#153 The Triumph, Peace, and Power of True Christianity - Part 9
The Triumph, Peace, and Power of True Christianity part 9, by Pilgram Marpeck
The Cause of Struggle and Discord
Those who oppose the true Christians accuse them of anarchy, of not paying tithes, of being disobedient individualists who want no one to rule over them, and of being power hungry themselves. They say the Christians call themselves "king of the Jews," and the like. Just listen to what Satan comes up with in his accusations against Christ and his followers!
One question must be put to the world's children and all professing Christians: Is your lust for physical power not the cause of all your struggle and discord? Is it not that you resent the government that is over you, but at the same time want it to protect your private property? The kind of power that is able to keep order in the world is resented by the world because God has given it the right to judge and punish. But its judging and punishing may be either right or wrong.
Pilate, who got his power from God (John 19), sat in judgement on the case of the innocent Christ. But Christ did not appeal to him. Like a lamb, he suffered whatever judgement worldly power pronounced upon him. In like manner, the lambs of God must suffer until the end of the world. Both Peter and Paul (I Peter 2; Romans 13) call upon us to be subject to our worldly authorities unto the point of death like Christ. We are to endure violence, but we are not to rule over others nor use violence upon them.
Answer me now: Who is more obedient to the government: the one who demands protection for his rights and will not suffer wrong, or the one who claims no rights and suffers everything in the love of God? You blind ones, what can you say to this?
The Way of Christ—The Way of Worldly Power
Those who are deceived take pride in being Christians. They say they are ruled by the Spirit of Christ, but at the same time they are calling for someone else to rule for them—someone who does not have the Spirit of Christ and who will rule with worldly power. They want a king after the manner of the Gentiles, not to tell them what to do, but to protect them.
Hear what Samuel said to the Israelites (I Samuel 8). When the Israelites asked for a ruler after the manner of the heathen, to protect them, Samuel warned them what that ruler would do to them with his power. But God who knew that the Israelites had rejected him (not Samuel) gave them exactly what they asked for, as a punishment. In the same way, when Christ's disciples asked to drink from his cup, he patiently handed it to them. It was his cup of suffering (Matthew 20).
The Son of Man governs his followers in a beautiful way, with his Spirit. He said to his followers: "You know how it is among the Gentiles. Everyone would like to be the boss. Those who make it to the top use their power to get what they want. But among you it is not to be that way. Rather, the one who would like to be something should be your slave, and the one who wants to be first should spend his time serving all of you" (Mark 10).
The one who does not let the Spirit punish and correct him, and who does not listen to the counsels of the word of the Lord is no Christian (Hebrews 12). Therefore, he must still be subject to the law (Galatians 3).
The word of the Lord alone is the Christian's judge and sword (Ephesians 6; Matthew 10). True Christians will use nothing more in self-defence. Whoever despises this fact despises Christ, and whoever despises Christ despises the Father who sent him (Matthew 10), just as the Israelites despised not Samuel, but God. In Christ we have more than Samuel, Moses, the patriarchs, and the prophets (Matthew 12), but the people reject him.
Those professing Christians who ask God for leaders who use worldly power must learn that such leaders govern harshly. Even those Christians themselves will govern harshly if they get the chance, because they are not choosing the way of Christ, but the way of worldly power.