All things work together for our good.

Does God really work in all things for our good if we are his child? What about stupid or bad decisions?

God is in the business of redeeming and using even our poor choices to bring about our ultimate good i.e. our best. So in this sense we can never mess things up. He will always bring about our best no matter what we choose or don't choose, do or don't do.

But the way he brings about good results from bad choices is by allowing us to suffer the consequences of bad choices so we might freely turn from them (repent) and draw near to him. In this way, God always brings about our best through all things, even bad choices. But indirectly, not directly.

Good choices, on the other hand, bring about our best directly. The beauty of being a child of God is He is always working in all things  - including the bad things - for our good. 

Good choices are preferred because this is a direct pursuit of what is best. When we make good choices -- obey -- we are spared the ¹consequences that result from making a bad choice -- disobedience. But even if or when we unintentionally miss making the right choice (which is always best), he is still working for our ultimate good through these wrong ones i.e. he still uses the wrong choices (all things work for good) to bring about our ²ultimate best. We are just not spared the suffering that comes with the wrong ones. At least not automatically, or as a normal matter of course. 

Of course, this is true only for those who love God. If we have no love for God - i.e. are not his child - we ³only experience the negative consequences of poor choices i.e. our choices are not redeemed and used for our good. This is why this promise is for those "who love God..." 

God is not uptight

God doesn't stress over our wrong or bad choices. He is fully in control and uses them to bring about our ultimate good and his ultimate glory. Nothing is bigger than God or can thwart his purpose, even our sin or evil. 

Our loss (short term) and suffering is real nevertheless. But it is our suffering and loss, not His. He cares about us but looses nothing - He is still as much God after our choices as before them. We are diminished by them (at least short term and not in the ultimate sense) not God.

Job 35:6  If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? 7  If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand? 8  Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself, and your righteousness a son of man. 

A free choice is a choice of love

God desires us to turn freely to him, not out of constraint or obligation. God desires we choose obedience freely. If it is not free it is not true obedience and not done out of love. When we freely obey him it is an act of love and not of constraint. 

This is why he allows us to make bad choices. They may be bad but they are ours. Just as good choices are ours. When we learn from our bad choices and make good choices as a result, that is also ours i.e. it is really us, really learning (even Christ learned obedience through the things he suffered. His suffering, however, was never from bad choices but from living in a broken world as a result of our bad choices). 

Aren't we obligated?

We must obey God but not for his acceptance and love (i.e. do it or else you will be rejected) but to draw near to him, and experience all the benefits and joy that comes with those good/obedient choices. It also brings God the greatest glory.

Won't we miss his will if we are disobedient?

Even when you are out (of his direct will) you are still in it (his ultimate overall will) because God uses your being out to bring you further in. To us a modern expression, it's all good. 

To understand this we must understand the different elements of God's will. They are His:

Direct or revealed will: his spoken word/commandments (our direct best from good choices).

Ultimate will: to make us more like his son (our indirect and ultimate best brought about through bad choices or circumstances as well as good ones).

Rom 8:28  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good (even if they are bad), for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For (here's the reason why...are you ready?) those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 

For a further discussion on how God uses evil for good click here and here. 

For a further discussion on how greater evil might result in greater good click here. 
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¹Though there may be another kind of consequence for obedience i.e. persecution. The difference between this consequence and the consequence of violating our design (disobedience) is we are promised God will directly honor (reward) obedience but not disobedience. Though He uses both, He only rewards the former.

²Our ultimate best is becoming increasingly more like his Son. 

Rom 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 

How do our mistakes and failures make us more like Jesus? They humble us. How? By revealing to us 

1. our desperate condition without God 

and 

2. our need for a Savior. 

Ultimately there can be no greater good then for us to discover these 2 things because they result in us knowing and experiencing more of God, who is our greatest good.

³though the consequences of the bad choice of an unbeliever could result in their turning to God i.e. their repentance. If so, their bad choices would result in their ultimate good. 

denial of dependence

Our problem isn't weakness/dependence, it is the denial of it. We are in fact, dependent and finite creatures. And because we deny this we miss out on the fullness of life available only in being dependent on and reconnected to the infinite source of life. 

