Crossroad

OK . . . . let’s get started with the questions from ‘To Caesar what is Caesar’s.’ BTW- these questions are copied and pasted on so any typos and such are the fault of the medium (texting to email). Also, if I received many questions that cover the same topic, I will only answer one of those, so if you don’t see your question, look for one that is similar.

Jen pinkner is hot and i love her cute bangs!

The good news is that this was written in by one of the girls Jen mentors and I don’t have to kill anyone. Especially when they are right!!! HA!

What about about things that are made ok and lawfull to do? can we do
those things?
Unless it is against God’s word, yes. On the flip side, if something is gray in God’s word and it is made illegal, then you can’t. For example, it is not black and white in the NT that it is wrong to drink alcohol (sorry Baptists). But that the law says it is wrong for someone under the age of 21 to drink MAKES it against God’s law. Here’s a curve ball- even if your parents are cool with it, that doesn’t make it ok because it is not their place to dictate that. It is the government’s. It was against God to drink alcohol during Prohibition, and then not the very day Prohibition was overturned. God has granted His authority to the government.

Can military personal go to war? What about the whole “thou shall not
kill” thing?
Yes, that is the whole point of the ‘just war’ stuff we talked about at the end. If the proper government has given proper authority and the criteria for just war are met, then they can. The ‘thou shall not kill’ does not apply because God has given the authority to the government to exercise His right to do so. That command is for the individual.

Was it right for people like detrich bonhoffer and john knox to
attempt to assassinate those in authority.
I would say no. They were not ‘governmental’ authorities, if you will. I would say that made it sin. Sin NEVER is the answer to sin. Never.

How can you say the people who passed the abortion law are working for
God
I don’t. They are clearly outside of God’s will. Just like Pilate was wrong for crucifying an innocent man. If your question is ‘how can you say that the only authority in existence is in existence because of God?’ then you are going to have to re-read the text and really bend it to come up with something else. Also verses like Acts 2:23 which says that God assembled all the rulers together to stand against Jesus. God allows evil for His purposes. This is clear from the Bible. His reason is His goodness is revealed more clearly because of it.

When choosing a political canidate how do you weigh the importance of
things like abortion and gay marriage against war?
Good question. I think the main thing is that you can’t be a ‘one issue’ voter. When I am considering voting for someone, I have to look at a lot of things, not just a ‘hot topic’ issue like abortion or gay rights. What do they think about the economy? Crime? Social issues like welfare and Social Security? This can help narrow down the field. There is definitely some merit to the idea that Christians should only vote for people that are Christians and are representing Christian values. As much as the emergents and liberals are saying that politics and religion are exclusive, it is funny to me how at the exact same time, they are advancing liberal political agendas. (‘Hey pot! This is the kettle calling . . .’) The main thing is: vote your conscience. Choose the best candidate you can. I do think sometimes we might have to go with the ‘lesser of two evils’ approach.

If you are drafted into an immoral war how should you go about
participating the way God would want?
Probably this would be a time to engage is civil disobedience. You would probably go to jail, but that would be what you would have to do if you were sure you were honoring God with your disobedience. Consider Paul, Peter and John in the book of Acts and their constant jailing. They would not stop preaching the Gospel, knowing that was more important than personal freedom. Also note that even when they were in prison- God sprung both Peter and Paul through supernatural means!!

Is it biblical to have the united nations and on top of that for the
U.S. to submit itself to the united nations?
This is the first of many questions that I am going to answer by saying the issue at hand is not a biblical one, but a political one. For example, in the Bible, democracy as a political system is unknown. It speaks of emperors and kings. If we go by an undiscerning interpretative technique, we could say that living in a democratic republic (that’s us) is unbiblical because it is not in the Bible. That would be ridiculous. The issue for us is ‘does the UN help the political aspirations and needs of the US?’ Not a Biblical question, but a political one.

How do you speak to a friend who claims to seek Jesus but drinks
underage in a way they defend as ‘responsible’ and ‘not out of control’
Kindly at first and then more sternly if they will not listen. Look up the verses in Matt 18 regarding confronting a fellow Christian in sin. As for the root- it is not up to them to decide if it is ok to break the law. The government has God’s authority to establish the law. Period. If they break it, it is for their own pleasure and sensate, carnal lusts. It’s really simple- they are loving sin more than God.

When does legalism become an issue, or letting laws and silly rules
distract you from God’s glory and living for that alone?
First of all, legalism is a term for an aberration from salvation doctrine. It would be saying ‘you can’t be a Christian until you believe and Christ AND turn in a circle three times.’ The ‘turn in a circle three times’ is the legalistic aberration. In the N.T., it is usually about circumcision. A BIG mistake is made to when the call to holiness, or what is called ‘sanctification’ in the Bible, is called legalism. It’s not. If I call on everyone at Crossroad to obey the Lord by abstaining from sexual immorality, that is not legalism, it is sanctification. What is clear from the Romans text is that Paul considered living by the laws of the land a part of sanctification, thus it WAS living for God’s glory. To dismiss it is to NOT live for God’s glory, but our own pleasure. True Christian living is more about humility and proper submission than it is about wild hedonism, not matter what the current Christian bestsellers say.

Is it biblical for a woman to rule in a secular format?
I think I would say yes to this. The Bible is only specific about husbands and wives and within the Church. It would be true that a woman at the time would not be a business owner or leader nor a political ruler. But since there is not exact address in the Bible regarding that, I would say it is fine.

What is your view on fairtax…
Again, a political question rather than a biblical one. If I understand it correctly, it is a tax on consumption rather than income. I think that I am ok with that as long as there is a way to help the poor . . .

should i reject my government-given lottery scholarship money?
I don’t think so.

It seems we turn people off to God because they feel like a bad
person. Clearly they won’t be as good as me, but how change that view?
This is one of the consistent ‘greatest mistakes’ the Church makes over and over. Is it not up to us how people react to the Gospel. We are just to present it and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work. In trying to ‘soften’ it, we usually end up changing it. This is EXACTLY what is going on with the emergents right now. While they say all they are trying to do is make the Gospel accessible to a new generation, their writings and podcast are full of modified Gospel, which is no Gospel at all.

We yield to government proper, not to Caesar. What is the difference?
Does this mean the American Revolution was of vain.
If the ‘government proper’ becomes one of tyranny, then the Christian can revolt if it done under a ‘just war’ fashion. Remember, the colonists elected a government who tried to reason with Britian and then ultimately revolted. Read the Declaration of Independence and see what you think about their reasoning.

what if someone is convicted and put in prison when they are truly
innocent?
I’m not sure what the question is, but on face value I will say that it is wrong. We should strive to set up the fairest system possible. Our system has an operating value that ‘ten guilty men should go free before one innocent man goes to jail.’ It does its best, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Nothing here is or will be until Jesus returns.

Are these concepts applicable to other forms of authority, such as
professors and others?
Yes. You will see all through his letters that Paul considers showing proper respect to those in authority a Christian duty. Consider the letter ‘Philemon.’ In it, Paul is sending a runaway slave back to his master in order to be seen as proper even in injustice. In the letter, he calls for the master to be lenient, but more important is that the name of Christ be exalted by all by seeing good conduct. A difficult lesson in our ‘I have my rights’ society. But that is why we are not of this world.

How can one win approval of an authority who walks in darkness, if
‘darkness hates the light’?
Again, that is the job of the Holy Spirit. It seems impossible in the human scale, but nothing is impossible with God. Look at Pharaoh and Joseph, Daniel and Darius, the Jews and Cyrus, etc. God will give us favor with those He pleases. He directs their hearts like a river.