College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Isaiah 29 - Introduction
EXAMINATION
Chapter S TWENTY-EIGHT THROUGH TWENTY-NINE
DEFINITION
(Define the following words or phrases as they were discussed in the comments.)
1.
fat valley
2.
a mighty and strong one
3.
residue
4.
precept upon precept
5.
men of strange lips
6.
covenant with death
7.
fitches
8.
Ariel
9.
familiar spirit out of the ground
10.
hungry man dreameth
11.
him that is not learned
12.
fruitful field esteemed as forest
MEMORIZATION
And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people _____ nigh unto me, and with their _____ and with their ______ do ______ me, but have _____ their ______ far from me, and their ______ of me is a commandment of _____ which hath been ______ them; therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a _____ work among this people, even a marvellous work and a ______; and the _____ of their wise men shall perish, and the ______ of their prudent men shall be hid. (Isaiah 29:13-14)
EXPLANATION
1.
Explain the predicament Judah was in as a result of the drunkenness of its priests and prophets (Isaiah 28:1-8).
2.
Explain the people's question, Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned. ? Isaiah 28:9
3.
Explain why and when God's people would sanctify God's name upon seeing His children. (Isaiah 29:23)
APPLICATION
(In its context every scripture has one meaningthe author's intended meaning. How may the following be applied in the believer's life?)
1.
How may Isaiah's warning to the immature, unteachable people of his day be applied to the Corinthian church of the New Testament and to the church today? (Isaiah 28:9-13)
2.
What lesson will be learned by Judah in its attempt to make lies its refuge and hide itself under falsehood and what application may be made to national politics today? (Isaiah 28:14-22)
3.
How did the Lord pour out upon the people a spirit of deep sleep, and how may this whole discussion of their refusal to know God's will be applied today? (Isaiah 29:9-16)
SPECIAL STUDY
UNBELIEF IS DELIBERATE
by Paul T. Butler
INTRODUCTION
First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions and saying, -Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.-' They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 2 Peter 3:3-6
I.
Unbelief Almost Incomprehensible
A.
Faced by what seems so logical and reasonable, so sensible and so beneficial evidence. so true and right. we do not understand why there is unbelief.
Why do so many people who seem sensible, sincere, reasonable, not acknowledge the same truths we hold to be so self-evident?
Why, in a world of so many intelligent, relatively moral and upright people, is there so much unbelief?
B.
Peter, in our text, I believe, shows the primary cause of unbeliefDELIBERATE IGNORANCE.
The Bible has a great deal to say about this. we will discuss it in just a moment from the aspect of Peter's entire 3rd chapter of this 2nd epistle.
II.
Some Unbelief is Due to a Simple Lack of Knowledge
A.
Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. Romans 10:17
B.
Often times children grow up, even in Christian homes, without ever having been given a faith with foundations in facts or evidence (cf. Deuteronomy 6:6-25).
C.
The church has not fulfilled her mission until she has presented the good news founded on the evidences of factual history.
D.
But even a lack of knowledge will not be accepted as an excuse by God since all men have had enough knowledge of God revealed to them that they stand condemned by God if they disbelieve (cf. Romans 1:18 ff).
So, PRIMARILY SPEAKING, UNBELIEF IS MORAL REBELLION.
DISCUSSION
I.
Unbelief is deliberate.
A.
For this they willingly are ignorant of. another translation says, They purposely ignore this fact. 2 Peter 3:5
1.
Unbelief comes to men because they deliberately choose to ignore the facts as these facts reveal a God to whom they have a moral responsibility.
2.
Romans 1:21 men. became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles. Romans 1:25, they exchanged the truth about God for a lie. Romans 1:28 they refused to have God in their knowledge.
But the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20
3.
Men may deny the facts if they wish. but they are without excuse because God is so sufficiently revealed even in nature that unbelief condemns men. the evidence, the facts are so abundant that any man who says there is no God is a fool, for only a fool is willingly ignorant.
