#138 The Triumph, Peace, and Power of True Christianity - Part 6
The Triumph, Peace, and Power of True Christianity part 6, by Pilgram Marpeck
Possession and Power
The loss of property is a small thing to give up for the love of God and our fellowmen. But it is the fear of losing possessions that deceives the whole world. It is that fear which binds up the love of God and the love of man on the earth.
If Christ must leave, as he left the village of the Gadarenes, unrighteousness takes over. Love grows cold (Matthew 24). Selfishness takes over and all men suffer. It is easy to see how blind, senseless selfishness destroys the whole world, but men would much rather tolerate it than to tolerate sincere, loving Christians. They hate those who try to free them from the devil's destructive power. Oh blind Gadarenes! The whole world is blind!
Satan, through his prophets, wants to find a good-looking cover-up for the use of earthly power. He wants to mix the use of earthly power with the words of Christ by saying that it serves to protect the faithful (where in fact it harms the faithful). Satan asks: "What will happen to those who are called to be in worldly positions of authority if their subjects do not help them carry out their rule to protect the innocent from the evil? If no one helps them, will not the innocent be in danger?"
In this way, Satan convinces people that Christians may be worldly rulers. In fact, he gets them convinced that the world would be better if our rulers were all true Christians, and many sincere people have been drawn by him into military or police service, into the swearing of oaths and government office in the name of serving Christ. Behind all this lies the innate selfishness of man.
Those who think they possess their goods want the government to protect them. They think it necessary to use force to keep peace, to protect their own possessions and those of others. In fact, all use of force comes from the possession of property. From the holding of property comes all government and force in the world. But the communities of Christ are not based on the holding of property, but on Christ. They are subject to Christ before all else.
Therefore, those who are spiritual concern themselves with keeping spiritual peace, and those who are of the flesh concern themselves with holding onto their possessions in a fleshly peace. Those who are spiritual hold to patience and love in Christ, and obey God the Father, as Christ obeyed him unto death. Those who are of the flesh use the sword to punish the evil and keep order in the world. If they did not do this, there would be no peace among private property holders. All this works together, thanks to God, who in his goodness and mercy desires only what is good for us.
The Place of Worldly Government
God has offered his peace (real peace) to all men, but many have not accepted it. For this reason, he gave worldly power to those who are of the world, to keep worldly property holders from destroying each other. However, the true peace of God is far above the selfish concern for property and can have nothing to do with it.
God only permits. He does not promote the use of worldly force. The use of force does not come from that which is good, but from that which is evil and God tolerates it only out of necessity. God knows that if he would take the use of ungodly force out of the world, society would become totally chaotic. Thus, for the good of his children who must also live in the world, he lets it go.
Because God tolerates the use of worldly force, he also expects his children to obey it, even at the cost of their lives. However, above this, he expects them to give to God what is God's (Matthew 22). That is, he expects his children to give to him their first allegiance and the honour he deserves. We must be true to God although we are also subject as citizens to our worldly governments, remembering that they are called to govern only in matters of the flesh. Only God may rule in matters of the Word and of the Spirit.
Christ told Peter to pay his taxes (Matthew 17), because God, the God of peace, wants us to live in peace with all men as far as possible. Spiritual and bodily peace are the weapons and heraldry of true Christians, as Paul says in II Corinthians 10. Our eternal God is faithful.