Authority

Listen to this quote from my American Gov. book (BJU Press) ::

"DAVID -- Before becoming king, David faced an ungodly government in the form of King Saul's personal vendetta against him.  Despite almost being run through with a spear and then being hounded across the land, David remained respectful to Saul.  On two occasions when presented with the opportunity to kill the king, David refused.  He even expressed genuine sorrow for cutting off part of Saul's robe (1 Sam. 24:4-6), as this could be interpreted as a sign of rebellion.  Furthermore, he commanded those under him to show Saul respect and refrain from hurting him.  Later, when David received word of Saul and Jonathan's deaths, he lamented over both of them."

It's kind of amazing, if you think about it.  David knew that authorities are put in place by God, raised up to exact judgment, or to show His power.  Ungodly governments are not exempt from His sovereignty.  That's a good thing to remember.

But even more striking, I find, is the level of respect for Saul that David has.  I mean, I enjoy political cartoons, but the caricatures of the country's leaders could be considered disrespectful.  I'm no fan of Obama's policies, and I'm guilty of calling him disrespectful names, in spite of the fact that he is our president and therefore deserves a level of respect.  "But I didn't CHOOSE him as our president!" you (and I) have said.  Okay, true, but guess what?  God did.  As Doc would say, "Put that in your pipe and...chew it."

And another quote :: "I love Obama, I just don't like his ideas.  You need to do that with people--love them but be careful with their ideas." --Chuck Asay

That struck me.  It IS our moral duty to work to reform our country, to fight injustices in it, to elect Godly representatives.  We are NOT to abandon the "state" sphere, because our Christianity ought to permeate every aspect of life.  HOWEVER we are not to become so wrapped up in our politics as to become like secular politicians.  We are NOT to be assimilated and subsequently ignored.  And we are NOT to let our excitement/outrage over issues and ideas drag us headlong into ad hominem.  As Christians we maintain compassion for people, and solidity on issues.  It's a fine line.

I'm loving the weather right now, but I'm freezing!  Must finish that sweater, because I NEED it! :)

AMZi x x x x x

More Like WHAT?

Haha, sorry, I just heard about this and needed to blog it.  Wow.  Still reeling.  You've got to be kidding.

In the words of el padre, "not all Christian music is created equal."  Listen to this...



Sound good?  Let's just pick this apart a little.

Give me rules / I will break them / Give me lines / I will cross them :: This is called Antinomianism.  More on this in a moment.

I need more than a truth to believe in / I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes / To sweep me off my feet :: So your faith is therefore based on a feeling.  Does this mean that when you feel like you're all alone, your faith doesn't exist?  Does Christianity become any less of a "truth" when it's difficult?

More like falling in love / Than something to believe in / More like losing my heart / Than giving my allegience :: Am I the only one who sees the insanity in this?  Feelings, emotions, no thought.  The minute you STOP feeling like your head is spinning and your heart is leaping, where are you?  What do you have left?

Give me words / I'll misuse them / Obligations / I'll misplace them :: And did we want to actually identify this as a bad thing?  Because it isn't something to be proud of.

Cause all religion made me / Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet :: No, the word for that is the "law."  The law that man couldn't keep.  The law that requires perfection, which nobody can achieve.  That's the REASON for GRACE.  That's not "religion."

Back to Antinomianism.  Definition :: The belief that moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation.  YES, "By grace you have been saves, through faith," and NOT by works (that belief is called Legalism :: earning your way to salvation) BUT ALSO, "By your fruit they shall know you" and "so also faith apart from works is dead."  Antinomianism, taken to its simple, logical conclusion, leads to a "I have my ticket to Heaven because I prayed a prayer, so till then, I'll party!" mindset.  If you truly have faith, the Holy Spirit should be working within you, convicting and weeding out the habits of the world.  Give me rules / I'll break them is NOT a Christian worldview, it's just another form of Postmodernism.

I don't have anything personal against this Jason Gray guy.  Till today I never knew he existed.  I'm not pretending to know anything about the state of his salvation--that's not my place.  But I do know that on this account, he's wrong.  I can only hope he never has to "give an account for the hope that is within [him]" because saying, "I just...it just swept me off my feet!  It's like... falling in love" will NEVER cut it with a thinking questioner.

AMZi x x x x x