Dr. G. G. Simpson, famous Paleontologist from Harvard once said concerning some highly improbable evidence as to the origin of the horse it is so improbable as to be unacceptable unless we can find no hypothesis more likely to explain the facts. IN OTHER WORDS, HE IS WILLING TO ACCEPT AN UNACCEPTABLE EXPLANATION IF THERE IS, IN HIS ESTIMATION, NONE BETTER!
4.
Jesus once made a most shocking accusation against the Pharisees, But because I say the truth, ye believe me not. John 8:45 The very reason they would not believe Jesus was the fact that he told them the truth. There is hardly a worse state man can get himself into than this!
5.
Those who hate the truth will be deceived and believe a lie (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). These do not love the truth; therefore, they are not attracted to it and even when they see it, they hastily reject it and rationalize their reaction.
6.
The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who believe not (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). These refuse to listen to the truth when it condemns the unrighteous things in which they find pleasure and which they are determined to continue. Thus they seek for some message which will assure them that the unrighteous thing is right and thus permit them to continue in it without being rebuked by their conscience. God sends such people strong delusions in that He has ordained the laws of man's heart and of morality, and that person who has no love for the truth and who lives in and takes pleasure in unrighteousness will unfit his heart for the reception of truth and fit it for the reception of strong delusions which comfort and assure him in his error and unrighteousness.
Dr. Henry Morris, when on the OBC campus for the 1966 Science & Scripture Forum, emphasizing the impact of the 2nd law of thermodynamics upon theories of evolution concluded that ANY SCIENTIST AWARE OF THIS LAW (AND ALL SHOULD BE) WHO REMAINS AN EVOLUTIONIST OR UNIFORMITARIAN, MUST DO SO BY DELIBERATELY IGNORING THIS FACT!
7.
Jeremiah put it this way. Behold their ears are closed, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn, they take no pleasure in it. Jeremiah 6:10 (see also Jeremiah 6:16-19).
B.
scoffers. walking after their own lusts. 2 Peter 3:3
1.
Unbelief comes to men because they choose to walk after their own lusts. Romans 1. God gave them up to the lusts of their own hearts. unto vile affections. they not only do these things but even take pleasure in seeing others do them.
2.
The people of Israel cried out to Moses as Pharaoh approached, It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full. Exodus 14:10-12; Exodus 16:1-3
Desire to satisfy the flesh chokes out the word, Matthew 13:13-23
3.
Unbelief is due to the fact that men choose deliberately to have physical security, or sensual pleasure, or pride.
4.
Agrippa's lust for a woman not his own caused him to deliberately refuse to believe Paul. Acts 26:28
5.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed for what they really are). John 3:19-20
6.
For the time will come when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4) (cf. also Micah 2:11; Hosea 5:4; Hosea 4:6)
7.
One of man's lusts which causes him to deliberately disbelieve is PRIDE.
a.
Pride from wealth, Deuteronomy 8:1-20
b.
Pride from power, Exodus 5:2; Daniel 4:30; Daniel 5:23
c.
Pride from security, Obadiah 1:3
d.
Pride in self-righteousness, Job 33:9; Luke 18:11; John 9:39-41; Revelation 3:17
e.
Pride from self-sufficiency, James 4:13-17
f.
Pride is man's desire for human autonomy over against the sovereignty of God. a proud man does not need a Provider, Protector, Guide and Saviour. But he is not free; he hidesone way or another, he hides.
ANIMAL LUSTS OF MEN DECEIVE THEM INTO DELIBERATELY DENYING GOD, THE BIBLE, HEAVEN AND HELL, BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SATISFY THEIR FLESHLY DESIRES. THEY DO NOT NEED GOD FOR THEY ARE SELF-SUFFICIENT; THEREFORE THEY WANDER (deliberately) INTO THE MYTHS OF EVOLUTION, HUMANISM, COMMUNISM, AND JUST PLAIN STUBBORNNESS.
ALL OF US HAVE HEARD PEOPLE SAY, I KNOW THE BIBLE IS HISTORY AND IT'S TRUE AND I OUGHT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT ITS DEMANDS, BUT I-'M NOT READY TO GIVE UP THIS AND THAT, AND SO ON.. OR SOME WILL SAY, I CAN-'T BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS TRUE BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS IT CONDEMNS WHICH I FEEL ARE ALL RIGHT.