Joh 14:6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

Joh 17:2  And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 

The world being in bondage, with all the pain and suffering that comes with it, is - in a roundabout way - actually a blessing. It is a stark remember we were never designed to live independent of God - i.e. to be our own god. Therefore, it can be the means of our turning back to him. How many have turned to Christ in a moment of great pain?

But only if we acknowledge our need for God first and relinquish our commitment to being our own god, does it become a blessing. Otherwise, it is a curse. 

"... in weakness and vulnerability we are trusting in Christ and his strength, so what we think of as weakness is from a worldly point of view. In actuality, it is a means of real power. In the words of Bonhoeffer, “What may appear weak and trifling to us may be great and glorious to God.” The Way of the Dragon and The Way of the Lamb. Pg 115

An anatomy of motivation

There are two overall but opposite approaches we observe in scripture regarding our motivation to obedience. All underlying forms of motivation fall under these two. They are...

·        positive motivation

·        negative motivation

There seems to be an indication that at a minimum we are to be moved initially on the path of obedience by the negative (which results in a positive outcome). As we mature the positive elements of our motivation become increasingly greater and the preferred (and ultimate/highest) form of motivation. However, since the negative appears to be where scripture starts we will look at this first.  

Pro 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (wisdom, true understanding). We could say it's the foundation on which all other knowledge and true wisdom is built. It is the starting point (though not the ending) for living obediently.

Why? Because any true movement towards God must start with the recognition that he is the God of great glory/worth and that all things come from him and belong to him. Therefore we answer to him on how we conduct our lives. If we act contrary to who he is and how he designed us, there are always consequences. In short, we are to respect (fear) he is God; he sets the boundaries of how things operate, we do not. 

But how does God use fear? As we dig further into the context of Prov 1 we see consequences for living contrary to God's will, direction, commands, address the meaning and basis for this fear.

To say it another way, there is a good way to live and a way that is harmful. To ignore this basic reality has consequences. To respect this is to have a healthy fear of acting contrary to God's expressed (spoken) will and our design. Ultimately this is a respect for God and that there are consequences for violating his design/will/word.  

There are consequences because we live in a world of design and purpose. We see evidence of this daily in simple things like, stop breathing and you die. Cut off your arm and you bleed to death and so on. 

Just as there are physical consequences for violating God's design, there are spiritual and moral consequences as well. To go contrary to these basic realities is to violate ours and the world's design. The reality of what is. 

The spiritual, emotional, and psychological world have a design that is equally consistent and predictable. 

And there is design simply because there is a designer. So living contrary to our design is indirectly living contrary to the will of the Designer. To respect or fear this reality is wise and ultimately a respect/fear of God i.e. the fear of the Lord (the designer of all things) is the beginning of knowledge.

Solomon goes on to lay out why we should follow God's instruction and if we do not what the consequences will be e.g. terror, calamity, distress, and anguish in verse 27. Destruction, dread, and disaster in verse 32 and 33.  All of this based on not recognizing truth and not choosing "the fear of the LORD" in verse 29. Whereas on the flip side verse 33 also promises security and ease if we follow his instructions/direction/will.

It's worth noting that LORD -- in all caps -- meaning self-sufficient one. (The word in the original is YHWH, also translated Jehovah). He is the "I AM" who needs no one. We need him.

Pro 1:27  when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.

Pro 1:28  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Pro 1:29  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

Pro 1:30  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

Pro 1:31  therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

Pro 1:32  For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

Pro 1:33  but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."

Click here to see the entire chapter.

So again, we can see from the above passage, a central element of fear is knowing there are consequences for violating God's design/will. We also see this in Heb 11:7 

"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."

Noah built the ark because he feared he and his household would drown if they did not i.e. he respected (had faith in) God's warning. Him taking action on God's warning was an indictment on the rest of mankind for not taking action, hence their ridicule of Noah's efforts. 

This was opposite of the disposition of Adam and Eve. They did not heed warning that they would die if they ate from the forbidden tree. They did not fear God.

