&ANYATCH TOvV
·R
PRESENCE
A~~D HE~ALD OF CHR~STS
THE HIGHER POWERS "1FhosoCL'CI' tlli'l'i'foI'C
l'csi~t(th
the [!OIL'CI', rcsistcth the ordinance of God: and Uli'!! tlwt rcsist s7wll to thclIIsclL'cS damnation, "-nolll. 13::2.
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PART 2
J
EHOV~II
is the supreme pmvel', Christ Jesus and Jehovah the higlwr pmYers, anti the arrangl'mmt concerning the church procl'ells from ,}eho'ah and by Christ. All in the church '110 are pleasing to .Telloyah and to Cl11'jst Je<;u::; must be iillingly suhmissive or obedient to that diyjne al'l'an~~·ement. There is no exception to this rule; and therefore it should at all times be held in mind by the anointed of the Lora, and strictly followed, There is no conflict, of cOllI'se, between the higher power and the supreme power, because Christ and Cod arc always e~~actly in han:lOI1Y. One translator rendel's the text: "Let CYel'y person be submissi'e to the supl'rior authorities," (Diaulolt) 'I'hc apostles may be embraced in the superior authorities, because thl'y are superior to all others in tho church, aside from Clll'ist and Jehovah. This scripture has been long applied by Christians to the (lentile govel'llments and the powers thereof. It is manif('st, however, that no such thought was in Paul's mind when he wrote the words. 2 The word "damnation" (Yerse 2) in the ahove text is from the Crcek word 7,'I'ima and means judg-ment, and is so rendereti in the Revised rcrsion. In the Dia[jlott it is remlel'l'd "punishment". Surely all Christians Cfln llOW sec that the arrangement or 01'dinance of God mentioned in the text cloes not have reference to the (Ientile ordinance or arrangement. It is true that God has llOt illtl:d'ereel with the nations of earth in their making laws and enforcing' them, hut the responsibility for their so cloing is not 'upon Jehovah. He has permitted it in that he has not prohibited it. The text says that it is God's ordinance; therefore we must understand that Jehovah assumes a responsibility for the same. 3 It could not be said that God was judging the world in Paul's day, because Paul himself wrote that 'God hath appointed a day [future] in which he will judge the worlel in righteousness' (when unrighteous govel'llments will not exist), and that such judgment would be by Christ Jesus. (Acts 17:31; Hev. 20:4) The judgment rcfelTed to by Paul, in Romans 13: 2,
must apply to the church, anti that juti~ment must be by the power 'hich God has ol'llainell shall jullg'e the church. III support thereof note the follo'ing: "Fur the time is come that judgment must l)('g'in at the house o[ (:0<1: and if it first hegin at us, what shall the end he of them that obey not the gospel of noll'!" (1 Pet. 4: 17) J'ote Paul's words to the Galatians (::; : 10), "I ha 'e confiaence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded [concerning' rircumcision I : but he that troubleth you sha]] bear his jndgment [7;rima), whosoever he be," 4 If the "judg-nwnt" mcntiorlell in Romans 13: 2 is to be rendered and enforced by the powers of the Gl'ntile governments, thcn such judgment must be rendered and l'Ilforced by some man as the judge; and that is contrfll'y to the 'Yard of God, regardles,> of who the man is. No man in the ehmeh or outside of the church is authorized to judge one who is in the church:" Therefore thou art inexcusable, 0 man, whosoever thou art that judgest; for whei'ein thou judgest anothcr, thou condemnl'st thyself; for thou that judgest docst the same thing'S, l u thinkest thou this, 0 man, that judgest them 'which clo such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the juclgment of Gocl?" (Rom. 2:1, 3) Therefore we must conclude tllllt the "judgment" rcfenccl to in I~omalls 13: 2 is the judgment for vhieh the Lonl has arranged in his own oJ'g'anization and by the Head of that organization or by those whom the Lord has ap, pointed so to do. G The substance of Paul's statement (Rom. 13: ~) is this: That whosoever ill the chmch resists the arrang-ement which God has made for the governing of his ehmch i::; resisting God, and therefore shall receive punishment from God through Clu'ist Jesus for so doing, 'Vhether or not the Gentile powers inflict punishment upon evil-doers often depends upon how much influence the one charged with the crime has with the one who does the judging. There is no partiality in God's judgment. 'I'he text says: "Whosoever therefore resisteth," and therefore applies to every O1W, ITO