C.
they that are unlearned and unstable wrest the scriptures unto their own destruction 2 Peter 3:16
1.
Unbelief comes to men when they wrest the scriptures.
2.
Satan, the father of unbelief, perverted the scripture at the temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:5-6).
3.
Paul had to contend with the Judaizers who corrupted (2 Corinthians 2:17) and dishonestly handled the word of God deceitfully (2 Corinthians 4:2).
4.
The prejudiced and biased mind is a form of deliberate unbelief (cf. John 8:12; John 7:24); so also is the one who allows himself to be influenced by rumor or opinions of so-called intelligentsia (cf. John 7:12; John 7:40-43; James 1:6-7; Ephesians 4:13-14).
5.
Cowardice or conformity also leads to deliberate unbelief (cf. John 12:41-43; John 9).
6.
Liberalism, Modernisma result of men who have deceitfully and dishonestly handled the Word of Godhas infected hundreds of thousands of gullible people who feel they must conform in churches all around us and within the Restoration Movement.
7.
Existentialism, by deceit, has duped many into unbelief.
8.
Men, by their traditions, have made void the word of God and led many unto unbelief.
THE WRESTING OF THE SCRIPTURES TO MAINTAIN DIVISION WITHIN CHRISTENDOM BRINGS UNBELIEF. JESUS PRAYED IN John 17. THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE, THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE THAT THOU DIDST SEND ME!
WRESTING THE SCRIPTURES IS CERTAIN EVIDENCE OF DISRESPECT FOR GOD AND, ON THE OTHER HAND PRIDE IN SELF!
WHEN MEN EXCHANGE THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR A LIE, THEY BEGIN TO WORSHIP THE CREATURE RATHER THAN THE CREATOR. PERHAPS NOT FROGS AND CROCODILES LIKE THE EGYPTIANS. BUT MAN WORSHIPPING MAN IS JUST AS DESPICABLE FOR IT IS CREATURE WORSHIP!
9.
The Jews of the Prophet's days wrested the scripture by interpreting the promise of the Messiah and His kingdom as one of fleshly indulgence. their hearts were filled with unbelief.
10.
The Pharisees wrested the scriptures to declare their goods Corban. they deceitfully handled the Word of God to take oaths by the gold of the altar rather than the altar itself and robbed people and refused to pay pledges (Matthew 23).
THE SEEMING SLACKNESS OF GOD IN BRINGING JUDGMENT UPON DISOBEDIENCE OR PERVERSION OF GOD'S WORD CAUSES MEN TO FEEL THEY CAN USURP GOD AND DO AS THEY PLEASE WITH HIS WORD. WRESTING IT TO SERVE THEIR LUSTS.
It is clear that the evidences for Christianity are of such nature that they bring to the surface what is in a man! If one is unwilling to follow Christ because of the demand which such would make on his life, he can think up reasons to justify his unwillingness. The real reasonhis unwillingnesswill be hidden from others by these rationalizations and finally even from himself because he does not think beyond these reasons.
The fact that one must love the truth indicates that the attitude of heart has something to do with whether or not one will believe. He who wants a careless, immoral life will not want the faith which is a constant rebuke to such a life.
II.
Belief is deliberate.
A.
Saving faith is voluntary. Had the revelation of God been so strong that anyone beholding could not disbelieve, it would have overridden moral freedom and this would be evidence unsuitable to moral subjects.
B.
The true purpose of God is not to produce obedience by force, but to treat men as free moral agents.
C.
Belief comes to an informed mind.
1.
Peter writes to stir up their mind and to call to remembrance the revealed word of God. 2 Peter 3:1
2.
God's revelation was made intelligently, and he expects man to apprehend it with the use of intelligence (Romans 10:17)
3.
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3
Paul reasoned with the Jews from the scriptures about the Christ.
WE MUST DELIBERATELY LEARN AND RECEIVE THE FACTS ABOUT GOD, JESUS AND THE BIBLE, BEFORE WE CAN BELIEVE. PETER IS ONE WHO PUTS A PREMIUM ON KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST THROUGH THE WORD FOR HE KNOWS THAT BELIEF COMES THIS WAY! (1 Peter 1:22-25; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Peter 1:3-21; 2 Peter 3:18)
B.
