Know Your Bible

VOL. 12 July 7, 2013 NO. 22

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MORALITY, THE GOVERNMENT, AND CHRISTIANS

Moral statements and positions will, necessarily, impact political issues. This is not because morality is inherently political, but because government has the task of recognizing the difference between good and evil, so moral issues will have to be dealt with (Rom 13:3-4). This means that, contrary to what is so often stated and argued, morality will be legislated by government, and it will be legislated from a worldview that either recognizes the significance of God or not. To say that God needs to be kept out of politics, then, is to default to the secularized view of morality; and secularized morality will then be legislated. Why is it that people default to keeping God out of it instead of keeping the secularized views of reality out of it? And why do some Christians seem to be buying into all of this?

We need to see what has happened here. Many have bought into the notions that 1) God and religion must be kept out of politics, and 2) morality is not something that can be legislated. In fact, both are false. God is never out of politics, and we are fooling ourselves if we think so, given that God rules in the kingdoms of men. Every worldview says something about God. If a worldview says there is no God, then a notion of God is still a part of the position, and actions will be taken that demonstrate that disbelief. Further, every law is a legislation of morality in one form or another; there is no way around it. The question is, will the legislation come from those whose worldview respects God as the foundation or not?

I don’t say all of this in order to argue that Christians need to get more political. I’m arguing that Christians need to say more about God and morality in every area of life. We don’t check our God at the door when we enter a political arena, and we don’t set aside godly morals when we engage the culture. We don’t take a moral view of something based on politics, but surely our political views ought to be based on godly morality. The point then is not that we need more political activists. The point is that we need to be more engaged in the moral discussions of our culture and take a stand for what is right, regardless of political fallout. In other words, it’s not about being political; it’s about standing for what’s right in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation.

Even more, we need to hold up the gospel itself to the world. The answer to our problems is not to vote in or out this or that politician. No government in history has been a bastion of godliness, and I don’t expect that to change. The answer is always where it has been: in Christ. The problems of this world won’t be fixed by human government, but by the gospel. “The kingdoms of earth pass away one by one, but the kingdom of heaven remains.”

So Christians should be concerned with 1) holding out the gospel to a lost world, and 2) standing up for Christ and His morality. It’s not politics. It’s just what’s right.

---Doy Moyer

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GOD'S PLAN OF CHURCH FINANCE

It goes without argument that God has planned everything in connection with the work of a local congregation. He has not left to man the responsibility of deciding what the church is to do or how it is to finance its work.

"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come" (I Cor. 16: 1-2).

It has been contended that this authorization is for the "collection for the poor saints" only, and is not a pattern for collection of money to defray the regular expenses of the church. Such contention is not well founded. Here we have a work to be done by the church, a work demanding the gathering of finance. How is gathering to be done? By a free-will offering on the first day of each week. If then there is another work to be done by the church, how is it to be financed? We answer, by the same procedure, and if not, WHY NOT? If this method of gathering funds for the relief of poor saints is wise in the mind of the Lord, is it not also wise in the gathering of funds for other works? If we are to accept this as the Lord's plan of collecting money we should regard it as being inclusive and exclusive. It includes a free-will contribution in the first day of the week and it excludes the raising of money in any other way. The first is accepted by most brethren, but the second is thought not to be binding, that is, we can raise money any way we desire.

If, and when, members are taught to LOVE the Lord supremely, to "seek ye first the kingdom of God.” they will freely give into the Lord's treasury in sufficient amount to do what the Lord expects of the church. If we must resort to some unique, and naive, method of chicanery to open the purse strings of the members it seems to reflect on the simple pattern of the Lord and is an indictment of His wisdom.

It is impossible to improve upon the Lord's plan of doing the Lord's work, or of finding a better institution through which to do it than the Lord's church.

---Wright Randolph

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Irrationality of Atheism, Deism and Relativism

One cannot rationally defend atheism, deism and relativism because those who would defend them have implicitly renounced the preconditions of intelligibility. The atheist does this by denying the existence of the intelligent Creator. Assuming humans would exist, at all, if they were not created, their thoughts would be nothing more than the results of chemical reactions in the brain.

Without the intelligent, moral Creator that does exist, there could be neither right nor wrong, either morally or intellectually. Therefore, people would not be responsible for their thoughts or their actions. One could not help thinking what he thinks or doing what he does, any more than a dog can help barking or a cat meowing.

The deist renounces the preconditions of intelligibility by denying any supernatural revelation from God to man. Since man is both logical and moral, his Creator is also, of necessity, both logical and moral. But if the Creator never revealed Himself to man and if the Creator never gave man laws of logic and behavior, man would not know how to reason nor how he ought to behave. Thus, the fact that man does reason and that he does hold others accountable for their actions is proof that God is and that He has revealed laws of logic and laws of behavior.

Thus, neither atheists nor deists can consistently defend their respective philosophies. There can be no laws of logic or of human behavior without a lawgiver, who is above man in His thoughts and ways.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

As for the relativist—it cannot be absolutely true that nothing is absolutely true.

---Bob Myhan

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