The role of trust/faith

This foundational motive is acting out of respect (fear) for God. To say it another way, if God says it, don't question it; it's true. A key element of this fear is trust. If we don't believe/trust the one that warns us of harm, we will not heed their warning. If Noah didn't believe God was someone of his word he wouldn't have built the ark.

If Adam and eve had feared and trusted God they would not have eaten from the forbidden tree.

And in reality, many "obey" this truth on a regular basis whether they believe in God or not. We have simply learned (come to recognize/believe/trust) that if you go contrary to certain "baked in" rules you will incur harm to yourself or others i.e. if we violate certain principles and step over certain boundaries we suffer harm. So we don't necessarily have to trust God, we trust violating or not pursuing a certain "law" will always result in the same negative outcome.  Things operate in such a manner its hard not to recognize there is design even if we don't acknowledge the Designer. To use a biblical expression, we have come to recognize we reap what we sow. This too is why I think this fear is the beginning of knowledge since even unbelievers recognize this on some basic level.  

Until higher motivations are developed we act by faith out of respect for God or at least "belief" and respect (fear) for the consequences of acting contrary to the design we see all around us and in us.

This is an action that is often absent any feelings (except the fear itself) or affections for God, but simply acting out of respectful or reverential trust that to go contrary to design causes harm/pain, etc. 

If all we have is trust and there is no felt love and affections for God then we are still to act and will still experience the consequences of not acting - or the benefits of acting - regardless of how we feel. Obedient faith is not contingent on feelings but on confidence in the faithful character of God (or at least his law if we are believers or observable "laws of nature" if we are not).

So what must we believe about God in order to act?

What exactly is it we respect regarding God? That he is all-wise, powerful (He can and does what he says) and loving, in his being and the directions he gives us. Because he is, he knows there are negative consequences for going contrary to his loving design that is harmful to us. 

*Sometimes God in his mercy suspends the normal consequences of violating his design. When does this occur? When we truly and genuinely see the foolishness of going contrary to his design before the full consequences occur. The desired outcome of the consequences (i.e. repentance) has already occurred so that the full consequences are no longer needed. God's goal is not punishment, but repentance -- to change our course to a path of alignment with our design which is also in alignment with His will.

More than fear

However, for a believer, there are additional, higher elements to obedience (aligning ourselves with God's design); the positive ones I alluded to in the beginning.

I say higher because the fear of consequences primarily involves saving our own neck. These other and higher motivations, however, involve the benefit of another i.e. the focus isn't self but God and his creatures/creation.

What are these higher motivations? They are love and a desire to honor God.

I propose that honor is the greatest, best, highest and ultimate motivation. It is the most mature kind of motivation as it's solely focused on the benefit of another instead of our own. It will even move us to sacrifice our own benefit for another. And that in great part because we come to see all we ¹have and are, comes from the one we desire to honor and He rewards those who seek and trust Him.  

And in fact, we draw our truest sense of value from displaying the value of another i.e. God, the most valuable and honorable of all. So our honoring God actually does benefit us, but not as an exclusively isolated benefit and therefore the primary focus of our efforts. It is tied to the benefit of others and only comes about as the fruit of focusing on honoring another. 

It is the place we come to when we are so certain he only has our best interests at heart (only allows things that are for us not against us) we no longer need to concern ourselves with our best interest. We are so trusting of God's love, goodness, wisdom, and ability to bring about what is best (not necessarily easiest, most comfortable or most reasonable [to us anyway]), we only desire his honor (a place I do not consistently live in, by the way, but see more and more as a part of my motivation). 

In short, we are so convinced he's working in our best interest, we no longer give thought to it or feel the need to insure it ourselves because He insures it. We are convinced God "has our back" and there is no need to concern ourselves with our own welfare.

We may relate to God solely out of respect in the beginning but as we mature our affections for God grow as our awareness of the full extent of God's love for us increases. This results in ever increasing trust in God. As our relationship matures and we see more and more the greatness of God and His love for us, this blossoms ultimately into honor/respect for God springing out of these affections of love and delight (pleasure) in God.

To come to the place we are moved by God to obedience (faithfulness) out of this ultimate higher motivation of a desire to honor God goes as follows...