Belief comes to a submissive will.
1.
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. John 7:17
2.
The Pharisees of Jesus day were filled with unbelief because they would not let the word of Christ have free course in them. John 8:37
3.
THIS SAME STUBBORN UNWILLINGNESS TO DO GOD'S WILL LED THE PHARISEES TO REJECT THE COUNSEL OF GOD, REFUSING TO BE BAPTIZED OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (Luke 7:29-30).
4.
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 1 John 2:3
5.
GOD GAVE MAN A WILL. HE GAVE HIM A FREE WILL. MAN IS FREE TO SURRENDER TO WHATEVER HE WISHES. BELIEF OR UNBELIEF.
C.
Belief comes to a pure heart.
1.
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Does not Jesus mean believe in God?
2.
The honest and good heart is the soil upon which the seed (the word of God) falls and brings forth much fruit. Luke 8
3.
But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. John 3:21
A HEART CALLOUSED BY IMPURITY, GREED, LASIVIOUSNESS, AND SIN IS HARDENED AGAINST ANY KIND OF BELIEF EXCEPT UNBELIEF! THE HEART THAT IS PURE, CLEAN, AND WHOLESOME IS MALLEABLE, SOFT, COMPASSIONATE, EASILY ENTREATED, RESPONSIVE TO THE HIGHEST AND NOBLEST. RESPONSIVE TO THE DIVINE LOVE LETTER. GOD'S BOOK OF LOVE!
CONCLUSION
HOW DOES MAN, SNARED IN THE TRAP OF THE DEVIL, BLINDED BY THE DEVIL, DECEIVED BY THE DEVIL INTO UNBELIEF, COME TO BELIEF??
I.
There must be an a priori which must be admitted. Man must admit that he is rational and that there are objects and facts to be known. To deny he thinks he must think. Even to represent himself to be irrational he must think rationally!
II.
Many facts (truths) are MORAL FACTS. That is they exhibit, form or display moral character or attributes. All of God's works (both natural and supernatural) exhibit His moral attributes and character. His wrath upon sin; His love for the sinner (cf. Romans 1:18-22; Acts 14:15-17; Acts 17:22-31; John 3:16, etc.)
III.
The will or the heart or the mind of man must be changed or moved or transformed by a presentation of moral facts (cf. Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Romans 10:17).
IV.
Man then makes a choice or gives assent to what he knows to be true and moral and right. An emotion is an experience brought about by the prospect of some value's being gained or lost. We become emotional about something after receiving the moral facts and reasoning on themthen we make a choice. WHICH IS MOST TO BE DESIRED. MATERIAL OR SPIRITUAL?
V.
MAN THEN COMES TO FAITH. Faith is trust, love, obedience, commitment. Faith is an experiencebased squarely on the foregoing steps.
An infamous woman atheist, speaking on the campus of Drake University, asked why she speaks on college campuses, replied, To corrupt the youth!
She said, I believe this would be the best of all possible worlds if everybody were an atheist or an agnostic or a humanist.
I don-'t think the church has ever contributed anything to anybody, any place, at any time. I can-'t pinpoint a period in history or a place in the universe where religion has actually helped the welfare of man.
There is absolutely no conclusive evidence that Jesus ever really existed, even as a mortal. I don-'t believe he was a historical figure at all. Until someone proves otherwise, therefore, these stories about him must be considered nothing more than folk tales consisting in equal parts of legend and wish fulfillment. But there is never going to be any way of verifying them one way or the other.
WOULD YOU SAY THIS WOMAN IS A FREE-THINKER. ALWAYS WILLING TO INVESTIGATE EVIDENCE. OPENMINDED. OBJECTIVE!!!?
Also, I reject the idea of a life hereafter on the same grounds. Do you know anybody who has come back with a first-hand report on heaven? If you do, let me know. Until then you-'ll pardon me if I don-'t buy it.
