Bearing The Sword 10-18-09
A news story on www.foxnews.com caught my attention with the title: “China Court Sentences 6 to Death in Ethnic Riots That Killed Nearly 200.” What caught my attention was the fact that I was seeing the Chinese do something that they are supposed to do: bring swift justice down upon the heads of murderous thugs. I am not in any way a fan of the communist Chinese, but I do recognize that they are the government in China, and so when criminals spark violent riots it is the responsibility of the government to enforce peace and deal justice to the evil-doers. It is no surprise that the ethnic rioting was caused by Muslim extremists; in fact it has become something of a rarity to find a major incident like this that does not involve Muslims.
This is an odd position for me in that I find myself praising something done by one of the most oppressive governments on the planet. China still executes thousands of political prisoners every year, and actively tries to squash Christianity at every turn. But it is still a government that has been instituted by God for his purposes, one of which is to bear the sword to punish evil.
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:1-7 NIV)
It is hard to view China in this fashion, but we must realize that God is not nearly as interested in our comfort in this world as he is in getting us to the next! And so the Christians in China suffer oppression and persecution, knowing that they are building up treasures in Heaven. What should distress us is not that China is brutal towards its criminals, but that we have numerous judges and legislators here in America who pervert justice and leave criminality unpunished. How is it that a patently Godless nation like China can care more about justice than Christian America? The answer is that America has abandoned Christ and moves steadily closer toward Godlessness every day.
So, what can we do about it? First, we must avoid the traps and snares set by the devil and keep ourselves pure. Then we must influence America by influencing our neighbors, co-workers, and friends through our Christian lives. It may not be too late to turn this nation back to God. But even if it is, we must remain true to God no matter what happens.
Therefore, as we look at the example set by China, we need to remember that God is in control, and that he raises up nations and he causes them to fall. I do believe that God set up the Chinese government to punish wrongdoers; I also believe he does not condone their persecution of his people. God will avenge all of the persecutions perpetrated against the church. But until he does, we must endure and continue to proclaim Jesus as the Lord and Savior. No government has the right to stop us, nor should we give them the power to do so. But we also must respect the government in so far as it does not seek to pull us from God. So we obey the government in paying taxes and obeying Godly laws, but we do not obey the Godless laws. Remember that it is better to be persecuted for Godliness than to be punished for Godlessness. God will remember our Godliness and he will punish all Godlessness on that coming Day. So keep Jesus close in your heart, and you can walk without fear of the sword.
-Charles Peterson