* a strong desire to honor God (our highest and best end and the ultimate end where God seeks to bring us), 

* out of deep love and trust in and for him, 

* because of a clear understanding of his sacrificial love for us, 

* demonstrated in giving us his son Jesus i.e. we love him because he first loved us.

When someone sees us as we truly are in all our brokenness and still:

·        Does for us what is required of us and from us (because of who God is and this is who we were created to be), ...totally providing the remedy for our brokenness (because we have not and can not do it ourselves), how can we not love them (Him) in return?

·        Pursues, receives and embraces us fully, how can we not trust them?

·       Treats us with great value and honor, how can we not value and honor Him in return?

The more we understand Gods great and personal love for us in and through Christ, the more we trust him and are moved to faithfully follow his directions i.e. obey.

(But lack of affections does not mean you should not act. We act by faith anyway if only out of fear/reverence for God.

When we act by faith without any feelings we also act in the confidence that this both honors God and is in our best interest)

Stated simply, the primary motives for obedience after and beyond fear and pointing to the ultimate motivation of honor are 

* love

* trust

* honor

So the lists of all forms of motivation started from the most basic to the highest are:

* fear

* love

* trust

* honor

Whether we are mature followers of Christ or new followers, all of these come into play. But as we mature it appears we move and more to honor as the dominant motivation and the one we ultimately should seek. 

But what about hope?

From scripture, we get the sense that hope is not so much a motivator as it is a sustainer i.e. something that keeps us from giving up on faithfulness (obedience). Hope seems to go hand in hand with faith, but is not itself faith but more about the objective of that faith i.e. that thing we believe we will obtain but do not yet have. So you could say it's a support to or element of our faithful obedience more than a cause of it. 

Hope is more confidence that what is promised to happen, will actually happen. Sure hope is confidence in an objective certainty that is not yet a subjective experience or reality. 

Heb 11:1

(AMP)  NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. 

(DRB)  Now, faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not. 

(ERV)  Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. 

(ESV)  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

(GNB)  To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. 

(KJV)  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

___________________________________________Footnotes:

¹not only did God create us and give us all things, he also took human form and stepped into this broken, pain-filled world and embraced the pain so we could one day be freed from it. To know this truly causes us to desire to honor him fully. 

Our essence/Gods essence

The essence (core motivation) of our being is the desire for ¹love i.e. to have or gain it.

The essence (core motivation) of God's being is love (God is love) and the desire to give it.

When God joins/unites his being with ours we become like him in our desire to give love. We are freed from the need to get/take love because we now have it fully in and from him, who is the source. Now his love can flow freely through us and out to others, reflecting love back to him first, then out to our neighbor/others.

To know, believe, and act upon this is to participate in and conform to our original design and therefore where we find our greatest joy and bring him greatest glory.

1Jn 4:16  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1Jn 4:19  We love because he first loved us.

Joh 3:16  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Mar 12:29b-31 "...'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

1Jn 1:3-4  that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Rom 11:36  For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

For related discussions about God see the following:

The importance and necessity of the Trinity 

Thoughts on the Trinity 

Overview of Jonathan Edwards's theology.

Why do the Father and Son love each other?

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Footnotes:

¹our desire for love is in fact actually a desire for God i.e. we are the way we are because God is the way he is and has made us in his image. We just don't recognize it is God we long for because we seek to be our own god and suppress the truth in our unrighteousness (unbelief) i.e. we seek to be dependent only on ourselves (independent) and not God because we don't trust God because we can't control Him, we only trust ourselves and that which we think we can control. God is controlled by no one. That, in part, is why he is God and we are not. 

Church and State

Does government play a role and have a responsibility to the church and the people who elected them to govern (and therefore ultimately to God)? 

Yes, to the church as well as society in general; which is to reward those who do good and punish those who do harm (wrong). 

Rom 13:3  For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

1Pe 2:13  Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14  or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15  For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 

If the government abdicates this role should the church be indifferent or silent i.e. Do we as believers have a role and responsibility toward addressing government? 

Yes. To pray for those who rule over us so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good and pleasing to God. 

We are not to assume the government will rule according to their mandate of punishing evil and rewarding good. This is exactly why we are called to pray for them in the event they don't or may not. 

 

1Tim 2:1  First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior...

If we neglect this role to faithfully pray for those in authority, we are allowing and even inviting a government that works against rewarding good and punishing evil to grow and eventually thrive; a government that will not allow us to "lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." This is not honoring or pleasing to God, in great part because it brings harm to us (his image bearers) and his creation, as well as dishonors God.

Is prayer the only thing the church should engage in regarding government?

We have no direct instructions on this but we do have an example in Paul of how to address government when they overstep their God given role. Whether this is an example we are to follow or simply how one man handled his situation is up for debate. However, there is an indication he was following God's lead in how he addressed the government. 

Act 23:11  The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” Note God's purpose was for Paul to use this as an opportunity to testify about Jesus.

This was after Paul had asserted his political affiliation (i.e. citizen of Rome) to gain a hearing and protection from the government. 

Act 21:39  Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city (i.e. Rome). I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.”

Act 22:25-29  But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?”  

When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” 

So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 

The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” 

So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him. 

Act 23:27  This man (Paul) was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.

Paul took full advantage of his citizenship to seek the governments protection and act on his behalf. From this, we can at least conclude it is safe for us to do the same. Why did Paul do this? To fight for his personal rights? Not for personal advantage, but to help him advance the gospel. 

 

Do we have any examples in scripture of how believers are to address corrupt government?

 

If the government ordered you to commit murder, should you? No one would dispute the Bible clearly teaches we are not to murder. The Hebrew midwives certainly understood this when the Pharaoh (king) of Egypt instructed them to kill the firstborn males of the Hebrew women. Not only did they disobey this command given by the civil authority, but God also blessed and honored their “disobedience.”  

Exo 1:15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, Exo 1:16  "When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live." Exo 1:17  But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. Exo 1:18  So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the male children live?"

The Bible even goes on to tell us in Heb 11:23 that, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents..." Why did his parents hide him? To avoid the godless decree given by Pharaoh to have all the firstborn male children killed. The hiding of Moses was in direct disobedience to the instructions of Pharaoh, the leading civil authority of Egypt, whose authority Israel was under, yet God called hiding Moses an act of faith and not an act of disobedience to Him, though it certainly was to Pharaoh.

We have another example in the case of Daniel.

Dan 6:7  All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8  Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked." 9  Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 10  When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11  Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12  Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, "O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?" The king answered and said, "The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked." 13  Then they answered and said before the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day."

Not only did Daniel not comply with the King's ordinance, but he also took a very open, almost “in your face” posture in his disobedience. Most of us know the rest of the story. Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den for his disobedience. Yet God delivered him indicating his “disobedience” honored God.

Dan 6:22  My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm."

It is interesting that Daniel did not say he was blameless before Darius as he did regarding God but, that he had not harmed Darius suggesting he clearly understand he acted in disobedience to Darius. 

We see a similar act of resistance to the governing authorities in Daniel when Daniel’s three friends refuse to bow down to the image King Nebuchadnezzar set up.

Dan 3:15  Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?" 16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need (we are not required by God) to answer you in this matter. 17  If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18  But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

Again we know the outcome. God not only delivered them from this ordeal but was actually present with them in the fire.

Another example is in Esther. Mordecai, the father of Esther, refused to bow and pay homage to Haman, the King’s right-hand man. Haman, finding out that Mordecai was a Jew and filled with fury, went to the king to request all Jews to be destroyed.

Est 3:8  Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them. 9  If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they may put it into the king's treasuries." 10  So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. 11  And the king said to Haman, "The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you."

Mordecai, being the father of Esther and also the wife of King Ahasuerus, approached Esther and commanded her to illegally approach the king to address this.

Est 4:8  Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people.

Est 4:10  Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 4:11  "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law--to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days."12  And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13  Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14  For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" 15  Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16  "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish."

Esther was willing to suffer the consequences of her “illegal” action. But again, God delivered her and her fellow Jews and had Haman executed. To help understand this we must distinguish between what is lawful and what is “legal.” Laws passed by men may be “legal” but that does not automatically make them lawful i.e. according to God’s true moral law.

