CHRISTIANITY AND OUR LAWS
By
Pastor Roger Anghis
August 30, 2015
NewsWithViews.com
Romans 13:1 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.
Too many Christians allow this scripture to keep them from opposing the laws in this nation that are contrary to God's principles. They actually believe that we have to obey all authority no matter what ordinances they enforce. There is no biblical evidence to back that mindset up.
We, as Christians, are supposed to bring the kingdom of God to this earth. That is impossible when we accept what ungodly men establish as law. Our Founders intended for the populace to be knowledgeable in the Word of God so we would oppose any attempt by ungodly people to usurp God's principles. They knew that virtually all of the world's problems were caused by a lack of knowledge of God's Word. This was the purpose of our education laws. The first laws providing public education for all children were passed in 1642 in Massachusetts and in 1647 in Connecticut and it was called the "Old Deluder Satan Law." These colonists believed that the proper protection from civil abuses could only be achieved by eliminating Bible illiteracy.
"It being one chief project of that old deluder, Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of Scriptures, as in former time. . . . It is therefore ordered . . [that] after the Lord hath increased [the settlement] to the number of fifty householders, [they] shall then forthwith appoint one within their town, to teach all such children as shall resort to him, to write and read. . . . And it is further ordered, that where any town shall increase to the number of one hundred families or householders, they shall set up a grammar school . . . to instruct youths, so far as they may be fitted for the university."[1] (emphasis added)
Note that they put a premium on the ability to understand the Word of God. Many American literacy laws were directed at the necessity of understanding the Bible. A Connecticut law in 1690 read:
"This legislature observing that . . . there are many persons unable to read the English tongue and thereby incapable to read the holy Word of God or the good laws of this colony . . . it is ordered that all parents and masters shall cause their respective children and servants, as they are capable, to be taught to read distinctly the English tongue."[1]
The Founders intent was to have the public aware of God's ordinances so that no law that violated His principles could be established but the church has long neglected their role in keeping heavens moral standard in the forefront. We are told in Exodus what type of man we should be placing in positions of authority. Exodus 18:20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
(21) Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: 2 Notice that we are supposed to not only teach the 'ordinances and laws' but we are to put those that we teach into places of authority. The concept here is when we put godly men and women into places of authority we won't have to worry about the laws they pass. Now we have laws that are contrary to God's principles and we do nothing about it.
In my series Political Sermons From Pastors of the Founding Era the pastors, leading up to the Revolutionary War, preached to the members of the House of Representatives for the State of Massachusetts warning them that they were to govern according to God's principles and if they didn't they were violating their mandate from God. Over the last 100 years the quality of the character of the people that we put in office has declined exponentially. The result is we have people in office that have no knowledge of God and his principles, people who show no respect for the Christian faith, and a muslim president who has demanded that Christians accept homosexual 'marriage' and forcing the church to pay for abortion services both of which violate our Christian faith and principles yet the church is virtually silent.
What these Christians fail to see is that there is a purpose for those in authority and that is to be a force against evil. Romans 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
(4) For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But 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. There is only one reason for rulers and that is to enforce the principles of God. Some will say that this calls for a theocracy but it doesn't. God has called ALL mankind to live a certain way and it is for our benefit and our Founders understood that and established a government to do just that. Those in authority don't have a cart blanch right to do what they please. Allowing abortion to be permitted for any reason should not be allowed but the church seems to be afraid to oppose it. Homosexual marriage is being opposed more by black churches that white churches. Even that, black churches and white churches, isn't anything that God called for. Churches should be all colors.
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The church has failed for years to be strong in standing for moral standards. Divorce is allowed in the world so we now have the same divorce rate as the world. Yes, there are times when this should be allowed even in the church but when there is lack of commitment to walk in God's ways we will only see these kinds of results. People living together outside of marriage in the church is the same as in the world. The church has allowed the world to influence the church when the church is supposed to influence the world. We have failed. The pulpit has failed.
If the church would do what God has called it to do and stop being politically correct we could become a force again. We won't vote for a person who isn't a perfect Christian failing to see that Jesus isn't running for office so there is no perfect candidate. We are to support the most godly person running for office to keep the nation on the track we are supposed to be on. Elect people who reverse the anti-God laws we have today.
If we don't stand we'll lose.
Footnotes:
All scripture is KJV unless otherwise noted
1. Defining America's Exceptionalism, Roger Anghis (Westbow Press, Bloomington, IN) p. 37.
� 2015 Roger Anghis - All Rights Reserved
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Pastor Roger Anghis is the Founder of RestoreFreeSpeech.org, an organization designed to draw attention to the need of returning free speech rights to churches that was restricted in 1954.
President of The Damascus Project, TheDamascusProject.org, which has a stated purpose of teaching pastors and lay people the need of the churches involvement in the political arena and to teach the historical role of Christianity in the politics of the United States. Married-37 years, 3 children, three grandchildren.
Web site: BuildingTheTruth.org
E-Mail: editor@restorefreespeech.org
