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X.
Christian Liberty
Chapter 104
:
The Powers that Be
1. WHO should be
subject to civil government?
"Let every soul be subject
unto the higher powers. For
there is no power but of God." Rom. 13:1.
2. By whom are the
powers that be ordained?
"The powers that be are ordained of
God." Same verse.
3. What does one
resist, who resists civil authority?
"Whosoever therefore resisteth the
power, resisteth the ordinance of God:
and they that resist shall receive to themselves
damnation." Verse 2.
NOTE.-"That is, they who rise up against
government itself, who seek anarchy and
confusion, who oppose the regular execution
of the laws. It is implied, however, that
those laws shall not be such as violate the
rights of conscience or oppose the law of
God."- Dr. Albert Barnes, on Rom. 13:2.
4. What do the
Scriptures indicate as the proper sphere and
legitimate work of civil authority?
"For rulers are not a terror to good
works, but to the evil. . . . If thou do
that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth
not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of
God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him
that doeth evil." Verses 3, 4.
5. For whom is law
made?
"Knowing this, that the law is not
made for a righteous man, but for the lawless
and disobedient." 1 Tim. 1:9.
6. How are Christians
admonished to respect civil authority?
"Put them in mind to be subject to
principalities and
powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to
every good work." Titus 3:1. " Submit yourselves
to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake:
whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto
governors, as unto them that are sent by him for
the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise
of them that do well. . . . Honor all men. Love
the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king." 1
Peter 2:13-17. "For for this cause pay ye
tribute also: for they are God's ministers,
attending continually upon this very thing.
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to
whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear
to whom fear; honor to whom honor." Rom. 13:6,7.
7. In what words does
Christ show that there is another realm outside
of Caesar's, or civil government?
"Render therefore unto Caesar the
things which are Caesar's; and unto God the
things that are God's." Matt. 22:21.
8. To whom alone did He
say worship is to be rendered?
"Thou shalt worship the Lord thy
God, and Him only shalt thou serve."
Matt. 4:10.
9. What decree did King
Nebuchadnezzar once make respecting worship?
"To you it is commanded, O people,
nations, and languages, that at what time ye
hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of
music, ye fall down and worship the golden
image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set
up. And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth
shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace."' Dan. 3:4-6.
NOTE.-This decree was in direct conflict
with the second commandment of God's law,
which forbids making, bowing down to, and
serving images. It was religious,
idolatrous, and persecuting in character.
10. What answer did the
three Hebrew captives, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego, return when asked by the king why
they had not fallen down and worshiped the
golden image, as he had commanded?
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,
answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar
, we are not careful to answer thee in this
matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is
able to deliver us from the burning fiery
furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine
hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee,
O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor
worship the golden image which thou hast set
up." Verses 16-18.
11. What did
Nebuchadnezzar then do?
"Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of
fury, and the form of his visage was changed
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: . . .
and he commanded the most mighty men that were
in his army; to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning
fiery furnace." Verses 19, 20.
12. After their
miraculous deliverance, what did Nebuchadnezzar
say?
"Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said,
Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego, who hath sent His angel, and
delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and
have changed the king's word, and yielded their
bodies, that they might not serve nor worship
any god, except their own God." Verse 28.
NOTE.-By preserving these men in the fire,
and thus changing the king's word, God was
demonstrating before all the world, through
this greatest of then-existing earthly
kingdoms, that with the question of religion
civil governments can of right have nothing
whatsoever to do; that religion is a realm
outside the legitimate sphere of civil
authority; and that every individual should
be left free to worship, or not to worship,
according: to the dictates of his own
conscience. The lesson to be learned from
this is that, although ordained of God,
civil governments are not ordained to direct
or oppress men in religious matters.
13. How only did the
envious princes and rulers under King Darius
conclude that they could effect the downfall of
Daniel?
"Then said these men, We shall not
find any occasion against this Daniel, except we
find it against him concerning the law of
God." Dan. 6:5.
14. To this end, what
decree did they prevail upon the king to make
and sign?
"That whosoever shall ask a petition
of any God or man for thirty days, save of
thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den
of lions." Verse 7.
NOTE.-Unlike the decree of Nebuchadnezzar,
this decree forbade the worship of the true
God, and was therefore in direct conflict
with the first commandment, which forbids
the worship of any other than the true God.
Like it, however, it was religious and
persecuting in character.
15. How did Daniel
regard this decree?
"Now when Daniel knew that the
writing was signed, he went into his house; and
his windows being open in his chamber toward
Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three
times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before
his God, as he did aforetime." Verse 10.
16. What was finally
done with Daniel?
"Then the king commanded, and they
brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of
lions." Verse 16.
17. What did Darius say
to Daniel the next morning when he came to the
lions' den?
"The king spake and said to Daniel, O
Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God,
whom thou servest continually, able to deliver
thee from the lions?" Verse 20.
18. What was Daniel's
reply?
"Then said Daniel unto the king, O
king, live forever. My God hath sent His angel,
and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have
not hurt me: forasmuch as before Him innocency
was found in me; and also before thee, O king,
have I done no hurt." Verses 21, 22.
NOTE.-Here again was demonstrated by a most
remarkable miracle, wrought in the face of
the greatest nation then in existence, that
with the directing, prescribing,
proscribing, or interfering with religion or
its free exercise, civil governments can of
right have nothing whatever to do; that
religion is an individual matter, and should
be left to the dictates of each one s own
conscience.
19. Before leaving His
disciples, what command did Christ give them?
"Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15.
20. What
counter-command did the Jewish Sanhedrin soon
afterward give them?
"And they called them, and commanded
them not to speak at all nor teach in the name
of Jesus." Acts 4:18.
