“Does God’s providence equal His approval?”

November 20, 2018

Proverbs 28:1-7

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.  A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.  Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them.  Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.  Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.  The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.”

Some say that a Christian should stay on message and not get caught up in politics.  What is the message?  It is that Christ died for sinners, and it was at the cross where victory over sin, all sin took place.  Is it not that a Holy God loves you and me and all mankind that He sent His only Son to be a pure and holy sacrifice and His blood covered all sin.  That is the message, and it is not a private thing between God and us, it is a message for all to hear, and we are called to be the messengers, not just preachers. 

The apostle Paul shares with us in Romans 5:6-10, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”  All one has to do as a follower of Christ is say I am not better than you are, no way, we have all sinned and fallen short, it is a message of grace and mercy.

The Scripture is clear that no one fills an office of leadership that God has not allowed, and I believe Drew Griffin is correct in this statement: “We who believe the Bible know that all authority comes from God and no person, from parents to presidents, teachers to tyrants rise to that position apart from God’s providence. As Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch theologian and politician, once said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”

Drew goes on to ask, “Does God’s providence equal His approval?”  I believe Scripture is clear it does not, we often want things that are harmful to us, and we are not different than the people coming out of Egypt after 400 years of captivity, asking for a king like all other nations, and after many warnings God allowed them to have a king.

The argument about Christians keeping quiet for God’s going to do what He wants, does not hold up in Scripture.  And being part of voting for a political party that endorses the killing of babies in a mother’s womb, or sanctions and supports not keeping our laws is against God’s laws.  How can a follower of Christ not stand against such people?

Many are still asking how did Obama and Trump get elected?  It is my belief that in both cases it was not so much the man but the message.  One was the darling of the liberal press and the far left or more enlightened by the world’s standards.  Those same people hate the new President, but his message resonated with those who have been too busy working and living by the laws of man, and some by the laws of God.  Those whom the enlightened would call many things including deplorable people said it is time to have the same justice for the rich, the politician as the ordinary citizen, it’s time to call what God calls evil, evil and what God calls good, good, and that was the message that got President Trump elected.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice