IS IT TREASONOUS TO RESIST, OR TO OBEY OUR CONTEMPORARY LEADERS?
George Washington, the Minutemen, and the Continental Congress, heroes, or traitors?
My understanding of the biblical significance of political involvement has been established over the years, and even decades of my adult life. It has often confounded me to recognize just how many Christians, and dare I say Christian Pastors downplay the Christian role of political involvement. Many of our brethren are righteously convinced that our political activism, or lack thereof, bears no spiritual significance. Many believe that we have little, to no spiritual duty, more than voting and obedience to the laws as presented by our modern American political establishment. I have struggled to impress upon many of my Christian brethren, the American concept of self-government.
For the most part in the Bible, the only forms of government we see are monarchical. The only exception is, Israel before they rebelled against God, and cried out to Samuel for a king. God had given the LAW, His word, the commandments for governance of Israel, God’s people. There were no dictators demanding service, and obedience from the citizens of Israel. The people rebelled against this arrangement, and sought a king, “like those of other nations.”.
God warned them, through the prophecy of Samuel what abominations they would suffer as a result of kings, but in their rebellion, they insisted, and God provided a king for them. God judged that their insistence on a king was rebellion against Him.
In a dictatorships, regardless of their particular arrangement, there is one, or a few, that issue commands, and decrees that the many are to submit to. To many Christians, when the Bible tells us to submit to the authority of governors, either we obey those laws, or we are rebellious, or disobedient.
I will agree that the citizen is to submit to, and obey the laws issued by the sovereign, the issue of the most importance to me is, who is that sovereign? In a dictatorship, the sovereign is the dictator and his appointees, but is America a dictatorship? Are our elected officials authorized to dictate and demand our submission? Some say yes, once the majority vote to elect them, they have plenary power to demand obedience. Is that what our supreme governing document says? Is that what pleases God?
This has thought process has guided my political philosophy for many years, and I have sought to convince others of the first three words of the US Constitution, “WE THE PEOPLE,” often without success.
In a recent discussion with my brother, he pointed out something that I had not yet realized. Many of our fellow American Christians, while believing that we are bound to blind obedience to the laws issued by our various levels of government, both elected, and appointed, also believe that the founding of our great republic was inspired, and anointed by God. While they believe that it was the providence of God that enabled the citizens of thirteen colonies to defeat the most powerful empire on earth, they believe that our contemporary office holders of federal, state, and local governments are authorized to set the standards for our citizenship, and we must obey.
The point that Steve brought to my attention is, when God authorized the American separation from the British Empire, those colonists were sovereign British citizens, and fully governed by the dictates, and commands of King George, and all appointed by his administration to govern the colonies. In other words, it was treason, insubordination, and rebellion for those colonists, our fore-fathers, to refuse to obey the laws of the king. It was no less treasonous than it would be for modern Americans to tell our present tyrannical administrations to pound sand.
Why then is there so much hesitancy among today’s Christian Americans to stand up to those marxist atheists that have infiltrated the halls of the Whitehouse, Congress, and the Supreme Court, and demand a return to the republic that was fought for, and won by our forefathers?
The first three words of the preamble to our Constitution are, “We the people.” That makes the American sovereign, (or the governing authorities of America,) “We the people,” that’s you and me. And it is high time, and approaching the point of no return, for us to, “just say no,” to those that seek to rule over us with an iron fist, in the tradition of those that laid down their lives to establish this great republic.
God bless you, Dave