spot on..............
Weekly, I hear from well-intentioned Christians telling me of their concern for America. They tell me that only God can restore America. That's true; only He can, but He won't because God cannot/does not honor sin, and America is a nation of sin. It's sin that we proudly sit in the pews, not being convicted by the Spirit, but instead applauding our sinfulness.
You may say, "We don't do that" – but in truth we do. Your next question will probably be, "How do we do that?" I'm glad you asked. We do it by not taking a stand for righteousness.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Any strategy of resistance to tyranny will have to deal with the fact that tyranny is a curse of God. It must recognize that to rail against God's righteous judgments is merely to perpetuate and aggravate them. It must start with a humble submission to His will, a reverential fear of His judgments, and a full recognition of the righteousness of His moral government. Although we may marvel at the iniquities that men commit, at the fury of the "Commune" or the depravity of "Bolshevism," although the utter evil of God's instruments may astound us until with Habakkuk we are compelled to cry out to the Just and Holy God, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?" (Hab. 1:13); yet we must always remember that He styles Nebuchadnezzar his servant and terms Assyria the rod of His anger. It is still with Him that we have to do.
Ultimately, the only solution there can be to the problem of tyranny is to solve the problem of how we can turn God's curse into blessing; how we can transmute His anger into favor. The question becomes one of how can we appease His anger and stay His wrath.
What can shield a man, or a people, or a nation from the curse of God? Ever since the fall by the sin of one man, death and curse have been universal. All have sinned and come short, there is none that doeth good, no not one, and so by both original and actual sin all men and all societies bring judgment and wrath down upon themselves. One of the forms of this wrath is that God sends tyrants as He so clearly warned in I Samuel 8. Men need a covering, an atonement, to shield them from the wrath of God. They need a Daysman, a Mediator, to intercede on their behalf with an offended and omnipotent Deity. In short, men need the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant. They need to be Justified before God. And the Biblical, the Protestant, the Reformed answer to this need is that men need to be justified by faith in Christ Jesus. But faith is inexorably linked in the divine economy with repentance and the latter is again just as inescapably linked with reformation. The same golden chain that links election to effectual calling, regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification also links faith with good works, and the new nature with the fruits of repentance. If we would have a covering from the wrath of God and from His curse including the curse of tyrannical government, the road leads inexorably to justification by faith, repentance, and reformation. And we come to the very same conclusion whether we examine the issue in its negative or in its positive aspects. Whether we are seeking to avoid God's righteous curse or whether we are seeking to bring down His blessing, including the blessings of peace, liberty, and just government, either way the answer is reformation. For if I Samuel 8 teaches that the fruit of apostasy is tyranny and unjust, coercive government, Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28:1-14 assert that God's blessing will attend a faithful, covenant keeping people. In the Abrahamic Covenant, the covenantal blessing that God will be a God and a Father to us and our seed after us is linked with the covenantal command to "walk before me and be thou perfect."
-- excerpt from the essay
"THE FUNDAMENTAL BIBLICAL TACTIC FOR RESISTING TYRANNY"
by Louis DeBoer
To which I point to Sampson. Sampson had major moral and sin problems. We never see him do anything right (except collapse the Temple of Dagon on the Philistines.
But looks at Judges 13. His mother testified that God would use him till the day of his death. The Angel of the Lord said that Sampson would begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines.
Also look at Jephthah. He had his daughter killed and yet got used him.
Also look at Moses - he murdered an Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
Look at David - He had Uriah murdered so that he could have Bathsheba for a wife (and cover up an unwanted pregnancy).
No God is Sovereign and uses people Despite their sin. True, it is much better if they sin less, but God does His good works through the Christian by His sovereign works.
There is no excuse for sin, and as Paul said there is no justification for licentiousness (Romans). But, No man stops God. His will expressed before the Foundation of the World will be done. This despite sinful nations and even sinful people.
An Excellent editorial by Mr.M. I could only add my opine that
God will work to build up -or to tear down any nation He finds pleasure in or displeasure. If we the people have rejected the founding principles of Religion(Christianity)and Morality(based upon our shared Christian religion.) and Knowledge to implement and maintain our national virtue we do not deserve to ask God to do what we ourselves have no desire to keep.Mr.M. reminds me of the Prophet Isaiah (chapter 1,verse 9 speaking to the Rulers of Sodom( Jerusalem) and the People of Gomorrah ( the citizens of that fallen City.) I expect similar results today.
Excellent article and right on. The time for compromise is over, for ALL who claim to be in Christ.