Date: January 14, 2003 03:12 PM
Author: Anarcho-Kev (Kevin4VFT@aol.com)
Subject: God "ordains" and "sanctifies" EVIL "for our good."

Laurie says:

I am simply quoting Romans 13: - "For he is God's servant to do you good." It's really as simple as that. Now if that throws you into a tizzy, then you better figure out just who God's servant is in that text.

I understand that government can become corrupt just like anything else. I'm not stupid. I just don't agree that civil government is an intrinsically evil institution in and of itself. Romans 13:1 says "...the powers that be are ordained of God."

Eulogizing the State

"Eulogy" comes from two Greek words meaning "good" and "speech." Romans 13 is a eulogy for the State. But we must remember that often in Scripture, good-sounding words ("servant" "ordained") do not necessarily refer to good things. Paul calls them "the powers." But he says in Ephesians 6:12 that we are to "wrestle against" the powers. Everywhere this word "powers" (plural) occurs in the New Testament, it refers to demonic agencies.

Nevertheless, because men without the Spirit have no power to live without the structure provided by the powers, we are not to engage in impatient violent revolutionary deconstruction (Romans 13:1-4; Titus 3:1) nor treat the fallen angels lightly (2 Peter 2:10).

More good-words: Isaiah begins a sermon against Babylon in chapter 13 which continues through chapter 14. Babylon is going to be judged for her lawlessness, her violations of Biblical Law. Her judgment will come at the hands of the Medes.

The soldiers of the Meden army are His "sanctified ones." (v. 3)

The Lord "commands" them.

He calls His "mighty ones." (v. 3)

He musters the armies together. (v. 4)

The armies of the nations

come from the Lord

to destroy the earth. (v. 5)

(Not the whole earth, just the land that pertains to Babylon.)

The destroying armies are "the weapons of His indignation" (v. 5).

This is the day of the Lord's "wrath and fierce anger" (vv. 6-9).

The coming destruction is a terror for these evil doers (v. 11).

God is sending a sword to cut them down (v. 15).

The purposes of God's wrath are "served" by these sword-bearing evil-doers. They are "called." They are "sanctified." Good words used to describe bad people and evil actions. This is clearly the same language we see in Romans 13.

Could a Theonomist join the armies of the Medes, the Assyrians, the Romans, or "the New World Order?" Not and remain a Theonomist. Yes, a person who is "called" by God, "serves" God's purposes, is "sanctified" by God, surely "ordained" by God, bringing "the wrath of God" against "evil doers" could be an apostate in utter defiance of God's Law.

The State murders. The State lives by theft. The State engages in man-stealing. We must encourage all politicians, bureaucrats, and our next-door neighbor -- who just got a job opening the suitcases of grandmothers at the airport -- to repent and resign. The State is evil.

For Our Good

Not just good words, Laurie says; Romans 13 says the State is sent "for our good" (Romans 13:4). When God says to Babylon, "I am sending My ministers," He does not mean to comfort the Babylonians with the promise of the presence of His divine ambassadors, the army of the Medes. This is a threat of judgment! But even judgment is for our good. I think this was best explained (although unwittingly) by Bill Gothard. In the Basic Seminar section on "Transforming Sources of Irritation," Gothard points out the following:

• God wants to develop the Character of Christ in us.
  • Godly Character is more important than "national security" through ICBM's.
    • Matthew 5:3-12: Humility, repentance, meekness, spiritual hunger, mercy, purity, peacemaking, endurance in persecution
    • Galatians 5:22: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:
• God tests us to develop this character.
  • He puts us through a fire:
    • 1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
  • He sends irritations:
    • Proverbs 17:11 An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
  • He sends the Medes, the Assyrians, the Romans, and the Clintonistas:
    • Romans 13:4 "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:"
    • God "ordains" EVIL
• God's "messengers" are unwitting agents of God's Grace.
  • Whenever God sends a "source of irritation" into our lives (our neighbor, our mother-in-law, Saddam Hussein) He also gives a measure of grace. If we respond to the State the way Christ did, we develop His character:
    • 1 Peter 2:20 If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval.
      21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps.
    • James 4:6 But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
    • Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

In this way the State is a servant of God for our good. Not just for our "good" in the sense of "national security" or lowered FBI crime statistics (because looking to the theft and murder of the State for these things actually reduces security and increases crime), but good in the sense of our "summum bonum," our highest spiritual good.

Kevin C.
http://devoted.to/AnarchoTheocracy
-------------------------------------

And they shall beat their swords into plowshares
and sit under their Vine & Fig Tree.
Micah 4:1-7

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