John Calvin at 500

Just a brief breaking of the silence--which I promise to rectify very soon--to give a nod in recognition of today's anniversary. There have been any number of well-worded tributes and not a few acknowledgements that Calvin himself would have eschewed any celebration of this day. But I'll offer my introductory comments from my current Sunday School series on Calvin:

We are not interested in developing a party spirit (1 Corinthians 3:4-7) or even of celebrating a man. Calvin, who did not even want a marker for his grave, would have been the first to decry attempts to place him on a pedestal. That which we properly celebrate, though, is the way God used and worked through this man so powerfully and with such enduring influence for the kingdom. It is right, to paraphrase Paul, to imitate Calvin as he imitated Christ (after 1 Corinthians 11:1). We could do far worse than to echo Calvin when he prayed, “I offer my heart to you, O Lord, promptly and sincerely.”

Apologies for Irregular Posting

Things have been a bit crazy lately.

And I have to take a break for the next couple of weeks. Hope to get back to regular contributions (and finishing the current series) in July.

Political Concepts in Apostolic Writings III

Let's take a look at Ephesians 2:19-22 next. On the face of it, this would not seem to apply to our present discussion but, in fact, it addresses questions of allegiences and community that pertain. What does this passage say about the community to which Christians belong? The referent passage is verses 11-13—Paul describes the reversal of the separation of the Gentiles that takes place in Christ. The Ephesian Christians used to be "outside the camp," far off from the people of God. Now they have been brought near, even "fellow citizens with the saints, and...of God's household." The people of God is trans-national. I have much more in common with fellow believers in Africa or Asia than I do with non-believers that live in my neighborhood.

Political Concepts in Apostolic Writings II

Next I will consider Romans 13:1-7, which is perhaps the most explicit statement in the New Testament on the role of government. From where (whom) does civil government get its authority? According to Paul--and, more importantly, the Holy Spirit--all existing authority derives from God and has been established by God. And therefore those who unrighteously resist said authority are resisting God. Paul exhorts obedience to said authority, observing how government, when it does its God-appointed duty, is in fact a minister of God for the promulgation of justice and the restraint of sin.

These can be hard concepts for individualistic Westerners with a strong sense of personal liberty to internalize. We are used to thinking of government as something that infringes upon liberty or makes demands upon us. We may say "No king but King Jesus," but then we usually live as though Jesus is even less of a governing presence than the government we resist.

Political Concepts in Apostolic Writings I

Sorry about the unexpected break in blog entries--I had a rather busy week and more.

Picking up this little exegetical exercise with the book of Acts, let's take a look at Acts 4:18-21 and compare Acts 5:17-42. What is at point in this and the comparison passage? Chiefly the point is contained in 5:29: "We must obey God rather than men." Now, in neither instance is the conflict between the people of God and governmental authorities, although the high priest and the Sanhedrin certainly possessed a societal authority. But the underlying principle applies to the Christian's relationship with any kind of secondary (to God) authority. Our highest allegiance is to the Lord. Any legitimate secondary authority that commands the Christian to disobey God has lost its legitimacy, at least regarding the point in contention. Nevertheless, the Christian may be called upon to submit to the consequences of refusing to heed the secondary authority. Note that the response of the apostles was not to call for the overthrow of the Sanhedrin or to foment a rebellion.

Gospel Passages That Touch on Political Issues VIII

The last of the passages from the gospels I will examine from the perspective of politics is John 19:11. Pilate has just threatened Jesus, whom he thinks is being uncooperative, by reminding Jesus that he has the power either to crucify him or release him--in other words, your life is in my hands, Jesus, so start playing ball. What does Jesus say to Pilate about their respective authority? He tells Pilate that Pilate's authority is a delegated authority, that he would have no power over Jesus unless that power had been granted to him by heaven. God is calling all the shots here. In the spheres of authority, God is supreme. Secondary authorities such as Pilate are just that and would not enjoy authority unless God wills it.

Gospel Passages That Touch on Political Issues VII

Today's text is John 18:33-37. Pilate interviewed Jesus, who had been brought before him by the Jewish religious leaders under a charge of "evildoing" (verse 30). Somehow Pilate got hold of the idea that Jesus claimed to be a king and asked him directly whether he was the King of the Jews. Jesus replied, after an effort to find out Pilate's source for this question, that he has a kingdom but of a different kind than the kingdoms Pilate knows. Jesus' kingdom does not operate according to the rules of this world and its political organizations. In fact, it does not even come from this world. He affirmed that he is a king, but a king quite outside Pilate's experience. He is the king of truth.