Clash of Swords (4)

“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”  Acts 17.6

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4.12

Bucking the settled worldview
In Paul’s day, “opposing the dogmas of Caesar” was tantamount to denying and bucking the settled worldview of the civilized world. Paul wielded the Sword of the Spirit even, when necessary, against the sword of Caesar and his cosmopolitan agenda.

Like the character “Sportin’ Life” in Gershwin’s musical, Porgy and Bess, Paul’s message to the smug and settled cultural elites of his day was, “It ain’t necessarily so.” And, in fact, as he and his companions lived, preached, and taught the Gospel of the Kingdom, they showed people a better, truer, more fruitful and satisfying way of living, and, in the process, challenged the ethical claims of the worldviews of their day.

Paul trusted the Sword of the Spirit to reach the hearts and minds of the people of His day, and He wielded it boldly, consistently, and unapologetically.

Jewish tradition was empty, Paul declared, and Rome had no power to subject those who are free in Jesus Christ to their pragmatic way of living. No wonder Jews and Romans alike declared that he and his ilk were turning the world upside-down.

New life in Jesus Christ meant precisely that. Among the Christians a new ethic of love, grounded in the precepts of God’s Law, was unleashed in the world by the power of God’s Spirit. To be sure, the world had never seen anything like it. Suddenly people from every strata of society were in one another’s homes, studying and worshiping together, sharing their possessions with those in need, embracing one another in the Name of the Lord, and speaking excitedly about new life in Jesus. Such a way of life – this life of self-denial and caring for one another – could only cause neighbors and local officials to wonder about the power that might be motivating this.

Set-asides
At the same time, those who were coming to faith in Christ began to lay aside certain practices which, in the light of God’s Law, they saw to be offensive to God and contrary to His good and perfect will. People’s sexual behavior changed. Consuming large quantities of food and alcohol no longer held them in thrall.

In Ephesus, local silversmiths who made their living selling images of false deities, feared they might be soon out of work (Acts 19).

The first Christians became more industrious, more attentive to their spouses and families, and earnest in the pursuit of good works. They started the ball rolling toward the elimination of slavery, the elevation of women, the protection of children, and the rights to property and freedom for all.

Such changes in behavior not only caused people to wonder, but, in many cases, caused them to react. For, in the light of this new ethic of moral self-denial, their own fleshly and indulgent ways were exposed and called into question, if not openly condemned. The economic and social order managed under the sword of men was now being challenged and overturned by those who wielded the Sword of the Spirit.

Illuminating the darkness
Light has a curious way of illuminating questionable practices carried on in the darkness. Jesus explained that men love darkness, because their deeds are evil. When the first Christians began to know the power of God’s Spirit, training them for holiness according to the teaching of God’s Law (Ezek. 36.26, 27), they “lit up” the dark world around them, exposing evil deeds that had long been accepted as normal, and heaping condemnation on the heads of those who determined to preserve the status quo at all costs (1 Jn. 2.8).

The result, as Peter explained in his two epistles, was conflict, issuing in persecution. We have no reason to think that this should have changed for our own day.

I have often been asked why Christians in America don’t suffer persecution. Jesus and Paul both taught us to expect it; Peter said it was not a “strange” thing to happen to devoted followers of the Lord. And here, perhaps, is where the answer lies. Survey and poll after survey and poll find that the ethics practiced by most Christians today do not cause them to stand out against the dark background of our secular age. In our neighborhoods, communities, work places, and schools, Christians seem to fit right in with the ethical agenda of our unbelieving age.

Rather than wielding the Sword of the Spirit in our everyday lives, our culture, and our communities, we are leaving it sheathed on the bed table at home, as we march in lock-step with the spirit of the age and sword of men.

But if we ever decide truly to devote ourselves to following Jesus, walking in the light as He is in the light, we may soon enough begin to see that ancient conflict of ethics and worldviews flaring up around us once again.

For reflection
1.  How would you describe the role of the Law of God in your walk with the Lord?

2.  Would you say that believers today are overturning the dominant culture or being overturned by it? Explain.

3.  Why do believers find it so difficult to live a consistent Christian ethic amid the secular, materialistic, and individualistic spirit of our age?

Next steps: Christian ethics, beginning with the Law of God, speaks to every area of life. In what ways does your church work to equip its members to live the Christian ethic? Talk with a pastor or church leader about this question.

T. M. Moore

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This week’s study, Clash of Swords, is a bonus part 6 of a 6-part series on a Biblical view of government and politics, and is available as a free download by clicking here. We cannot understand God’s view of government, or how to function in a political environment apart from faith in King Jesus and His rule. Order T. M.’s books The Kingship of Jesus  and The Ground for Christian Ethics to supplement our studies of God and government.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.