To retaliate or not to retaliate, that is the question

One of the hardest things to do (and yet one of the clearest signs that we're a child of God) is non-retaliation.

I don't know about you but when someone wrongs me in word or deed, while outwardly I may keep my composure, I often don't do so well internally. I mull over the injustice. I say a few 'how dare they"s. I sometimes even find some satisfaction in watching to see if God punishes them while I look on.

Now, I want to become more like Jesus. While God is giving me victory in this area, I still haven't arrived ... not by a long shot. I'm just being transparent. I also suspect that my inner turmoil is pretty common.

Well, in my Bible reading this morning, I came across the principle again. The Lord reminded me again that it's not my job to deal with wrongs. It's His. If the wrong is illegal, it's the government's job to deal with wrongs.

1 Peter 2:13-14 (New Living Translation)

"For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority - whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right."

Yet, a follower of God must never retaliate. It's not our job to pay people back no matter what they've done to us.

In my reading this morning, it was even noted that when we are wronged and don't retaliate, God notices and in some way will reward us on the Day in which Jesus judges the world. (The particular audience was slaves but the general principle remains.)

1 Peter 2:18-23 (New Living Translation)

"You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you - not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly."

When you are wronged today, remember that God is watching. If you respond in retaliation in some way, more than likely your response will not be fair or appropriate and God will not be pleased. But, if you leave the situation up to God who will respond appropriately, you'll see Him smiling at your response and setting aside another reward that you will receive on the Day of Judgment.

God gives us the leaders we deserve

Oftentimes, folks may not like the governmental leaders who are over them. Yet, that only brings out a biblical truth - God is the one who installs the leaders. Sure, our nation is one where we get to vote on who our leaders will be. But ultimately, God is working out His plan and determines who the leaders will be. And, God often gives a nation the leaders they deserve, not necessarily who they want.

Romans 13:1 "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." 

So, this truth tells me at least one thing: If we are discontented with our current leadership and the trajectory of our nation, there is more involved than simply letting our voice be heard at the ballot box. It also requires a change of heart. Because, based upon our nation's moral atmosphere and relationship with the God of all Creation, God will give us exactly who we deserve.

There are certainly more than a few who are discontented with our nation's leadership and the direction our nation is heading. But, there remains other questions: What are you doing to change our nation's heart? Are you sharing the Gospel? Are you returning good for evil? Are you being salt and light in your communities? Are you praying for your nation and her leaders?

If not, don't worry about the leadership. God will take care of that. We'll get exactly who we deserve.

Praying for a President we may not like or agree with...

When I was in a college, I owned an old '82 Datsun 200SX. Initially, I loved the car but then it developed some problems. I took it to the mechanic and they told me that the problem was electrical. For them to identify and fix the problem would cost more than the car was worth. So, instead of getting it fixed, I worked with it. Many mornings, I would get into the car with a full day's schedule ahead of me, put the key in the ignition ... and nothing happened. I turned the key again ... and the engine made a noise. In my mind (sometimes with my mouth), I encouraged the engine: "C'mon. You can do this! You're doing good. C'mon, let's get this day going. There you go. Ok, you can do this."

Maybe you aren't a fan of our current President. I am not. But, I realize that the Bible I read and strive to abide by tells me that I should pray for him regularly (1 Timothy 2:1-4). I must also realize that his fate is tide to my own. I may not like the bus driver who is transporting me from one location to another but I may find myself praying that he would get me there safely. His fate is tied to my own.

For this and many more reasons, we need to lift up our President in prayer right now. On the anniversary of 9/11, our President has authorized airstrikes on an enemy that needs to be annihilated. Yet, in doing so, we may bring much harm upon ourselves. These are days when true leadership is needed. Regardless of what we think of him, we must pray that God would lead him to make right decisions in these dark days … and then follow through on those right decisions.

Church, State, and Truth-telling

I was recently in a conversation with a well-intentioned Christian. We were talking about a potential moral dilemma that, if a reality, should be addressed by the Christian community at large. However, he informed me that I was forbidden by the U.S. government from talking about the issue from the pulpit. I bristled.

Why? Because I firmly believe that the pulpit is the place where I get to proclaim the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. If the government can silence me and I will allow myself to be silenced, then the whole process of truth-telling is undermined.

The reality of the matter is that American preachers are allowed by government to address moral issues, not candidates, if they want to keep their tax exempt status. In the following post (dated September 28, 2008), I share my motivation for "complying" with this law and how I believe my compliance does not even remotely undermine my ability to be a truth-teller.

"Why I won't advocate a presidential candidate today"

Today, September 28, is a day that pastors across our country are being asked to exercise their first amendment rights. At www.alliancedefensefund.org, it states: "Pastors participating in the Alliance Defense Fund’s “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” will preach from their pulpits Sept. 28 about the moral qualifications of candidates seeking political office. The pastors will exercise their First Amendment right to preach on the subject, despite federal tax regulations that prohibit intervening or participating in a political campaign."

While I believe the men and women of the Alliance Defense Fund are good people and have helped to serve the Christian cause for many years, it is my humble opinion that they are out of step in regard to this issue. The following brief points are the reasons why I won't participate:

1. First, it's not because I'm afraid of losing our tax exempt status - although I'm concerned that many pastors who take on the IRS will more than likely lose their case. Almost certainly, churches and pastors will get hurt as the IRS flexes it arms and exercises the laws on its books. But this isn't the reason why I won't advocate a presidential candidate from the pulpit. In my lifetime, there almost certainly will come a time when pastors will be told not to preach on certain issues (e.g. homosexuality, etc.). At that point, pastors will have to determine to serve God rather than man and take the consequences. But that's not the issue here.

