By Jason Charles on 7/1/2020 (3 years 300 days ago) Natural Law
The conflicts that arise in our society and world for that matter are a direct result of people’s inability to discern the nature of lawful authority.
Simply look at the debate going on right now due to this COVID-19 plandemic and mask mandates. Some people adamantly refuse to wear one; citing tyrannical overreach, while others feel it is a righteous act to force compliance.
For example, take a look at this Miami Herald article quoting individuals participating in a heated city council meeting who despite the public outcry ultimately did vote to mandate masks in public. They write,
“Pedophiles. 5G. Religion. Bill Gates. Underwear.
Those were just some of the topics that anti-maskers mentioned Tuesday to criticize Palm Beach County’s potential facial coverings mandate at a county commission meeting. Commissioners ultimately enacted the order, but the scene leading up to the final vote seemed right out of a movie script.
“I don’t wear a mask for the same reason I don’t wear underwear,” said a woman who identified herself as Beth and whose last name couldn’t be made out on a video of the meeting. “Things got to breathe.”
…
You literally cannot mandate somebody to wear a mask knowing that that mask is killing people,” a woman in a red shirt said. “... Every single one of you that are obeying the devil’s laws are going to be arrested.” (MiamiHerald.com, 7/1/2020)
Who is right? And how do we even begin to answer this question? The answer lies in how we determine and submit to proper and improper authority in our society.
The Fallacy of Secularism
To answer this question we must first define what ultimate authority might look like. Traditionally this is where we lose the secularist and moral relativists straight-off because the question begs to be answered in terms of a creator God.
This is unfortunate because when left unanswered it means we are wholly reliant on the fallible nature of man to determine the nature of authority and its enforcement. And what secularists agree on is that we cannot know authoritatively what authority is, hence the trap of moral relativism they fall into. My right becomes righter than your right and thus, inevitable conflict. Whoever amasses more power gets to enforce their version of morality on the other.
So, I will leave off of this line of thinking because no matter how you spin secularism, this type of thinking only breeds an animalistic view of power and authority in which only the strong survive and make the laws. From this perspective you cannot have a conversation on the nature of righteous authority; which unfortunately is what we have been left with since the advent of Darwin, evolution, secular humanism and naturalism.
Just because this behavior is found in the animal kingdom and in the super-class structures of human governance, does not make it right. We can see were this mentality has taken us, collectivized power, and mob injustice rules the day.
As a final thought on moral relativism and where it ultimately leaves us here is a great quote by Christian apologist Frank Turek,
“If there is no objective morality then love is no better than murder.” - Frank Turek
Moral relativists live with this kind of thinking because they are comfortable in a lower standard of morality, and do not like to appeal to a Higher authority or Truth because it convicts them on base behaviors, they find enjoyable. The problem is base morals coalesce in brutish rulers, who police the baser sort in society using even baser methods of governance, mainly violence. To live like animals is to be ruled like an animal.
Marxist groups like BLM and antifa decry injustice, forgetting that there is no justice to be had in a world made over in the image of the animal kingdom.
Seeing the obvious flaws in secular wisdom and where it has brought our culture, we will instead look at the concept of authority from the perspective that there is objective truth, and we can reason and define righteous authority seeing who in good conscience would or could submit themselves to anything less.
Finding Objective Truth
Objective Truth is best described from the position I call the “God Point.” This is the de facto perspective that God has as creator of the Universe. Only God can perceive the created order with total understanding and omniscience. Any perspective that is looking at the created order from any position less than God Himself will see the world, time and creation incompletely and without full knowledge; and in scripture is called a lesser or simply a higher authority. Whether angelic or natural their perspective is incomplete. This is why we can say that only God has Ultimate Authority over all things and is why in God’s Word, only God is ascribe the position of Most High.
God as creator, understands all creative and moral laws being the source of these laws; and only He can administrate pure and unadulterated justice because he can perceive into the heart of things as the creator of all things. This is something finite man will never have and therefore can never execute perfect justice. God reminds the prophet Samuel of this fact,
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7
God is truly the Highest Authority as administrator of perfect justice.
King David, Samuel’s protégé said this about the Most High God in the Psalms.
For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved. - Psalms 21:7
David understood as the King of Israel that his authority was limited, finite, and subject to the Most High God’s authority.
If we only still had David’s in power that humbled themselves and didn’t view themselves as the Highest Authority, things would be very different in our world; instead we have tyrants and worldly people that make and enforce laws based in their own subjective misunderstanding of authority, power and law.
You will see that authority is not just the ability to give and enforce laws like the naturalist and secularist would have you believe. We must recognize that any strongman or tyrant can make and enforce laws, and they do right? But just because they have authority and strength does not make it Righteous or Just Authority.