I agree with Mark Twain, who wrote about the hereafter, that there is no sex in it; you can-'t eat anything in it; there is absolutely nothing physical in it. You wouldn-'t have your brain, you wouldn-'t have any sensation, you wouldn-'t be able to enjoy anythingunless you were queer for hymn singing and harp playing. So who needs it? SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, I-'D RATHER GO TO HELL.
UNBELIEF CAN-'T GET ANY MORE DELIBERATE THAN THAT!
It is a matter of choice! Choose ye this day whom you will serve. Why go ye limp between the two sides, if Baal be God worship him. Jesus depicted life as a choice between two waysnot three (no neutrality).
SPECIAL STUDY
THE CHRISTIAN AND WAR
by
Paul T. Butler
INTRODUCTION
I.
A Continuing Christian Concern
A.
As long as there are unregenerate people there will be wars, James 4:1-4
B.
Viet Nam cease fire and end of the draft do not necessarily mean the Christian will never have to face the problem again.
C.
In addition, when we broach this subject we have entered the whole area of the Christian and civil government (laws, taxes, politics, social welfare, etc.).
D.
If I read the N.T. correctly at all, I am convinced the Christian cannot ignore these problems. We may not be of the world, but we certainly are in the world. E. To a larger extent than we may realize, unbelievers may be watching our Christian witness in this area (government) more than they watch it in the religious rituals we perform!
II.
A Coherent Christian Certitude
A.
Christians, of all people, should have the most coherent answers to these problems.
B.
Christians, because they have regenerated their minds and they are no longer prejudiced by sin, should think logically, reasonably and sensibly.
C.
But more important than that, Christians have the written, revealed mind of Christ in the N.T.the Divine Will settles the question.
D.
We will approach the subject on these two bases:
1.
Reason
2.
Revelation
DISCUSSION
I.
Reason (Natural Law; Conscience)
A.
All men, even those who do not have a special-revealed law of God (O.T. or N.T.) have a revelation in the natural order of God's creation and in their reasoning capabilities which tells them
1.
God's wrath on ungodliness and wickedness and suppression of the truth (Romans 1:18 ft); and His eternal power and deity.
2.
They are either doing or not doing God's law (Romans 2:14-16)
3.
Of course, sinful men may wilfully refuse to recognize truth and may deliberately ignore historical and rational facts (2 Peter 3:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; 1 Corinthians 15:34).
4.
But Christians are commanded to use logic (Romans 12:1-2) as a result of having their minds transformed. CHRISTIANS ARE NOT PERMITTED THE LUXURY OF IRRATIONALITY! CHRISTIANS ARE NOT PERMITTED THE ESCAPISM OF REFUSING TO FACE REALITY!
B.
Axioms
1.
Necessity of law and order (local, national and international)
a.
In order to the maintenance of any kind of society (and man is by nature and necessity a social being) there must be law and order.
b.
If this is doubted, just universalize a few actions which are presently considered anti-social:
(1)
What if there were no sanctions against murder, i.e., that anyone and everyone were free to take anyone else's life violently, indiscriminately, without cause or for any cause, at any time.
(2)
What if there were no laws against theft and robbery. What if any man were free to rob or steal from any other at any time, for any cause or without cause.
c.
The two above are, in effect, what wars of aggression and imperialism are all about. What if all nations acted as described above?
d.
1 Timothy 1:8-9 Law is not for just but lawless. etc.
2.
Where there are no sanctions or penalties and where penalties are not executed, THERE IS NO LAW!
a.
We may enact and write local and national laws against murder, draft-dodging, theft, etc., until we are blue in the face but if we have no penalty or the penalty is not executed, we have no lawswe just have reams and reams of paper!
b.
We can join United Nations bodies, debate, enact, sign and proclaim eloquently the international laws controlling our nations all we want, but if there is no penalty and no enforcement, there is no international law!
c.
Ecclesiastes 8:11; Because sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the sons of men is fully set to do evil.
d.
As Socrates reasoned: An unjust law is bad, but no law is worse!
3.
Punishment must fit the crime
a.
Senator Taft (Robert Sr.) reportedly said: The war criminals at the Nuremburg trials were tried and punished after fact, i.e., they were tried and sentenced for a crime for which there was no law.