2. I won't because I am convinced by unquestionable data that clearly reveals that no national, American revival has ever originated in the White House. At some point in the past, it seems that the U.S. government looked to the local churches to point the way to truth and righteousness. Now, it seems that many Christians are looking out their church windows to the Capital for the same reason.

3. I won't because the pulpit should be the place where unadulterated truth is spoken. While folks are encouraged to make certain that what they hear from the preacher is true, they should constantly be brought to the conclusion that what he has said is correct. Advocating one candidate over another crosses the line. That changes the conversation. The foundation upon which the message rests moves from the Bible to the candidate. He (or she) is set up as the one who embodies the qualities of a "God-approved" leader ... which brings up all sorts of questions in the listener's minds - and rightfully so. (It is amazing that candidates who are usually no better than nominal Christians [at best] are esteemed so highly when they are candidates for high office. It is also frustrating to hear folks who claim to be Christians talk of "Jesus" less and less and speak generically of "God" more and more the higher the office they aspire to.) Should we really be advocating such folks and behavior from our pulpits?

So what is there to do? Should we have a que sera sera attitude or do we have a responsibility and civic duty?

First, pastors, stick to God's word as your authority. Engage the culture through the paradigm of Scripture. Don't point people to mankind. Point mankind to Jesus. Encourage them on their path to holiness and show them how this plays out in their lives and daily decisions.

Second, encourage your folks to be "salt!" As I understand the purpose of salt to be holding back decay, I believe that in our society, that means among many things that Christians are to exercise their civic duty and vote. We are to strive to put the right people in office and the right laws on the books. But ultimately, we are resting in the fact that our Sovereign Lord, who works all things after the council of His own will (Eph. 1:11) is working out His plan. When November 5 rolls around, we will continue to do whatever it takes to win our communities for Christ no matter who was selected the previous day. Let's never look to Washington D.C. to do what God has delegated to us.

Abortion, Lies and God’s Blessings

Anyone who denies that there are conundrums in Scripture that cannot be easily explained has never read the Scriptures. But what else would we expect from a Book written by men moved by God? If it was simply the product of men, all of the “problems” would have been resolved. Since it was written by God, we should expect that there will be things that boggle our mind but are perfectly understandable to Him.

If we begin to talk about some of the "ethical dilemmas" in the Scripture, the problem becomes further compounded because we are blessed to live in a country where the laws on the books, by in large, don’t conflict with the laws of God. (One obvious exception is the abortion law. Tomorrow is “Right to Life Sunday.” It is on this day that we are reminded that we live in a country that celebrates death by staunchly defending the rights of the mother and denying the rights of the unborn.) However, since those laws that conflict with God’s laws tend to be performed and celebrated behind closed doors, we cannot conceive why we should disobey the government, much less how disobeying governmental laws and lying about it could bring God’s blessings upon us. 

Exodus 1 is a classic text when talking about ethical dilemmas. And a contemporary, American Christian may be thoroughly uncomfortable with how it works itself out.

The Israelites had prospered and grown into a large people group inside the national boundaries of Egypt. The Pharaoh decided that they had become a threat. Listen to what he said in verse 10: “Let us deal shrewdly with them; otherwise they will multiply further, and if war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.” So the Israelites became the slaves of Egypt.

However, the Israelites were prolific and continued to grow into the great nation that God had promised Abraham (Genesis 12:2). So Pharaoh went to “plan B” and demanded that the Israelite boys must be aborted at birth. Two Hebrew midwives were assigned the responsibility of performing this gruesome task. 

Exodus 1:15-16 says: “Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ‘When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them as they deliver. If the child is a son, kill him, but if it’s a daughter, she may live.’”

Very clearly, these two women heard the government, under which they lived and served, give them their orders. However, those orders went against their moral/religious convictions and they disobeyed. Exodus 1:17 says: “The Hebrew midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.” This was a very bold and blatant act that could carry with it dire consequences.

This is nothing new for the believer. The Scripture states that we are called to obey the government under which we live (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). However, when God’s law and governmental law conflict, we must always obey God’s law and disobey the government’s (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29).

But the apparent ethical dilemma is found in verses 19-21. The Hebrew midwives disobeyed the governmental law, lied about it to the authorities and were blessed by God anyway. Exodus 1:19-21 says: “The midwives said to Pharaoh, ‘The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife can get to them.’ So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very numerous. Since the midwives feared God, He gave them families.”

Some would explain this away by saying that the midwives were telling the truth. They say that the Israelite women really did give birth before the midwives arrived. However, verse 17 seems to say that the midwives were not passive but played an active role in letting the Hebrew boys live.

Obviously, situational ethics is not advocated in Scripture (doing what is convenient, rewarding or "right" in the moment). The midwives didn't simply disregard the government's laws because they wanted to. The broke the laws because they were obeying a higher standard. But God didn’t just tolerate their lies to an evil government demanding evil behavior. He blessed these women. Reread Exodus 1:19-21. That's what it says. 

I’m going to leave you with a quote from a man who lived during the time of the Third Reich. His name was Deitrich Bonhoeffer and he was a German believer/theologian/pastor. His heart broke over the Jews that were being slaughtered under Hitler's evil regime. He believed that the SS soldiers and the tyrancial government were not worthy of the truth and so he did much that many Christians in “safe” situations would condemn. In leaving you with this quote, I’m not resolving the ethical question I’ve identified in Exodus 1. Instead, I’m leaving you with something to think about. What do you think about how Bonhoeffer resolved "ethical dilemmas?"

“Those who wish even to focus on the problem of a Christian ethic are faced with an outrageous demand – from the outset they must give up, as inappropriate to this topic, the very two questions that led them to deal with the ethic problem: “How can I be good?” and “How can I do something good?” Instead they must ask the wholly other, completely different question: “What is the will of God?”