At Bible study last evening, the comment was made that God Does put his chosen people in office for His reasons.
That's a red herring, as God has "his chosen people" all over the place- - nothing unique about seeing a few in government (remember Joseph in Egypt?).
And that Maybe this present administration is being allowed to wake us up.
It's far far worse than that. When the people reject God as their leader, he gives them over to the consequences of their decision (recall the book of Samuel, in their rejection of the heavenly King in favor of an earthly king...).
What really is important to Us -- as we the people.
...another misunderstood use of the hackneyed phrase, "we the people" - ala the religion of humanism in action.
[This country has had really good leadership and really Poor leadership.
Rather, there is only one Lawgiver.
To elaborate a bit, the USA is a corporation, at law, a dead thing. And people can talk all they want to about a Christian Constitution, but they will never be able to get around the fact that
God is not even mentioned in it.
God never commanded people to obey the kings of Israel when those kings turned their backs on him. Our Father put those people into captivity for their disobedience towards him! And he does the same today. The Nazi's at Nuremberg said, "Well, I was just doing my job. I was obeying the government." It's an error to believe that whatever the State says is okay "because it's ordained of God." For those who are true followers of Christ Jesus, the government is on his shoulders (
Isaiah 9:6), He is the King of kings, and the government is the Kingdom of God. It's a government of peace and the only government that will not end:
Isaiah 9:7, "Of the increase of his government and peace
there shall be no end,"
All man-made governments come to an end, so they are obviously not the "higher power." We have to obey the government that's always been here and always will be here.
In reply to the blind
opinion that all kings, princes, and governments are set up and "ordained" by God, we will quote the following passage, which is spoken into the ears of Hosea by God Almighty himself. We pray that those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will no longer engage in such opinions:
Hosea 8:4, "They have set up kings, but
not by me: they have made princes, and
I knew it not."
Also,
Psalms 2:1-3, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth
set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD, and
against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."
There's no Godly ordination there.
In rereading that Romans 13 passage -- I don't see an 'exclusion' clause. Look at those 1st two verses. vs 2 "Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinances of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves."
There is no "exclusion clause" - just the pure truth. Here are the first two verses from my uncopyrighted Holy Bible:
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. -- Romans 13:1-2
It Kind of sounds like -- the way in which You want to interpret Scripture.
You well know that "kind of sounds like" won't cut it with the Most High God.
We find it easy to obey laws / rules that we agree with, but Not so much when we Don't agree.
No man can serve two masters! Rather, the point is, make your calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10), because one form of obedience leads to life, the other to death:
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? -- Romans 6:16
Kind of like traffic laws. They are in place to prevent chaos on our streets, highways. Okay -- so once in a while we're in a Hurry -- no traffic in our way -- so we Speed. Not hurting anyone. But then there's that pesky high way patrol who came up 'out of nowhere'. And we get stopped and have to pay that speeding ticket. So -- IF we'd obeyed the law, we would Not have gotten stopped. And had a fine to pay.
The reason you "had a fine to pay" was because you had voluntarily submitted to that worldly authority. But again, no man can serve two masters! So THIS is why the vast majority find themselves in a pickle. They KNOW they're not supposed to be giving life to Caesar's dead thing, but because they don't see any other way to function in this fallen world, they voluntarily join as members OF this fallen world (all the while giving lip service to others with their double minded "in the world but not of the world" line.
And, yes, God IS the One who Does put these people / ruling powers / in their places.
Oh we wish it was so. God merely allows you to experience the consequences of choosing the wrong master. He lets you have the rulers you asked for (again, book of Samuel). Hail, Biden!
If a law is passed that goes Against God's Word -- Then what. Well -- we Can protest Peacefully. We CAN go ahead and ignore and get put in jail.
No, rather, God told us, DON'T TO GO THERE IN THE FIRST INSTANCE. We are to
avoid,
not evade, the things of the world:
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. -- Proverbs 4:14-15
So -- we have our jail ministry. Witness to the person in the cell next to us. Or the person who's our jail roommate. But be prepared for getting beat up or laughed at Or Maybe even Listened to.
For the past 3 years, I have been a member of a prison ministry here. These unbelievers are being absolutely thrashed by a Godless system that they, like the majority, have submitted to.
How many people had been killed for their stand For Jesus Christ -- they pass Peacefully instead of 'kickin and screaming' and their captors can't understand it. That has brought people to Christ -- will people see Christ in us even in the worse of circumstances?
Rather, God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
My people are
destroyed for
lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. -- Hosea 4:6
Men in bondage make poor witnesses.
Dad performed the ceremony . Dad owed my husband 10 so they called the debt even . We did not have a car .. we rode the bus about 3 hours so he could get to work the next day . My sister went up the road and picked a few flowers for a bouquet. The simple $10.00 dress i had bought, for the event, a couple months before did just fine.
