or inaccurately or whatever, I can make this real simple for you without even getting into all the hot button topics. If the Southern States did not have the right to secede from the Union, then the Declaration of Independence should have been burned and thrown in the trash, because this country was founded through secession. The Southern States merely did what their ancestors had demonstrated to them was the proper thing to do when you had that kind of disagreement I don't care what position you hold on the war and its causes and all that, and it's been months talking about that. The bottom line is it is complete and utter hypocrisy to say that the Southern States did not have the right to secede, because the fact of the matter is they had more right to secede than America had to secede from England in the first place, because they were succeeding in a government that had been established based on a document of secession. And there were some Christian people who followed their leaders in Washington, DC and fought under their leaders in Washington, DC because they thought they were right and their consciences were clear according to what they knew. And there were some people in Southern states who fought under the leadership of their local leaders in their Southern states because they fought that what their leaders were doing was right. Individual Christians taking up arms because they're fed up with the government. No, you never get to avenge yourself. People in authority who believe that they are protecting those under their authority from those who would abuse them. They're doing their duty. They're doing their duty, which is why it is even more important that you know who these people are who are asking you to give your approval of them before they govern you. There's people all over this world who do not have the rights that you have, who do not have the freedoms that you have, and they cannot comprehend why so few people in our country bother to even participate. I know why. Political nihilism, political pollagianism. We believe it doesn't matter, it doesn't make a difference. Or we believe that that's for them and they can figure it out on their own, and they do not need the influence of those of us who know and serve God. Folks, nothing can be further from the truth. This stuff is of utmost importance. Is it our salvation? No it is not. No, it is not. Is it tantamount to our role and responsibility and proclaiming and advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, No it is not not at all. But it is in Romans chapter thirteen, which is written after Romans chapters one through eleven, which is an expression of how our lives are lived in light of the fact that we have been redeemed by Christ. We even look at government differently, we even exercise authority differently. This too is important, and this too is under the authority and clear instruction of Almighty God.