Christian Conscience and Civil Government

Northern Advocate, 20 August 1938, Page 12

Christian Conscience and Civil Government

The Sabhctth Hour

Notes from address given by Rev. W. Elliott, M.A., in the Presbyterian Church, Whangarei.

Text: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.—Romans 13:1.

According to the teaching of Scripture, civil government has divine authority. “There is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.” However imperfect human law and order may be, it is an earthly expression of eternal justice. The Jews regarded their laws as having been given by direct revelation from God to Moses on the mountain, and in all nations there has been manifest a reverence for the ancient law-givers.

The Christian view is that it is only' by the loyal support of civil government that a community well-being can exist, and a true civilisation be built, and real progress be made.

Civil government has been ordained for good and worthy ends. It has made social life possible. Admittedly, it has put limitations upon the Individual, but only to bestow upon him a fuller, richer life within the social order. It guards our homes so that we may lie down at night in safety and sleep in peace.

The opposite is anarchy, where there is no security for anyone. Thus, by what the State does, and has done, human life is preserved, and wellbeing is promoted. Without doubt, this is God’s plan for the progress of our race. “The powers that be are ordained of God.” It is for worthy ends that they have been ordained.

When Paul wrote thus, he had specially in mind the ancient Roman government. At that time Nero was emperor, and the State was military and heathen and totalitarian in spirit; But it gave peace and order and law and.safety over a large part of the known world. It had rescued Paul from a mob at Ephesus, and had saved his life, and had thus made possible his future work and missionary enterprise.

Civil government have been greatly varied in their forms and comparative excellence, and Christian opinions may reasonably vary as to which form is best. Christians have lived under all forms of government, and in them are taught to see some representation of eternal justice. We are favoured in that we live under constitutional government with rules chosen by the voice of the people. Under bur system the social order is maintained and life and liberties defended. Without doubt, our system has been established under the will and blessing of God. “The powers that be are ordained of God.”

The Apostolic injunction is: “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers.” It is right that we should seek to support and maintain and obey the laws of the land. Loyalty is a Christian duty. And, further, it is also a Christian duty to do nothing that would bring our laws into contempt. But while this is true, there is nothing in the Apostle’s leaching to forbid a Christian citizen from striving to alter and improve the system, and form of control under which he lives. The early Christians had no vote or voice in the affairs of State. We have civil rights and privileges whereby we are expected to take an intelligent part in the choice of rulers. Our privilege and freedom in this respect is part of our national heritage and is much to be prized.

While all this is true regarding civil government, cases have arisen, and do arise in some lands today, where conscience and the civil ruler come into conflict with each other. What action then should a Christian take? If Caesar does that which is directly contrary to the law of God, then the only answer is: “We must obey God rather than men.” That was the dilemma John Knox and John Bunyan had to face in their days. As Christians, they were enjoined to respect and obey civil government. But the State required that they should act contrary to conscience—and conscience is the voice of God in the soul. Where then did duty lie? Obviously with conscience. And it was because of similar circumstances that Paul

and Peter and others in the early church were imprisoned and finally were executed. God first always, must be the course of Christian action. Until a few years ago we all thought that this battle between State and conscience had been fought and wen. For the past two and a half centuries, on British soil, the State has given its citizens freedom to worship God following conscience. But recently, in Europe, totalitarian States have arisen, in some of which the civil ruler demands to rule in the affairs of Christ. The Church was founded by Jesus Christ and is answerable to Him as Head, and not to Caesar, or anyone else. In this Roman Catholic and Protestant are one, and where an at-

tempt is being made by the State to regularise church worship and activities to serve the end of the State, whether they serve the end of Christ or not, the only course for the Christian is to put Christ first. Further, the State demands in some lands today would make the church pagan, and not Christian. A religion founded on “blood and soil” is a race materialism and not Christianity. Thinkers like Karl Barth and Niemoller and others see this clearly, and because of the stand for conscience that is being taken, it is reliably reported that not less than 9300 Catholic and Protestant church leaders have been or are under arrest. The very existence of a section of the church is imperilled. Karl Barth, who is now living in Switzerland, has dedicated his book “Credo” (which is a Calvinistic exposition of the Apostle’s Creed) to the ministers in his own country “who stood, stand and will stand.”

The conflicts between church and State in these lands today is in many ways akin to what took place in the Roman Empire during the first three centuries of our era. But the tragedy now is greater, because the State that requires it is one that is loved. It could scarcely be said that the early Christians loved the Roman State. But Christian people in European countries today love their native land as much as wo love ours, and would make great sacrifices for its welfare. They must fight out this battle for themselves. We can extend to them our sympathy and prayers and encouragement, but we cannot interfere. We thank God that for us this battle has been fought and won. Let us not carelessly despise our birthright. Our nation’s history has been one of steady progress and expansion of well-being. We have had a long history of political and religious freedom, and we are capable of further development and growth, if our people 'are so minded. And as those who practise Christian principles make the best citizens in a country, so may our religion reinforce and guide our patriotism in these precarious days, and be an element that will help towards stability and order, and a force on the side of peace and goodwill. May we respect and obey all lawful authority and be foremost to help in every good and worthy cause. And this may we do. net from any selfish motives, but in obedience to conscience and to God.