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Power or Jesus
The gospel message is quite simple, and can be fully communicated in just a few points:
- You were created in God's image to glorify Him by enjoying relationship with Him (Genesis 1:26).
- All humans have separated themselves with God by disobeying him (Romans 3:23).
- Jesus paid our sin debt through His atoning death and resurrection. (Romans 6:23,1 Peter 3:18)
- Restoration with God requires only that we believe in Jesus' death and resurrection, repent of our sin (pride, self-reliance), and surrender to Jesus as Lord. (Romans 10:9-10)
Salvation in Christ requires no work on our part (Ephesians 2:8), and that is what makes it so difficult. We want to earn things. We want to do it our way. Our pride and rebellion get in the way of experiencing the life of wholeness for which God created us.
However, when we forsake our selfish bent toward self-empowerment, everything changes. When I make Jesus my King, I become a citizen of His Kingdom. There realities of that allegiance are more threatening to people of power than any weapon created by men. I'm going to take some time to explore this reality today.
Obeying God or Obeying Men
Scripture teaches us to obey human rulers (Romans 13) but only inasmuch as doing so does not infringe upon obedience to God. Scripture seems to show more examples of civil disobedience to governing authorities than to obedience.
- In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar wants to further establish his power through state-sponsored idolatry. Daniel's friends refused to bow down to it and God was glorified in their obedience to God rather than man.
- In Acts 4, Peter and John directly disobey the religious leaders who feel their power threatened by the disciples' allegiance to Jesus.
- The entire New Testament chronicles how Jesus followers disobey religious and governmental leaders by obeying Jesus rather than the laws of men.
The primary sin of man is pride. People want power. They want to do things their way and feel secure in their own strength. As we mentioned, this is antithetical to the Kingdom of God in which Jesus is ruler over all.
“But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
Men and women who seek after power know that others want power too. The lust for power is the leverage wielded by men of power to gain it from others. In Daniel 6, it was the desire to obtain more power that led the high officials to find fault in Daniel. It was the King Darius's own pride that allowed them to so easily talk him into creating the a law that forbid prayer to anyone but himself. The grasp for power is the one consistent leverage evil rulers have learned to count on in order to consolodate their own power. An economy of power, perpetuated by the greed for more of it.
Breaking the Economy of Power
But making Jesus my King removes me from the human power struggle. Men of power fear this more than anything. Authoritarian leaders know their power will erode if people no longer grasp for it. The Kingdom of God is the greatest fear of the kings of men.
Further, if I am obedient to Jesus as King, I will obey human rulers only to the extend that doing so will not compromise obedience to Jesus. No tyrant likes a citizen who is allegiant to the True King.
In my next post, I will discuss the nature of the Kingdom of God and how specifically it makes the structures of men obsolete. For now, we must acclimate ourselves to the knowledge that being a part of the Kingdom of God makes us enemies to the kingdom of men.
For now, take some time to seek Jesus. Do I want Jesus more than I want control? Do I want Him to rule more than I want my candidate to win? Am I prepared to endure persecution and death for my obedience to Jesus? Does my life reflect that of Jesus? Am I a citizen of God's Kingdom or my own? (More on this to come.)
“But made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
