Joshua Hawk

“A crucified man loses all of his rights.” – Leonard Ravenhill

I consider myself blessed to be an American and living in a thriving country where religious liberties exist. I also have a great deal of respect and gratitude for my freedom and for the men and women in uniform who protect my freedom at home and abroad; however, we live in a day and age where these freedoms are taken for granted and no longer appreciated. All too often freedom is abused and used as a pass to condone a way of life that is contrary to how Christians are called to live.

Just a few months ago, a friend of mine, who happens to be a youth pastor, told me a story about some legal threats made to his church by one of the parents of a student in his youth group. He told me some of his students were dating each other and having issues with maintaining purity. Consequently, this was causing some parents in the church to complain and to withdraw their kids from youth. So the church board decided to take action by creating rules with the approval of the senior pastor. Under the new rules, students were still permitted to date but they were not allowed to show public displays of affection on church premises. They were also allowed to talk and mingle with each other but they were not allowed to sit next to their boyfriends or girlfriends during service. Seems reasonable right? Most would agree that a church isn’t the place for hook ups; however, the parent that I previously mentioned was enraged by the rules that the church created and threatened to sue the church for infringing on their child’s “constitutional right” to do whatever they want to do. 

Now I usually don’t like talking about politics or social issues because it tends to stir a lot of discord and division; however, this incident along with recent controversial topics in the news today has me frustrated. Political protesting has become a daily occurrence and has intensified in the wake of recent allegations brought against the supreme court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. What was once called rebellion and civil disobedience is now called “freedom of speech.” I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a kid being disrespectful to their parents or to an adult in authority and when corrected, their response is, “It’s a free country; I can do whatever I want.” Many Americans these days are constantly repackaging sin and labeling it as a product called “constitutional rights”; however, no constitutional right, regardless of how wildly it’s interpreted, could ever negate the word of God and what it says about submission and authority.

1 Peter 2:16 in the NIV says “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.” Unfortunately, a lot of young Americans today do in fact use freedom as an excuse to do wrong. Hearing about college students protesting elected officials on their campuses and seeing SJW’s pounding on the supreme court doors under the mantra of “free speech” and “first amendment rights” is exhausting news but when you strip away the excuses, what you have at the core is rebellion and a complete lack of respect for authority; however, scripture instructs Christians to behave differently. Peter goes on to say in verse 17 of 1 Peter 2, “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” To understand what Peter is saying here, let’s take a brief look at what was going on during the time he wrote that.

The emperor of Ancient Rome during that time was Emperor Nero who ruled from 54 AD to 68 AD. For those who might have fell asleep in World History or don’t know much about Roman history, Nero was a maniac and is known for burning down Rome. The great fire of Rome happened in 64 AD and lasted for 6 days. The fire was devastating and burned over 70% of the city killing men, women, and children and leaving thousands homeless. Folklore says that while the city of Rome was ablaze, Nero played a fiddle. Whether that is factual or not is uncertain but what Nero did is the equivalent of a modern day president or monarch dropping bombs in a heavily populated area in their own country and finding pleasure and amusement from the chaos and destruction! Most historians and people with common sense would agree that Nero was an evil emperor. However, Peter stated “honor the emperor.” A lot of people would have a hard time accepting this request but what makes this request even more bizarre is the fact that Nero hated and persecuted Christians! The reason Nero started the great fire of Rome was so he could falsely accuse the Christians of starting it and condemn them all to death! It was truly a difficult time to be a Christian during Nero’s rule. Professing Christians were imprisoned, crucified, beheaded, sacrificed, dipped in oil and set on fire, or mauled to death by lions. But Peter’s request is to “honor the emperor!”

Why would Peter ask Christians to honor and submit to such an evil person? This man wanted them dead because of their faith in Jesus! Most people would want to fight back and protest against this cruel ruler but Peter understood Jesus’ teachings on submission. Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-45, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” How extreme and different this behavior is compared to how people behave today!

Early Christians were called to live a life of submission. These biblical teachings on submission and honoring authority are principles that still apply today. These principles can be applied in how we respond to and treat church leaders. We are to honor our pastors even if we disagree with them or don’t like how they preach. These principles can also be applied in how we speak about and react to our government officials. Now please keep in mind I am not advocating for any elected official but the sad truth is, our current president gets no respect from the media and from many individuals on the left. Everyone knows our president is a far from perfect man but any time President Trump speaks out, whether it’s against kneeling athletes or the liberal biased media, it is met with ridicule, mockery, and civil disobedience. In fact, many are even calling for his impeachment! But scripture tells us to “honor the emperor.” To submit means we are to honor the president regardless if we voted for him or not. If early Christians could honor an evil man like Nero, surely we can honor President Trump despite his unpopularity and flaws.

As Christians, we are to submit to authority. Romans 13:1-2 in the NIV says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” Protesting against authority or resisting authority is lawlessness and at the core rebellion. At the heart of Christianity is submission which is the opposite of what we see in the news today. James 4:7 instructs us to submit ourselves to God but submission isn’t limited to just political leaders and God. This extends to parents (Ephesians 6:1-3), elders (1 Peter 5:5), spiritual leaders (Hebrews 13:17), and God’s appointed (Numbers 12). Remember that the SON OF GOD submitted to the Fathers will. Let us follow Jesus’ example and live a life of submission and servanthood in an ungodly generation.

“Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:25 NIV