21. What reply did
Peter and John make?
"But Peter and John answered and said
unto them, Whether it be right in the sight
of God to harken unto you more than unto God,
judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things
which we have seen and heard." Verses 19, 20.
22. For continuing to
preach Jesus, what did the Jewish rulers do to
the apostles?
"Then the high priest rose up, and
all they that were with him, (which is the sect
of the Sadducees,) and were filled with
indignation, and laid their hands on the
apostles, and put them in the common prison."
Acts 5:17,18.
23. What did an angel
of God then do?
"But the angel of the Lord by night
opened the prison doors, and brought them
forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in
the temple to the people all the words of this
life." Verses 19, 20.
NOTE.-Here once again is demonstrated the
fact that men have no right to interfere
with the free exercise of religion, and that
when the laws of men conflict with the law
and Word of God, we are to obey the latter,
whatever the consequences may be. God
Himself has set the seal of His approval to
such a course. John Bunyan was imprisoned
for twelve years for daring to preach the
gospel contrary to law.
24. Upon the apostles
being called before the council again, what
question did the high priest ask them?
"Did not we straitly command you
that ye should not teach in this name? and,
behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your
doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood
upon us." Verse 28.
25. What reply did the
apostles make?
"Then Peter and the other apostles
answered and said, We ought to obey God
rather than men." Verse 29.
NOTE.-"Obedience is to be rendered to all
human governments in subordination to the
will of God. These governments are a
recognized necessity, in the nature of the
case, and their existence is manifestly in
accordance with the divine will. Hence the
presumption is always in favor of the
authority of civil law, and any refusal to
obey must be based on the moral proof that
obedience will be sin. . . . It is still
true that obedience to human law often
involves sin against God and man. There are
cases so clear that no one can question the
duty to refuse obedience. In all times and
in all lands such cases have arisen." "It is
too obvious to need discussion, that the law
of God, the great principle of benevolence,
is supreme, and that 'we ought to obey God
rather than men' in any case of conflict
between human law and the divine."-
"Moral
Philosophy," by James H. Fairchild, pages
178-181.
26. Who is higher than
the "higher powers"?
"If thou seest the oppression of the
poor, and violent perverting of judgment and
justice in a province, marvel not at the matter:
for He that is higher than the highest
regardeth; and there be higher than they."
Eccl. 5:8.
NOTE.-In attempting to defend the right of
civil government to enforce religious
observances by law, some still ask, "Shall
we not obey the powers that be?" We answer,
"Yes, when they are in harmony with the
higher powers that be. God made His law for
all the universe. He created man;. He gives
the bounteous provisions of nature, and
holds our breath and life In His hand. He is
to be recognized, His law honored, before
all the great men and the highest earthly
powers."
27. Because Mordecai
refused to bow down to Haman in accordance with
the command of King Ahasuerus (Esther 3:1-6),
what decree did Haman succeed in having the king
issue and send to every province throughout the
Persian Empire?
"And the letters were sent by posts
into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to
kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both
young and old, little children and women, in one
day, even upon the thirteenth day of the
twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to
take the spoil of them for a prey. The copy of
the writing for a commandment to be given in
every province was published unto all people,
that they should be ready against that day."
Esther 3:13,14.
NOTES.-By an overruling of Providence the
carrying out of this terrible decree was
averted, and Haman was hanged on the very
gallows which he had erected for the
execution of Mordecai. See Esther 7:9,10.
God has placed the sword (civil authority)
in the hands of Caesar (civil government)
for the punishment of evil-doers; but when
the sword is raised to slay the innocent,
as in the case of the children of Bethlehem
(Matt. 2:16) ; or to enforce idolatrous
worship, as in the case of the three
Hebrews (Daniel 3); or to prohibit the
worship of the true God, as in the case
of Daniel (Daniel 6); or to slay all of
God's people, as in the time of Esther;
or to enforce the observance of a false
sabbath, as in the case of all Sunday
laws, it is an abuse of civil
authority, and not a proper or justifiable
use of it; and God honors those who, under
such circumstances, in the face of
persecution, oppression, and death, remain
loyal and true to Him.
"Government is never the gainer in the
execution of a law that is manifestly
unjust. . . . Conscientious men are not the
enemies, but the friends, of any government
but a tyranny. They are its strength, and
not its weakness. Daniel, in Babylon,
praying contrary to the law, was the true
friend and supporter of the government;
while those who, in their pretended zeal for
the law and the constitution, would strike
down the good man, were its real enemies. It
is only when government transcends its
sphere that it comes in conflict with the
consciences of men.
"But it is objected that the example is
corrupting,- that a bad man will violate a
good law, because the good man refuses to
obey a wicked law. The cases are just as
unlike as right and wrong and any attempt to
justify the one by the other is gross
dishonesty. Unquestionably, the principle
can be abused by the wicked, and so can any
truth whatever; but the principle of
unquestioning obedience to human law is
false, and needs no perversion to make it
mischievous. . . .
"It should always be remembered that the
great end of government is human well-being,
that law and authority are nothing in
themselves, and that all their sacredness
arises from the uses which they serve. The
machinery of government is valuable only for
the work it does; in itself, it has no
value. . . . The most grievous of all
imperfections in government is the failure
to secure the just and good result. . . .
Injustice and oppression are not made
tolerable by being in strict accordance with
the law. Nothing is surer, in the end, than
the reaction of such wrong to break down the
most perfectly constituted government."-
"Moral Philosophy," by James H. Fairchild,
pages 184-186.
God is above all earthly rulers, and His law
above all human laws. He made us, and we
therefore owe allegiance to Him before any
earthly power, potentate, or tribunal. And
this is saying nothing in disparagement of
civil authority exercised in its rightful
domain- civil things.
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