Socialism – for individuals, not nations
Isaiah wrote:
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isaiah 58:6-10
There’s a lot of effort going into writing and teaching about pleasing God by way of “worship” and “praise” – meaning singing and music – just like there was a lot of effort spent in Jesus’ time teaching about fasting, washing of hands and sacrifices. But just like 2,000 years ago folks today have gotten side tracked.
6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8
Even today mankind is seeking to please God by finding “just the right sacrifice”, only instead of “burnt offerings”, “calves a year old”, “thousands of rams” or “ten thousand rivers of oil” they think that God is looking for a specific style of music, a certain way of swaying while singing and a beautiful voice or great talent with an instrument. People who can move crowds with their voice or instrument are called “great worshipers” and are idolized by the masses. But has God really changed? Does He no longer want us to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God? I believe that He does indeed desire from His children that which He desired from the beginning of time – people who will walk by His side and who will do His will each day. It’s not a matter of “either or” but rather “both and”. It’s not either “worship” or serve – it’s a matter of worshiping BY serving.
In the passage about the “Sheep and Goats” it is interesting the criterion used for separating the ones from the others. Let’s take a look at that passage and see what we can glean from it.
31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46
To me, anyway, it is interesting that the Lord judged between the two groups based on what they did or did not do. And although we know that we are not saved by good works, we ALSO know that we are created for good works – and it is obvious that they are important enough that when they are neglected we suffer the consequences. The Apostle wrote to the church in Ephesus: 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 Yes, we are saved by grace, not by works – but the Scriptures also show us that we are “created in Christ Jesus to do good works” and that the lack of good works is sufficient to bring upon us “eternal punishment”.
Why is it that this subject is so neglected from the pulpits of our churches? Why is it that one hears numerous messages about “worship” and “praise” – taken from the Old Covenant scriptures – and yet rarely, if ever, hears about our duty as Christians to serve those around us? These passages dealing with social activity come from both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant as well. In other words – this subject is near and dear to God’s heart. So much so that the leaders of the church are to “prepare God’s people for works of service” so that Christ’s body (the church) will be built up. (see Ephesians 4:11-12) Funny thing is – folks today want to build Christ’s body through singing and making folks feel good, not by rolling up their sleeves and truly being God’s hands at work in the world today. There are entire churches built around the idea of “if we just worship God in the right way then we’ll grow”. But God’s plan for growth lays in serving the world around us.
Christ Himself served as our example. As it is written, “25Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 The church is not to “lord it over” anyone. We must learn to serve, to be “slaves” of those around us. And thus we become leaders of men, bringing them to Christ. That is what is called “pure and faultless” religion. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27
There are many today who want to be known for their orthodox Christianity. In many ways they call to mind the pharisees and scribes of old. 38As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.” Mark 12:38-40 These folks were very religious and “did all the right things” – but ignored God’s desire for mercy and righteousness and justice. And so they came under great condemnation by our Lord.
How should we live, then? What does God want from us? I propose Christianity as a lifestyle, not a religion based around ceremonies and trying to buy God’s favor by offering the right type of “sacrifice”. We are taught that our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It therefore follows that our lives are the altar upon which our sacrifice is laid, not some platform in some building built by man’s hands.
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. 20On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21
It is clear that God expects His People to be a socialist people. He wants us to be involved in the society around us. He wants us to serve one another and those around us. Where then is the role of government? I’m glad you asked.
Did you realize that as early as the third century Christians were building hospitals? During the great plagues that ravished the empire at that time it was Christians who laid their lives on the line to reach out to the sick and dying. They gathered up the ill and often even gave their own lives while serving others. Government, on the other hand, fled in droves. The pagans who ruled at that time were quick to abandon friends and family at the slightest symptom of illness. It was Christians who showed the way and who filled the gap left by those in authority. Today, however, Christians are amongst some of the first to turn to human governments as the source for social help. They want government to step in and take care of everyone, forgetting that it is God who provides the ways and means of taking care of the world around us. Government has great responsibilities, but health care and education are not amongst those listed.
The Apostle wrote to the church in Rome: 1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Romans 13:1-7
Now, I’m writing this from my background as a citizen of the United States of America. She is a Republic, not a monarchy. And she was founded upon the principle of “Lex Rex” instead of “Rex Lex“. “Rex Lex” is latin for “The King Is The Law’ – in other words, whatever the Kind decides is OK, Right and Good. But the US was not founded upon this principle. It was founded up on the idea that “Lex Rex” – “The Law Is King”. Our laws are what govern us, starting with the very foundation which is the United States Constitution.
Now, let’s go back and see that passage in Romans again. It says, “1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Now, here we are not talking about an individual. We are not talking about a king or governor nor even the president. The “authority” found in the United States of America is the Constitution. NO public figure is allowed into office without swearing to obey and defend the Constitution. Just like folks used to swear allegiance to a king or emperor. Lex Rex – the Law is King. Our Constitution was designed to limit the scope of governmental power and to allow freedom to individuals. Our founders were not all from one denomination, but they all recognized that without God our nation would fail. They also recognized the value of the individual and the importance of individual responsibility.
In the United States of America there is an authority established – that of the Constitution. It is placed there to rule us and to give us freedom. But for too long we have ignored this authority and allowed usurpers to take its place. The Apostle wrote: 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Why is it then that those who do right live in fear of those in power? It is because we have allowed usurpers to take the place of the ruler (Constitution) that God has put in place in our land. That is why we are afraid to speak of Him in a public forum. That is why we are afraid to help someone since we could be sued and punished for doing good. It is time to turn things around and demand that our ruler, the Constitution, be obeyed once more.
God loves a cheerful giver. But a gift taken at gun point is extortion or robbery, not a gift. Just try not paying the taxes that usurpers have put in place. They WILL come at you with weapons drawn. And again we live in fear instead of in tranquility – because we have allowed usurpers to take the place of our God given ruler. Government is to reward those who do good, not take their goods to give to others. It is not government’s job to work in the social arena of life. That is the church’s sphere of action. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Care for widows and orphans. Serve one another. Those are all commands given to the church – not to government.
Don’t you think it’s time we started getting serious about TRULY serving our God? We do so by serving one another, and especially those in need.
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