Peace vs. Justice

[mrquack]

Hey Mike,

I have been pondering this one for quite some time.

Most of us in America celebrate the legacies of our forefathers. We hold Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, etc. in high regard. They freed our nation from a tyrannical king. However, had they lost, they would have been forever labeled as demagogues, rebels or mutinous. Since they won the war, they are heroes and patriots.

Most people, at least the ones reading this blog, would also agree that most of them were Christians, and probably a better majority than today were authentic believers in Christ.

Those who believed in Christ committed murder. They rebelled against their governing authority. Lied, cheated, stole and killed some more.

In relating to today's world and today's terms, people still attempt to overthrow governments and tyrannical rulers. In Honduras, they somehow did it with out shedding blood, a rare feat. However, most revolutions and coups start with bloodshed. Their president tried to over rule their constitution and they said "no".

Our gov has condemned it, calling them rebels, enemies of democracy, even terrorists. Was Washington a terrorist?

The Bible says submit to the government, God created govs to keep order. But at what point, if ever, is it okay to rebel? Was the War for Independence something God would support or hate? The people in that time certainly saw it as a Just war, often quoting the Bible and of course, writing, "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights".

When a government denies God, kills babies, promotes sin and steals from the people, is it justifiable for the people to rebel? What is the breaking point according to God's Laws?

[Mike Miller]

Ok, not an easy question. To begin with, according to Romans 13:1-5 and 1 Peter 2:13-17, all governments, whether good or evil, are put in place by God. We as Christians are to be subject to them. The only time in Scripture that it seems right to disobey or rebel against rulers is when they command us to violate God's commands. Examples of this would be when the midwives in Exodus were told to murder babies, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were told to worship the statue, and when the apostles were told in Acts 4 not to speak of Jesus. They had to obey God rather than men. However, unless the government is attempting to force me to violate Scripture, I am to submit and obey.

So, what about rebelling against a wicked government? What about fighting for independence? Well, in Romans 13, Paul said that "whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed." Not sure it gets any more clear than that. And this (as well as the 1 Peter text) was written to Christians living under a wicked Roman government. In fact, in 1 Peter, the believers were being severely persecuted, but they were told not to resist.

But what about one nation warring against another in order to liberate people? It's true that many times in Scripture, God used one nation to bring judgment against another. However, we have to be very careful then in presuming we are doing the Lord's work--or even that the work we are doing is humanitarian. It could be, but Christians for centuries have looked to Augustine's just war theory as a guide. The following from Wikipedia seems to me to be an accurate summary:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_War

Finally, as for a newly formed government fighting for independence, the biblical mandate is less clear. As individuals we must submit to the governing authorities unless they demand that we violate Scripture. As a nation, some war is just, but not all. But for a rebel government, the verdict is one only God can render (which means that the American revolution might or might not have been biblically justified--a big help, right?).

[mrquack]

Apparently our forefathers were familiar with "Just War" because they did address their greivances peacefully at first, they formed a group that was given authority by many and they did have good intentions. Obviously, I am glad our nation is independent of the Brits, French and Spanish.

God has given me an answer to this question via my heart, but of course I want scripture to confirm it.

The answer I am feeling is: we (Christians) are not of this world, we are not subject to it now that we have Christ in our hearts. Therefore, no matter the consequence, perceived or known outcome, even death, we should meet all situations by proclaiming and glorifying Christ. We know what awaits us so why get caught up in worldly pursuits.

That being said, I think justice and equal rights should be upheld and the corrupt voted out and that these are good things to fight for while we are here.

Hopefully, when I die, I will have the opportunity to glorify the name of Jesus.