I know I’ve missed a couple days. But as I said in my last post, I’m continuing to gain some perspective and learn some things. Yesterday was one of those days when I gained some extra clarity about why I had been a little off. I mentioned in the last post that the purpose of this challenge was not necessarily to write 1,000 words every day just for the sake of it, but to get myself back in a place where I was writing something every day. Even though I’ve taken a few days off from publishing, I’ve still written, and that’s what we’re going for. Or at least what I’m going for. Which brings me to my announcement that I very may well cut 1,000 Word Spring short as I think I’ve gotten what I wanted out of it. But, that’s not officially decided, so we’ll carry on with the publishing for now.
I got some clarity yesterday morning while doing my quiet time as I continue to journal through 1 Corinthians. Here’s just a brief snapshot…
And we gave received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us… We can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:12;16 NLT
This got me thinking about how I think about things and the perspective I have due to my identification with Christ. Not only can I understand the mystery of salvation since my eyes have been opened and I’ve been saved, I can have a new perspective on everything else in the world, too. I’ve gotten better at seeing things through the mind of Christ, or at least I’d like to think so. But I know I’m not nearly as far along as I should be. Why? Well, the Life Application Bible’s study notes make a good point here.
Are you spending enough time with Christ to have His very mind in you?
I would add a few follow ups to that question: Am I seeing corresponding evidence of this in the way I think about things? Is it obvious to me that the mind of Christ is in me? If not, why not? Is there something wrong with my routines that’s preventing me from spending this necessary time? What do I need to change about my routines so that I can take care of this?
Just something for you to think on.
Now for a thought from my recent reading. I had taken a hiatus from Yoram Hazony’s book, Conservatism: A Rediscovery, that I mentioned in The Ruthless Elimination of More. I picked it back up yesterday and suddenly all the ideas started flowing again.
There’s an interesting section midway through the book in which Hazony discusses the influence of William F. Buckley’s National Review magazine had on conservatism in its earliest days.
The first of the magazines principles was that “it is the job of centralized government in peacetime to protect its citizens' lives, liberty and property, and that "all other activities of government tend to diminish freedom and hamper progress.”
On its face, this is hard to disagree with. This is everything I was brought up thinking a conservative American ought to believe. The less power a central government has, the better. But… Is this the job of government we see outlined in Romans 13?
Let’s read:
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. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 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, 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.
Romans 13:1-4 (emphasis mine)
Virtually all of the discussions I’ve heard around this passage only talk about the first two verses. This is why we have to do whatever the government says, because they’ve been instituted by God whether we voted for them or not. And it’s true. We cannot be anarchists, because our God is not a God of chaos but of order. But I think that begs the question… What is order? Who defines it? What about the rest of the passage?
Yes, authorities and governments are instituted by God. They only get their power from Him. But the rest of the passage tells us that those governments and authorities have very specific responsibilities and boundaries.
Is a pagan government a terror to bad conduct?
Does a pagan government pass out its approval to those who do what is good, as God would define good?
What is the good that government is supposed to be for?
Do Christians who do wrong fear a pagan government that bears a sword?
Who is the wrongdoer? What is wrong?
All this revolves around one question, really:
By what standard?
I’m not trying to get you to nuance the Scripture to death. I’m just pointing out how Paul shows us that government is a minister of God. And that thought opens up a whole different discussion that I’m not sure we’re all ready for yet. But it’s time we start getting ready, because the status quo ain’t gonna last much longer.
Finally, I’m almost done setting up the alternative platform to which I’ll probably move all my writing. Be on the lookout in the coming days and weeks, because you’ll be the first to know.