<\/p>\n
There is one particularly pernicious \u201ctwisting\u201d of Scripture that probably tends to turn up in \u201cSunday Churchianity\u201d more than any other. When Kefa (aka \u201cSimon Peter\u201d) wrote in the second letter that bears his name (II Peter 3:15-16) that \u201cin the writings of our beloved brother\u201d Shaul or Paul are many things that are \u201cwrested\u201d or \u201ctwisted…by the unlearned and untaught,\u201d <\/i>he may already have had a vision of what a paganized, co-opted church would do to Romans chapter 13 in just a millenium or two.<\/span><\/p>\n Here is the standard, \u201cAuthorized\u201d English rendering of the \u201cletter to the Romans\u201d, verses 1 and 2. Unfortunately, there is so much historic and translation-bias \u201cbaggage\u201d in the way that passage is rendered, AND TAUGHT, that the worst \u201ctwisting\u201d Peter warned about has already happened:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. <\/i><\/p>\n Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. <\/i><\/p>\n \nFor this reason, the Modern, Politically-Correct, 501c(3) State-Church Approved, Officially-Authorized Version of that verse (arguably it’s about the ONLY verse that still even HAS Washington’s Stamp of Approval) pretty much boils down to, \u201cwhen Big Brother says ‘JUMP’, you must say, ‘How high, master?’ \u201c.<\/p>\n The trouble is, that popular \u201cteaching\u201d \u2013 that to obey the State is to obey God \u2013 is just plain WRONG, and antithetical to the message of the rest of Scripture. Especially when the state tries to pretend that it IS \u201cgod\u201d, or \u201canother master,\u201d imbued with the power to overwrite not only His Written Word, but its own \u201csupreme law\u201d by imperial edict anyway.<\/p>\n Why? Isn’t that a bit of hyperbole? At least, unless the State tries to require people to commit acts that directly violate Scripture.<\/p>\n You mean \u2013 like murder? Theft? Dishonest weights and measures? Subsidizing what He calls \u201cabomination,\u201d and calling it ‘licensed marriage’? Leaving aside the obvious objections, like just \u201cin Whose Name\u201d do we claim to be working, anyway? And, Who do we truly serve? Caesar, or YHVH? There’s a big difference between walking in obedience to the REAL King, Creator, and Elohim of Scripture, and those false self-proclaimed \u201cgods\u201d who would like to take His place. While YHVH may allow bad kings, conquerors like a <\/span>Nebuchadnezzar, or even a \u201cBeast\u201d government to chasten those who walk in rebellion to Him, it is always clear that His \u201cremnant\u201d must have discernment.<\/span><\/p>\n Paul ALSO said, and it was in that very same letter to the Romans (v 6:16), well before those troublesome Most Twisted Verses, to be very careful just WHO you \u201csubmit yourself\u201d as a servant to obey. For, \u201c<\/span>Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one\u2019s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin <\/i>leading<\/em> to death, or of obedience <\/i>leading<\/em> to righteousness? <\/i><\/p>\n It would seem that, just as Scripture emphasizes consistently throughout, that we have a CHOICE about Whom we obey, Whom we worship, Whom we serve. Paul is hardly contradicting himself, or his heavenly Master. Note that in the well-known \u201cspiritual battle\u201d line from the same author’s letter to the Ephesians, Shaul uses the same word to describe those we fight, or wrestle, <\/span>AGAINST<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers<\/b>,\u00a0G1849<\/sup><\/a> against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places<\/em>. <\/i><\/p>\n Furthermore, remember that several apostles were among those who were arrested and jailed for FAILING to obey those \u201chigher powers\u201d that were \u201cordained of God.\u201d Something is wrong with the claim here. Check out the story in Acts chapter 5. Following their arrest for \u201cresisting the power,\u201d rather than, \u201c<\/span>receiv[ing] to themselves damnation<\/i>,\u201d they were freed by an \u201cangel of the Lord.\u201d When confronted directly for their very un-Romans-13-like behavior, <\/span>\u201cPeter and the <\/i>other<\/em> apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n And Scripture is replete with other examples of men \u2013 and women \u2013 of God who did not submit to some \u201chigher power,\u201d whether in the form of a state, or its priests. Particularly a pagan state that saw <\/span>itself<\/b><\/span> as ‘god’. The Hebrew midwives in Egypt, commanded by Pharoah to kill male babies, \u201c<\/span>feared God<\/i>,\u201d disobeyed the king, and, \u201c<\/span>therefore God dealt well with them<\/i>.\u201d They were even rewarded with \u201c<\/span>households<\/i>.\u201d Young David did not allow King Saul to do to him what that \u201chigher power,\u201d unquestionably ordained by the Almighty, would have wanted to do to him, either. Indeed, the litany of kings who \u201c<\/span>did <\/i>that which was<\/i><\/em> evil in the sight of the LORD\u201d <\/i>alone should prove that the \u201cClergy Response Team\u201d twisting of Romans 13 sounds more like something they would have written than YHVH Himself.<\/span><\/p>\n The context, consistency, and totality of Scripture reveal the lie. But there’s another way to debunk the Caesar-Approved Spin on Romans 13. Just look even briefly at the language. Even in the Greek rendering of the original letter, the key word in the verses is \u201cexousia\u201d, repeated several times. The primary Strong’s definition (Number G1849) says it means \u201cpower of choice,\u201d or \u201cliberty\u201d of \u201cdoing as one pleases.\u201d Other verses use the word to indicate \u201cauthority,\u201d but the context makes clear that such authority can be used either for good, in the service of YHVH, or for evil, as in the \u201cpower of darkness.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n In I Cor. 8:9, the same word ‘exousia’ is rendered this way:<\/span><\/p>\n But take heed lest by any means this liberty\u00a0<\/i>G1849<\/i><\/sup><\/a> of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. <\/i><\/p>\n Like all power, authority, and liberty \u2013 there is a way to use that \u201cexousia\u201d in accord with the Word, in accord with the will of YHVH, and another way which is in opposition to Him. To \u201crightly divide the Word,\u201d includes understanding that proper context!<\/p>\n Let’s try it THIS way, and see if the apparent meaning changes any:<\/p>\n Let every soul be subject unto the higher liberties.<\/b> For there is no liberty<\/b> but of God: the liberties<\/b> that be are ordained of God. <\/i><\/p>\n Whosoever therefore resisteth the liberty<\/b>, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. <\/i><\/p>\n It certainly seems to put a whole different spin on the text, doesn’t it?<\/p>\n \n Whether the text is talking about \u201cpower\u201d OR \u201cliberty\u201d – the key point remains. Whether for good, or for evil, it’s all about Who we serve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Romans 13 just may be the most twisted section in Scripture — especially when it comes to Caesar’s Licensed Church. Continue reading