I just went ahead and read the majority opinion on the OSHA case. Thank God there is still wisdom in this land!
Ephesians 6:12 reads to me like we are in violent agreement..
. Where the DS represents everything after the word "but"..
I always see people whipping out this verse like "See, Christians have no place in politics!!!"
For some reason, even though it's completely spelled out in scripture, people don't seem to understand that authority itself is a spiritual principle, and that even civil authority from the POTUS down to the city meter-maid down to the voting American Citizen all have a hand to play. That every man has been granted some level of authority FROM GOD and is RESPONSIBLE at that level of authority TO GOD.
Sure, If this was Afghanistan, we would pray down in some hole and run ops at night, and get our heads cut off during the day- because that's the level of civil authority and responsibility we have there. If you have no choice but to live (or die) under persecution, then that's what you do.
But, For the time being America isn't under tyranny, so there's no reason for us to offer ourselves up to the guillotines and the gallows just yet. We aren't waiting for a political messiah- we are the body of the messiah, with a stake in the government- and we should act like it. If we ever brag on some political figurehead, it's only because they have submitted their rule to the wisdom of God- not that they did some great thing of themselves.
Of course, we are not blind to the deceitfulness of politicians... they are the Pharisees in Moses' seat- we do what they say (when they say the right thing) and do not what they do. They have character flaws, but no American President (to my knowledge) has ordered an American solider to death so that he could steal their wife- But even when David did that, God would still rather have him as ruler over his people than some Moloch-worshipping anti-christ.
I have no idea why, but it seems like there is at least a large handful of Christians that either want to deny they have any stake, or hand over their stake to the enemy and be persecuted. It might not be a salvation issue, but I think it's definitely neglectful if all you ever do is pray- but never act when you have the authority to act.