Perhaps, technically speaking, there are no written international laws by which political leaders of nations which perpetuate international murder (war) may be tried and punished, but there certainly is a natural moral lawJUSTICE.
b.
Justice is the action according to which one renders to another that which is the latter's right or the latter's due.
c.
To sustain the majesty of the law there must be just and commensurate punishments (national or international).
d.
In the realm of civil or national law, capital punishment is a vindicatory sanction; that is, it vindicates the majesty and justness of the law against taking of life in cold blood. A murderer, when he takes another person's life, has taken something out of the totality of being which cannot be restored, namely, the victim's greatest good (his life); hence the state (society acting through its government), in order to restore the balance of justice, takes the murderer's greatest good (his life) in reciprocity.
e.
Man is a person by virtue of the fact that he is a rational being. By heinous crimes which are offenses against the law of reason, he withdraws violently from the society of reason and sets out wilfully to destroy society. Therefore he forfeits his right to continue to live in that society.
f.
Crimes of murder, robbery, aggressive war, etc. are all crimes against SOCIETY. not merely crimes against individuals. THE WHOLE STRUCTURAL FABRIC OF SOCIETY IS AT STAKE!
g.
This principle of justice, punishment commensurate with the crime, has to be applied to international criminal acts. WHEN ONE NATION COMMITS VIOLENT, HEINOUS CRIMES (WARS) AGAINST INTERNATIONAL STRUCTURES OF SOCIETY, COERCIVE, PUNISHING, RESTRAINING FORCES OF DEFENSIVE WARS MUST BE WAGED TO VINDICATE THE INTERNATIONAL LAWS AGAINST WAR!
h.
A punishment which is not commensurate with the crime will not vindicate the law against the crime!
C.
Conclusions
1.
Man must have government to exist.
2.
Without government there would be social chaos.
3.
There can be no government without law.
4.
If obedience to government or law is determined individually or subjectively, then no law would be immune from some people's disapproval or disobedience. The result would be anarchy.
5.
It is a greater evil not to resist an international aggressor than to fight against him. All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
II.
Revelation
A.
Government, in general
1.
Is ordained by God (Romans 13:1)
a.
No Christian is exempt from obedience to government just on the grounds that he is a Christian.
b.
He who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed.
c.
The O.T. teaches the authority of civil government as a God-ordained institution (Ezra 7:26; Exodus 22:28; Proverbs 24:21-22).
d.
The N.T. is plain and specific (Matthew 22:21; Titus 2:15 to Titus 3:2; 1 Peter 2:13-17).
e.
Society must have government. God has provided it and preserves iteven pagan government (Jeremiah 27:5-7; Isaiah 10:5 ff).
He (the Christian) may exert his effort to have unjust laws changed and unjust national objectives withdrawn. He may use every legitimate effort to convince the ruler that the laws are unjust or the war is unjust. But he has absolutely no scriptural authority to incite anarchy. Anarchy is satanic. God does not will anarchy in this present world; He wills order. Satan is the one who seeks anarchy, in order to oppose the will of God. Wm. LaSor, C.T. 1-30-70.
Anarchy is satanic whether it be by Bolsheviks, Red Guards, Black Panthers or Weathermen (see Reader's Digest, November 1970, The Destruction of Diana).
2.
Originated for God (Romans 13:1-7)
a.
As a terror to bad conductto restrain evil and to punish the wrong-doer (the unrestrainable)to execute the wrath of God upon the wrongdoer. Government is God's executive!
b.
Now we know that the law is good, if any one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient. I Tim. Isaiah 1:8-9
c.
d.
Rulers do not wield the sword (instrument of execution) in vain! There is a purpose, a God-ordained purpose, in punishmenteven in capital punishment!
e.
It seems to me that those who advocate abolition of all capital punishment ignore three vital factors (1) The absolute sovereignty of God as the creator and giver of human existence on earth; (2) the malignancy of sin which left unchecked would destroy the universe; (3) the divinely delegated authority to human society to remove from its fabric those who are incorrigibly devoted to the destruction of that fabric by acts of violence against the innocent.
It is not the distance from animals but the proximity to God which makes man unique. Man abdicates his responsibility when he gets on the animal level or when he seeks to dethrone God. And he does both when he becomes a wilful and malicious murderer. He attempts to be under what he is over (animal)and aspires to be over what he is under (God). AND IT IS HERE THAT GOD DECREES THAT MAN FORFEITS HIS RIGHT TO CONTINUE TO LIVE WITH THOSE WHO REMAIN WITHIN THE STATUS FOR WHICH MAN WAS MADE. Carl Ketcherside, Mission Messenger, Vol. 31, August 1969, p. 118ff.
f.
Whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man. Genesis 9:6 (the first book of the Bible)
g.
He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Revelation 13:10 (the last book of the Bible)
h.
Some object that capital punishment is action so utterly final and. irretrievable, but it is not any more so than the death of a victim shot in the heart by a robber, or the death of a woman choked or bludgeoned to death in her own home by a rapist. Why is it that modern morality seems always to be on the side of the criminal aggressor without taking account of the rights of the innocent victim. Capital punishment for murder is to be exacted because it is the divine judgment to keep the land from being drenched in innocent blood. The forfeiture of one's right to continue in the land of the living is conditioned upon his blatant disrespect for the person of one made in the image of God. -Mercy but murder, pardoning those who kill.-' Ketcherside, ibid.
i.
People against capital punishment always quote the Decalogue Thou shalt not kill (Exodus 20:13). This is ridiculous because just 27 verses later in the same book, God said, If a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. (Exodus 21:12-17). GOD HAS ALWAYS DISTINGUISHED BETWEEN MURDER AND JUDICIAL EXECUTION.. ALL MURDER IS KILLING BUT NOT ALL KILLING IS MURDER!
He (the Christian) has no Biblical authority to tell the state it must renounce the use of force in order to preserve law, or to demand that the law of the state be changed to disarm policemen. This would be to take the -sword-' from the magistrateand the bearing of the sword by the magistrate is recognized and approved by the Word of God. LaSor, op. cit.
j.
The great apostle Paul stood for the fair and just execution of capital punishmenteven if it meant his own death! Acts 25:11
B.
Government in International relationships (war, etc.)
1.
The erosion of the public conscience against capital punishment and against international policing (war) against aggression is a device of Satan to take the sting out of rebellion, anarchy and social chaos.
2.
... it seems to me that nothing is more unrealistic in the present state of the world than to say that war must never be used as a means of thwarting wilful and deliberate aggression. This position ignores the fact that God employed war as a judgment upon nations, and even upon Jerusalem (Ezekiel 14:21). Surely He was not immoral. This does not mean that God likes war any more than I like it. I did not punish my children because I derived pleasure from the experience but in order to produce -the fruit of real goodness-' in their characters. Gen. Sherman said that -War is hell,-' and I concur, but I do not forget that God also made hell. And it was made as the result of war in heaven! If Michael and his angels had been pacifists, the devil might have taken heaven over, and if this had happened those who went to heaven would have been in hell.. Certainly war is an evil, but it is not necessarily a sin. All sin is evil, but not all -evil-' is sin. Obviously not every war is justified, but that is not the question. it will be necessary for all nations to desist from lifting up the sword against each other, for so long as one learns war with a view to the destruction of others, the others will have to defend themselves. God will turn those nations which hate Him and His rule into hell. War is the judgment of God upon such sin here, and hell is the judgment of God upon such sin hereafter. When I assist in the work of rewarding good or in striking terror into the hearts of evil men, I am abiding God's minister to fulfill a responsibility to God. Ketcherside, op. cit.
3.
Some scripture references: (additional to ones already cited)
a.
Genesis 14:21-24; Abram's going after and defeating the kings of the East who had kidnapped his nephew, Lot, and the blessing of God's great high priest Melchizedek.
b.
Joshua 8:1-29; Joshua's conquest of Ai, even instructed by God to ambush the warriors of Ai.
c.
1 Samuel 30:1-31; David inquired of the Lord about avenging violent aggression done upon his people by the Amalekites, and God commanded David to do so.
d.
Ecclesiastes 3:8; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 8:8; No man has power to retain the spirit, or authority over the day of death; there is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the sons of men is fully set to do evil.
e.
