In The World Not Of It?
John 17: 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified[d] in truth. 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
What exactly does that mean to us? Especially now with an election ahead of us.
Rom 13:13 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. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
We who believe desire nothing more than to obey our God and do our best to live like Christ whose spirit dwells within us. So this passage gives rise to a whole lot of what ifs. Lets take a look at to whom Paul was writing. He was writing to the Roman converts. Mostly Jews but some gentiles as well. These people were not strangers to strict rules and rulers either. Generally speaking, the Romans preferred to conquer, install overseers who answer to Rome, but ultimately let the places where they conquered rule themselves. It was a pretty good working model for an empire. This does not mean that corruption and civil discord was not present. Paul was trying to tell believers that God is the ultimate authority and that all should do good so as to honor God and not get involved in uprisings simply because they chafed under the current rule. They and yes we too have a tendency to honor those who scoff at authority when we are feeling abused by it. Remember they chose Barabas a murderous thief and insurrectionist over Christ? Yes it was God's will that He die for us but it still does not excuse the choices they and now we make. We don't make those choices. Really? Legend of Robin Hood. The Crusades, Billy the Kid, The Gentleman Bandit, Gangsters, etc. etc. History shows that we do. Being answerable only to God's authority is not an excuse to do wrong in His name. We will have to answer for our actions and yes to the governors that he has allowed to be installed. It will be God that makes those governors answerable for their actions as well. That is at what Paul was getting.
So, all that being said, how then can we be in the world and not of it? How do we choose a leader when the choices are extremely difficult and perhaps often not in a good way?
I guess, if we are in the world and no longer of it, it depends on where we place our hope and faith. If it is in God and what He accomplished by dying on the cross and rising again, then we pray, ask Him, and make our choices based on the answers He gives us through revelation, the direction of His Spirit, and or His Word. After all that we wait and see how His will is revealed. Even if it seems the world is going to hell. Which it is. Again, our hope is in a God of absolutes who is absolutely perfect, absolutely good, absolutely loves us and absolutely has our best interest at heart even when we don't and cannot see it. Faith. This, by no means, (OK I stole that phrase from Paul) allows us to decide to abstain from partcipating in elections, obeying earthly laws, etc. Loving our neighbor as we are commanded to do, may just include making wise informed decisions when we vote, drive, shop, and do all those things required to live IN this world.
However, if we are OF the world, then grab a daisy and start doing the "he loves me he loves me not" game and then, regardless of what that shows you, choose what makes you FEEL good and be either satisfied with what you get or not.
What exactly does that mean to us? Especially now with an election ahead of us.
Rom 13:13 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. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
We who believe desire nothing more than to obey our God and do our best to live like Christ whose spirit dwells within us. So this passage gives rise to a whole lot of what ifs. Lets take a look at to whom Paul was writing. He was writing to the Roman converts. Mostly Jews but some gentiles as well. These people were not strangers to strict rules and rulers either. Generally speaking, the Romans preferred to conquer, install overseers who answer to Rome, but ultimately let the places where they conquered rule themselves. It was a pretty good working model for an empire. This does not mean that corruption and civil discord was not present. Paul was trying to tell believers that God is the ultimate authority and that all should do good so as to honor God and not get involved in uprisings simply because they chafed under the current rule. They and yes we too have a tendency to honor those who scoff at authority when we are feeling abused by it. Remember they chose Barabas a murderous thief and insurrectionist over Christ? Yes it was God's will that He die for us but it still does not excuse the choices they and now we make. We don't make those choices. Really? Legend of Robin Hood. The Crusades, Billy the Kid, The Gentleman Bandit, Gangsters, etc. etc. History shows that we do. Being answerable only to God's authority is not an excuse to do wrong in His name. We will have to answer for our actions and yes to the governors that he has allowed to be installed. It will be God that makes those governors answerable for their actions as well. That is at what Paul was getting.
So, all that being said, how then can we be in the world and not of it? How do we choose a leader when the choices are extremely difficult and perhaps often not in a good way?
I guess, if we are in the world and no longer of it, it depends on where we place our hope and faith. If it is in God and what He accomplished by dying on the cross and rising again, then we pray, ask Him, and make our choices based on the answers He gives us through revelation, the direction of His Spirit, and or His Word. After all that we wait and see how His will is revealed. Even if it seems the world is going to hell. Which it is. Again, our hope is in a God of absolutes who is absolutely perfect, absolutely good, absolutely loves us and absolutely has our best interest at heart even when we don't and cannot see it. Faith. This, by no means, (OK I stole that phrase from Paul) allows us to decide to abstain from partcipating in elections, obeying earthly laws, etc. Loving our neighbor as we are commanded to do, may just include making wise informed decisions when we vote, drive, shop, and do all those things required to live IN this world.
However, if we are OF the world, then grab a daisy and start doing the "he loves me he loves me not" game and then, regardless of what that shows you, choose what makes you FEEL good and be either satisfied with what you get or not.
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