That’s really old school language, huh? Well, here’s what Henry is saying in 21st century terms.
First, God has established the authority of governments in general and also the particular authority of whatever government is in place for “…The authorities that exist have been established by God” as we saw earlier. But that is not to say that God approves of those who abuse the governing power given to them or individuals who exercise that power in an ungodly way.
Remember,“…The authorities that exist have been established by God” but when a government engages in practices that are clearly unbiblical or refuses to allow it’s people the freedom to acknowledge and follow God, then that government (in whatever form it takes) forfeits it’s authority to govern because our responsibility to obey God takes priority.
Human Government And God’s Law
You see, any government’s authority comes from God Himself as we’ve already said. But once a government’s laws begin to conflict with the Laws of God, then that government has overstepped its authority. When a government’s laws begins to conflict with clear Biblical teaching then that government has wrongfully assumed a position greater than or equal to God.
So while it’s true that Christians are responsible for obeying the laws of their country, it is also true that a Christian’s ultimate responsibility lies with the highest authority which is God Himself.
Acts chapter 4 gives us a idea of this concept in action- but before we look at that example, let’s first set the stage. In Acts 4, the Apostles Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin (which was a kind of “supreme court” back in those days) to undergo a trial after healing a disabled man. Following a period of testimony, Acts 4:18 tells us this:
“Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard'” (NIV).
In the following chapter -Acts chapter 5- there is another important exchange between the Apostles and the Sanhedrin:
“Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,’ he said. ‘Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.’ Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!'” (Acts 5:27-29 NIV).
When forced to make a choice like Peter and the other apostles, Christians are responsible to follow God’s teaching as found in the Bible, even if it conflicts with human law. Of course the difficulty with that lies in making the right application of God’s Word to the situation. Perhaps the most difficult decisions of this kind have to be made by Christians during times of war.
Christians And War
Now that we’ve looked at the relationship between Christians and government, let’s look at what a Christian’s response should be to the prospect of war.
In the Bible, the word “war” refers to the confrontation of two forces. (2) When used this way, the word “war” can refer to an armed conflict between nations (Luke 14:31) or general hostilities between two groups (2 Samuel 3:6). In looking at the Scriptures, we can find a number of instances where the Bible reports God’s support or initiation of various wars (see Exodus 17:16, Joshua 11:18-20 and 1 Chronicles 5:18-22 for some examples).
Now this brings up some very important questions. For example, how can a God of love (1 John 4:8) start a war? (see Jeremiah 21:3-7 for an example). How can a God of peace (Philippians 4:9) also be called “a man of war” as we find in Exodus 15:3? While some people might be quick to label these questions as examples of “Biblical inconsistencies” there are good answers if you’re willing to dig a little deeper.
But before we continue, let’s make some important observations first.
The Problem Of Evil
To start, let’s establish that only the most naïve or foolish person would ever deny that evil exists in our world today. Evil, of course can be identified as something that causes harm, misfortune and destruction or simply as the absence of good that should exist (you can take a look over here for some more about the problem of evil).
Although wars can be fought for many reasons, it is the existence of evil that is ultimately responsible the existence of war. The advancement, prevention or elimination of evil has been at the heart of every war that has ever been fought. To help makes things clearer, let’s consider this: Let’s say that a military force intentionally failed to defend and protect its country from the evil of an enemy that attacked without cause. If that were to happen then that military force would be criminally neglectful of its duties, right?
We can also take the local police force as another example. A police force is sworn to uphold and protect the safety of a community, but if the police take no action against criminals then the police actually become criminals too as a result. Therefore we can say that it would be wrong for a military or police force not to take action against evil.
Now let’s tie it all together. A military or police force consists of people who must become warriors in the defense of good and the pursuit of evil. In a similar way, it would be totally wrong for a loving God to also do nothing in the face of evil. If God is good then He must fight against evil too. In this way, 1 John’s “God of love” and Exodus 15’s “warrior God” can be viewed as complimentary and not contradictory. If we can accept a loving human being who fights against evil, then we should accept no less for God.