Jeremiah 48:10; Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness; and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.
f.
Daniel 5:17-28; Daniel informed Belshazzar of God's providential maintenance of Nebuchadnezzar's policing of the world and that all rulers, even pagan ones, when they usurp God's sovereignty, God brings them down.
g.
Obadiah 1:10-14; Obadiah tells the Edomites they should not have stood aloof when their neighbor nation (Israel) was being plundered by aggressors. GOD HOLDS ALL NATIONS (EVEN PAGAN ONES) RESPONSIBLE TO HELP OTHER NATIONS DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST AGGRESSION!
h.
Amos 1:9; Amos says God will judge Tyre because Tyre broke a covenant she had made with Israel by allowing Edom to plunder Israel. GOD HOLDS NATIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TREATIES AND COVENANTS THEY MAKE WITH ONE ANOTHER!
4.
Some examples:
a.
Cornelius, a devout Roman soldier became a Christian and was not (so far as we know) forbidden to continue as such (Acts 10:11).
b.
John the Baptist and the soldiers (Luke 3:14). John the Baptist did not tell them to give up soldiering.
c.
Sergius Paulus became a Christian and continued as a proconsul. Acts 13:5-12
d.
It appears that Paul may have converted some of the elite military personnel of Caesar's own body guard (Philippians 1:13; Philippians 4:21).
e.
Erastus was city treasurer in Rome (Romans 16:23); this meant he was an official of a pagan government.
f.
Paul did not command the jailer at Philippi to resign when the jailer became a Christian (Acts 16:25-40).
g.
Angels, servants of God, moral beings with power to choose to obey or disobey God, serve God by engaging in war and in killing rebellious aggressive oppressors (Isaiah 37:36-38; Daniel 10:1 ff, etc.).
h.
Heaven protected itself by entering into a war of self-defense (Revelation 12:7-17; Revelation 19:11-16).
C.
Conscientious Objection
1.
The only conscience a Christian should have against compulsory military service in a world with continued aggressive pressures like ours which demands a ready military establishment as a deterrent, would be if he were a missionary or a minister actively preaching the Gospel. and even then there may come a time when all able-bodied men might be needed to hasten the overthrow of evil aggressive forces at work in the world.
2.
Conscientious objection to war or military service cannot be based on personal desires, but on the direction of God's expressed will in matters. Romans 13 (and all the other scriptures and reasons we have cited) is a clear expression of God's will for Christians in regard to war and the use of force and killing, if necessary, to check and punish aggression!
3.
The Christian has a right to only one conscience. A conscience directed by God. The non-Christian must be forced to do right and justly by laws (conscription/draft) if he will not do right otherwise (cf. 1 Timothy 1:8 ff). This is exactly what government and law is for! Men cannot be left to do only what they feel is right (especially unregenerate, lawless men). The main function of government is to force the immoral and ungodly to be as moral as is necessary to maintain society. Government was instituted by God to protect and enforce this fundamental necessity.
CONCLUSION
In America, a man stood up in a free pulpit to preach; he quoted detached sentences from the Christ whose hand held the lash when His Father's House was a den of thieves, and whose eyes were often as a flame of fire. The preacher declared that evil, no matter how diabolical, was never to be resisted with any physical weapons. Rhetorically, he asked, -What has a sword ever accomplished worthwhile?-'
In a pew was a worshipper in whose heart was an aching void and in whose home was a Gold Star, speaking of the valor of a young crusader who marched forth with a righteous sword and came not back. At the church door, following the service, that worshipper said to the clergyman: -I can tell you one thing that righteous sword has done.-'
What?-' replied the minister.
Replied the listener with deep feeling: -The sword in the hand of those who have resisted militant evil has given you the right to stand here today and to proclaim your convictions without fear of being liquidated.-'
The one who had publicly said that rampant evil was never to be resisted by force paused for a moment and then acknowledged, -I am afraid I cannot refute that.-'
There is no refutation in God's world and man's for the flash of a righteous sword! (Dr. Frederick Brown Harris, Chaplain, U.S. Senate, 1943-1969, quoted in U.S. News and World Report, October 30, 1972.)