Don’t Twist God’s Words
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. – Romans 13:1
Attorney General Jeff Sessions used the Bible, quoting
the Apostle Paul, to justify the Trump Administration’s policy to separate
children from their parents as these desperate people cross the border asking
for help and a better life. Shame on him!
Should the world have remained silent while Hitler slaughtered
Jews? Should Colonial American have remained attached to Great Britain instead
of fighting to create this country? Should Daniel have stopped praying because
the king ordered that no one pray to anyone but him? That’s exactly the logic
Sessions uses in his comments.
It creates horrific injustice when someone takes the
Bible out of context and uses His Word to justify their own cruelty. Most
people don’t know the Bible well enough to understand the context of this
passage.
Paul was writing to a very specific audience: Roman
Christians. He was urging them to obey Roman law and pay their taxes. Nero was
on the throne. He was truly an evil king. But the Romans were afraid the
Christians would rise up in rebellion. Paul’s words encouraged the Roman
Christians to get along with others and, as Jesus noted in His ministry, give
to Caesar what belonged to Caesar.
Paul also talks a great deal about loving others.
Love does no harm to a neighbor.
Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. – Romans 13:10
Are we loving others when we separate parents from
their children? Are they criminals for trying to enter our country through
legal channels? Why are we traumatizing young children, who are screaming out
for their mothers? When did we become a nation who believes this is right?
And to say it’s from God?! It defies everything God
is. John tells us that God is love. This is nothing from God. This is horrific
behavior from a government that has come to believe it can do anything without
fear of repercussions.
In the Book of Acts, Jewish leaders commanded that
Peter and John stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. They refused.
But Peter and John replied, “Which is
right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us,
we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” – Acts 4:19-20
Later, they were warned again by authorities.
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We
must obey God rather than human beings!” – Acts 5:29
Yes, we must make sure that those wishing to enter our
country do so legally. But we must also extend compassion and kindness to those
who have journeyed far, sacrificed much, with great hope in their hearts. They
are desperate for what most of us received by mere chance of birth. We shouldn’t
think ourselves better than we are because of that.
We must also remember the words from Leviticus.
“The foreigner residing among you must
be treated as your native born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners
in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” – Leviticus 19:34
There’s that word again. Love. Jesus said the greatest
commandment was to love the LORD our God and then to love others as ourselves.
There is no love in the actions of Sessions and others. No one is above God’s
law, including them.
This is not a debate among Republicans and Democrats,
no matter how they may try and position it. This is matter of following God’s
law before a policy set by man. It’s past time Christians rose up and said no
more. Obey God’s law before man’s.
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