What is particularly interesting about all of these passages is they all take place in a political or civil setting. 

 

Do we find any concrete examples in the New Testament of how to address authorities if we are commanded by them to violate God’s higher authority? Yes, we do. Are we to obey them? No, we are not. As Peter said, I must obey God rather than men. Act 4:18-21; Act 5:27-29. These passages are a clear indication if someone in a position of authority asks us to disobey God they are acting like mere men and no longer as God’s representatives and delegates. Our obedience to such is no longer required. Their role of authority is not absolute but conditional. 

No man is above God's rule/law, especially those who are called to administer it. Ministers of God should be calling out those in government for abandoning God’s standard of righteousness i.e. they should be exposing corruption within government, not cowering from it or submitting to it. The fact that most churches are incorporated as a 501(c)3 corporation, has put them unwittingly under the government's thumb and prohibits churches from openly supporting candidates that seek to address immoral issues either covered up or promoted by government. It also just happens that 501(c)3 incorporation began under LBJ (1963-69) which parallels a major cultural decline in morality in general. 

So what do we do with the following teachings of Christ,

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. - Matt 5:9‭-‬12 NASB

These appear to encourage us to be passive in the face of opposition.

The following passage in Hebrews chapter 11 gives us some direction.

"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him. By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore even from one man, and one who was as good as dead at that, there were born descendants who were just as the stars of heaven in number, and as the innumerable grains of sand along the seashore...

 

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his only son; By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come... 

By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though seeing Him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mocking and flogging, and further, chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented (people of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, on mountains, and sheltering in caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Heb11:6‭-‬12‭, ‬17‭, ‬20‭-‬40 NASB

For an extended conversation on the role of government in a believer's life click here. 

The law saves?

The Law does not save us in the legal sense (for we could not and cannot perfectly keep it, and never will).

But it absolutely *saves us in the practical sense by giving us clear direction on how to operate to the maximum of our capacity and design, and fully participate in the purpose we were created for. Without clear direction, we are a rudderless ship, driven by our fickle emotions and tossed in the storms of life, ready to be cast onto the rocks.

The law is a problem for us legally (which only Christ can and did satisfy), but not practically.

Practically, it guides us and delivers us from mediocrity, guiding us toward maximum flourishing. It provides us with clear direction in our pursuit of excellence for the glory of God.

Legally, it's impossible to fulfill in our own strength.

Our problem is not the law but complete trust in the lawgiver; a trust created by God himself by fulfilling the legal obligation of obedience to the law i.e. when we understand how Christ fulfilled the law so we might be fully restored to the Father, we trust him.

It is Christ's provision of perfect obedience that already perfectly satisfied our legal obligation to the law and delivers us from suffering the just consequences for violating it.

And 

The law gives us clear guidance on how to best live according to his will and our design (practically) for us.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 

in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, 

who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Rom 8:1-4

Because Christ fulfilled the legal demands of obedience to the law, we no longer have to and can no longer be condemned for not doing so. Christ bore our condemnation for us, for our lack of faithful obedience, past, present, and future. If we are "in Christ," we are dead to sin's claim on us.

Now we are free to pursue God solely out of love - i.e. by or according to the Spirit - not out of the threat of rejection, condemnation, and judgment i.e. not according to the flesh. 

Perfect obedience is no longer an obligation to meet, satisfy, or fulfill to avoid rejection. Faithfulness to God - obedience - is now a passion within us driven by love i.e. by the Spirit

Living according to the law in order to be accepted and approved by God is no longer applicable. In Christ, we are already fully and perfectly accepted. We now seek to live "according to the law" to honor God, partake of him to the maximum of our design and potential as His image bearer.

Psalm 119. 

For more discussion on the meaning of "according to the Spirit" and related terms or phrases, click here. 

For a further discussion on excellence, click here. 

For more discussion on what drives obedience, click here

For more discussion on "working out your salvation," click here

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*not directly but as a means or vehicle by which God guides and directs us.