by Brent Melville
With government and elections on many people’s minds this week, is it possible for epistles written two millennia ago to be relevant to this topic today?
It’s not hard to find discussion somewhere on the topic of “biblical government” as referenced by St Paul in his letter to the Romans and his often controversial statement in 13:1: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”
People reading this immediately think “what about Hitler? What about Stalin? What about ….”
I think what Paul is driving at here is the broad issue of government authority and those who administer the law, not popularly elected parties or national leaders, or despots. St Paul goes on to explain: “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
God gave flawed mankind law and authorities in order to provide peace, security and justice for communities. Of course our human systems of government often do not work and are prone to corruption.
Many are aware of issues around our corporate state structure and will argue with cops on the side of the road about these profound issues.
Mostly it’s better to give the cop a break i.e. take the apostle’s big-picture advice and “submit to the authorities”. Pull over, say gidday mate, what’s the problem? Remember: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
It’s better to take the matters of law to court or just deal with them as the system provides.
oldavid, so what should civil authorities base their authority on – Positive law, Cognitive law, Natural law or Divine law?
I think that’s all pretty good and fair enough, Kevin, but it does not address the fundamental question of the nature and purpose of civil authority. Bible bashers can, and do, select “out-of-the-whole-context” bits that seem to endorse their ideological fancies.
I will contend that the real purpose of civil authority is to preserve order for the benefit of the citizens. However, a degenerate society creates its own belligerent imperialism or servility.
Labor is breaking the law by sending out begging letters by emails begging is a criminal offence they have been reported to the Australian electron commission
Sent from my iPhone
Great interpretation which will get some readers going.Thanks Editor
Hi Oldavid some of your emails are received at cairnsnews@hotmail.com
Great, scholarly and wise thinkers have toiled to describe the nature and purpose of civil authority for as long as we have written records to show, from the ancient Greeks through Medieval philosophers to more modern days. The most comprehensive of which are derived from Aristotle’s observations and harmonised with Christian Revelation by Thomas Aquinas which has formed the basis of Church Social Teaching before and since in more or less well defined principles.
I have written an essay on this very topic as it relates to present circumstances. It appears that my email server (Telstra) has been nobbled and they are very discriminating about who I can address my communications to (Cairnsnews being one who never receives my attempted email that go somewhere (perhaps to the Technion in Israel) but not to the intended recipient).
Anyhow*, I will try to send the essay to anyone who requests it from: dmkzmarwick@bigpond.com (I suspect that my incoming ‘mail is also censored but I don’t have reasonable surety in that regard).
A translation of my Greek interlinear offers this –
Every soul to authorities higher be subject to. For there is no authority if not from god, but the existing authorities under Me having been ordained are. So the one resisting the authority of his God has opposed and those having opposed to themselves judgement will receive.
Luke 11:28 – But he said, Yea rather, blessed [are] they that hear the word of God, and keep it. Acts 5:29 – Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Divine Law –
Definition:
the law that defines the Divine in accordance with Astrum Iuris Divini Canonum and clearly demonstrates the spirit, mind, purpose and instruction of the Divine Creator including the operation of the Volition and Will of the Divine Creator through existence. Therefore all valid Law may be said to be derived from Divine Law. The highest law of all Law is therefore Divine Law, then Natural Law, then Cognitive Law, then Positive Law