Selwyn now introduces the last point on his list “of the Early Church distinctives: their unswerving allegiance to Christ and His eternal kingdom. The first Christians, whilst maintaining respect for the civil authorities that were over them, saw that their primary allegiance was to the laws and principles of the kingdom of God. …
An issue that puzzles many Christians is the matter of obedience to authority. They ponder such scriptures as Roman 13:1 where we are told that ‘everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities’, and then look at today’s passage (Acts 5:25-32) where the apostles acted in opposition to the spiritual authority of the high priest – and wonder how can these two forms of behaviour be reconciled. The answer is this: we are expected to live in obedience to earthly authorities until we are asked to do something contrary to God’s commands.”
This issue is fairly clear, in my view, and those who live in a democracy have a number of options in regard to making the Christian view known to political leaders. However, we are living at a time when Christian values are being eroded, and the world will become a more hostile environment for those who follow Jesus. What’s your view on this issue?
Another King
Selwyn now introduces the last point on his list “of the Early Church distinctives: their unswerving allegiance to Christ and His eternal kingdom. The first Christians, whilst maintaining respect for the civil authorities that were over them, saw that their primary allegiance was to the laws and principles of the kingdom of God. …
An issue that puzzles many Christians is the matter of obedience to authority. They ponder such scriptures as Roman 13:1 where we are told that ‘everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities’, and then look at today’s passage (Acts 5:25-32) where the apostles acted in opposition to the spiritual authority of the high priest – and wonder how can these two forms of behaviour be reconciled. The answer is this: we are expected to live in obedience to earthly authorities until we are asked to do something contrary to God’s commands.”
This issue is fairly clear, in my view, and those who live in a democracy have a number of options in regard to making the Christian view known to political leaders. However, we are living at a time when Christian values are being eroded, and the world will become a more hostile environment for those who follow Jesus. What’s your view on this issue?