Christians in St. Vincent have been reminded that it is their Godly duty to be obedient to the Government. This reminder came from Joel Jack, host of the “The Bible Speaks” programme. Jack discussed the topic on his programme on Sunday February 6, 2011 which aired on SVGTV.{{more}}

The theme of the programme, “the Kingdom of God and Civil Government” saw Jack referring to several texts in the Bible, which all support the principle that Christians should not resist the Government, but must be obedient to its authorities. Quoting, initially, from Matthew 22:15-22, where Jesus speaks to the Pharisees about giving unto Caesar that which belongs to him, and giving unto God that which belongs to Him, Jack pointed out that it is important that Christians today follow this principle.

“We are told that every soul should be subject to the higher power and we are not to resist the higher power. Because when we resist, we resist the ordinance of God,” he added referring to the scripture Romans 13:1-7.

Jack, however, stated that not everything that a Government does will be accepted by everyone, but it is the duty of Christians to encourage and pray for those in authority. “It is God’s will for Christians, those who are saved, to take time to pray for those who are in authority,” Jack said.

He further stressed that persons need to make up their minds as to who they are serving. “There are some people sometimes, who pose as Christians, who give the impression that they are Christians, but sometimes they are at the forefront of confrontation and resistant to authority,” Jack said. He continued cautioning such persons to heed to the word of God, if it is their desire to see the reign of God’s kingdom over the nation.

Jack also highlighted that there is no scripture which states that Christians should participate in resistance to authority. He admonished that Christians should seek out the scriptures when faced with a situation, to see what the Lord has said. “If more people would pay attention to God and His word we will have a much better society,” Jack said. Reflecting on the unrest in several countries around the world, where according to him, situations have become ‘nasty and violent’, Jack stated that we need to do what is necessary to defuse such situations.

Jack however noted that there are limitations to a Government. “No government has the right to prohibit that which is right,” Jack stated. He went on to list examples, such as no Government should prevent the preaching of the Gospel; authorize abortion and divorce for any reason other than fornication, as it promotes adultery, according to the word of God. In these cases, Jack stated that Christians should honour the laws of God. (OS)