There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? - James 4:12
Righteous Authority
With this in mind and before we move forward, let’s define the word authority,
Define:
Authority - the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
Let’s take a closer look at this definition, it first shows that one must have the right or consent to give laws or orders, so with that consent they can then make decisions based on the adherence to these laws and also has the power to enforce those orders or laws. This is a good definition of authority because it is first based in consent.
So, the rightful power to make, judge and enforce laws becomes a hallmark of righteous authority.
The founders called this consent, the Consent of the Governed and it is critical to understanding the role of proper and just authority.
"Man is not made for the State but the State for man and it derives its just powers only from the consent of the governed." ~ Thomas Jefferson
Human reasoning and human experience would suggest that there is far more to authority than just brute strength. We don’t just submit to authority structures because they are the strongest and can impose their will, God included.
This is the meaning of Romans 2:14-16,
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. - Romans 2:14-16
We submit to Law because we can in good conscience do so, knowing that it satisfies the higher, moral call towards righteous law and justice that marks us as vastly superior to the animals.
This higher call towards enacting justice, law and order is emblematic of the human condition; it is a compulsion that transcends our human understanding and speaks to a law giver as patently as the laws of creation themselves do. (Romans. 1:20)
This has been articulated and spoken about in the past as Natural Law. These are the laws that rule us and define us as a species and most certainly are higher than that of the animals, natural law is not to be mistaken with evolutions Law of Nature, something I have written about here.
So, the first objective in understanding righteous authority is to understand that there is a law giver and creator God that unmistakably values law and justice seeing its pursuit is a part of our very make up.
In this way we can say good Law is given to us by our Creator God. And the righteous administration of the Law that agrees with the Natural Laws of the human heart and brings us all closer to a full understanding of Righteous Authority.
In Romans 13, Paul talks about submission to the higher authorities of mankind, not the Highest but the higher authorities of mankind, IF and only IF it agrees with the moral laws God has put on our heart and we can do so in good conscience.
If we are to submit to any human authority then the laws of man must first agree with the laws on our heart in pursuant of justice at every turn. If there is conflict in the inner most sanctum of our heart by an authority that seeks to set itself up as an arbitrator of human law it must rightly agree with our inner dictates and conscience first and foremost. Otherwise they will not have our consent and conflict is inevitable.
Out of this understanding we can now start to look at all of the authority structures that become a part of our life. The family, the church, society, and government all are simply higher authorities subject to the Highest Authority of God, his Biblical Revealed Law, and Natural Laws. They are limited in jurisdiction and authority by the consent and conscience of the governed and of God Himself.
Proper authority does not seek to impose itself on the individual but maintains Law that takes into account the dictates and convictions of the individual, unlike collectivism and mob rule.
Conclusion
This brings us back full circle to the mask debate.
The people there were arguing against the counsel and their mandate on mask wearing from a position of conscience. They were trying to articulate that the counsel does not have their consent, that a mandate on wearing a mask egregiously violates their conscience and thus accused them like one lady did of “obeying the devil’s laws.” Which would be the secular worldview that gives pure authority without restraint to the strong.
Mandating masks, is akin to mandating a Jewish star by Hitler, or a burqa by an Imam, or a dress on a boy by the parents. It is unrighteous to compel obedience like this no matter the circumstances.
The counsel, being made up of authoritarians and liberals, see themselves as the final arbitrator of law in that county and went ahead and mandated the mask outside of the consent of many people in the county, thus violating God’s perfect law. This is what this lady is referencing, and if you watch the videos in the above cited article, she went on to appeal to God, as final judge and arbitrator to avenge themselves of the errors and tyranny of the counsel knowing she herself was powerless to stop their overreach.
As you can imagine, a misunderstanding on the nature of authority is bound to cause strife inside society. What one person perceives to be authority and law, another man will contend. We must always make available exemptions for people. As a counsel you can recommend, and back it up with data that statisfies peoples minds, but to compel is unAmerican and a unrighteous use of authority.
As Christians we recognize Jesus as our final authority on all things. He demonstrated perfect submission to God, and perfect resistance to the religious and political unrighteous authority structures of His day.
Thus, through Christ we understand and can rightfully submit to His ultimate authority over our lives, and we rest knowing that he will avenge us from the evil of tyrants at the end of the world.
In Matthew 28:18, at his accession Jesus said “all authority has been given to me” if this statement is true than Jesus is the God and creator of the universe and submission to his ultimate authority will be required of us in life and death. The recognition of God, His authority and submission to Christ is the crux of the issue in both the spiritual and the natural world. God’s son is a demonstration to both the angels, the devils and mankind that He can redeem and justify His authority without pure unadulterated strength, but through the peace and love of Christ. Now that is real power. Proper understanding of Biblical authority is a beautiful thing when understood.
If you have not submitted yourself to the rule of Christ Jesus in your life I humbly ask that you do, and maybe we can get back to a position were leadership in this country exercises Righteous Authority rather than devilish unrighteous authority.
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