6/08/2024 – Benefits of a Liberal Democracy (LD)
There are 12 points to understand to effectively operate within a Liberal Democracy. Last week we introduced 4 of 12. Here are the next four:
C) No human rights as self-evident truths without scriptural revelations of the ‘image of God’ [Gen.] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ [Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:17].
D) Christians do not need democracy to practice faith, however, democracy enshrines some very central Christian teachings.
E) LD should be an aspirational feature of political order for all Christians.
F) Women and sexual minorities tend to fare better in LD.
[1 Timothy 6:11-16] The King’s Royal Appearing – In the 1st C. a visit by a king was huge. The king, often considered divine or ‘the son of god’, (son of the prior king). The visit was for state business and even a divine revelation. The Greek word, used by Christians is - Epiphany. [v. 14] A royal appearing. Paul is talking of a future event. He wanted his hearers to recognize that he equates this with a visit by Caesar. This was subversive. Paul wanted everyone to know: One True God, King of kings, Lord of lords , ultimate sovereign. All earthly monarchs must bow; the appearance of His son is the only royal appearance that counts! These six verses are loaded with theology. Some Christians believe each human has an immortal soul which lives after bodily death. What happens to this soul in the afterlife? Paul is firm - there is an afterlife for all people and there is a judgement at or after death which determines the happiness or misery of life to come. [Rom. 2:1-16] Paul never claims an immortal soul. Only God is immortal; [v. 16] the ultimate reality. His being is a blinding light from which we hide. When humans gain a new deathless life (immortality) they do so because God has given it to them, a gift of grace. [1 Cor. 15:52] This is not a disembodied soul, but lived as a new risen body. Paul has molded the power of Rome (king), the wisdom of Greece and the Jewish gospel of Jesus. This thought yields an intellectual flavor and power. [v. 11]. Do not read justice, Godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness too quickly or with familiarity. Add undefiled and blameless [v. 14] Do not say, “OK, I got it,” suggesting – I should behave better.
Better behavior is a start, but Paul wants to get us in shape to meet the King, when He appears and to enlist in His service in the present time. If an emperor conscripted troops to fight in his army, they signed to serve and were required to make a public declaration of allegiance. Jesus is summoning folks to His army. The battle is not of weapons and war, but love, patience and gentleness. It will be a noble battle! [v. 12-13] ‘Noble’ was a word of praise, not heard often today, and meaning good or beautiful. We sign-up for this noble struggle and we make the noble public profession with our baptism. At that moment we are reminded of Jesus standing before Caesar’s representative Pontius Pilate declaring that He wasKing of the Jews – the Messiah – the world’s true Lord. The commands [v. 11-14] are not about behaving better for its own sake. They are necessary, essential requirements for the effective soldiers in the army of the true King. These passages make a simple re-quest – Do not fall into a classic trap: Paul tells us we are to lift our heads and note where we are called to go rather than looking at the rest of the world and becoming jealous of the accumulated things of this world. Paul’s language is vigorous, he wants us to eschew a worldly lifestyle, embracing the way of Jesus. Think of an animal capable of killing you. What do you do if you see one? Run away! – We must do this when drawn to a lifestyle of which we are envious. It is equally dangerous. Now think about a loved one, not seen in years on the opposite side of the street. What happens, cross over and hurry to catch them. That is how we are to behave with these virtues: justice, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness. They are not accidental! They appear because we chase them. We discover we are beginning, in the present, to live the life of the coming age.[v. 12] When the King reveals His Son be ready and celebrate.
[1 Timothy 6:17-21] - What to Do with Money – Before delving into the next five verses, reread, [v. 9-11], - riches are uncertain. [v. 17] 1) You cannot take it with you. [v. 7] and 2) You may not keep it while here. An unsung beauty of the NT is, it is real and reminds us of what our culture wants us to forget. Money comes and goes, God does not! We cannot rely on money and we may think we have enough. It loses value over time, often quickly. Paul does not tell us to get rid of it all at once. Jesus did, [Mark 10:17-22], because for that person wealth was an idol, keeping him from following God’s call.
Here is how we should handle wealth/money. Folks with money should not ‘put on airs’ nor be arrogant based on the accident of birth. Those with more money than they need (not want) should find ways of doing good. Build schools or hospitals or support the arts if one has an abundance of money. Often a great idea only needs an early infusion of cash to start. There is joy when enabling others and it becomes a flow from the heart. What about the promise in [v. 19]? Is that an attempt to gain a position in the world to come? No, the NT is consistent - the goal of our journey on earth is in accordance with the life we have led. Our goal from the moment we come to faith is what ‘justification by faith’ is about. It is God’s spirit at work in us. We are commanded to live according to the new world we have already entered – by faith. When we reach the goal, a risen and glorious life in God’s new world; we discover that the life we have led in the spirit, in obedience to God, is preparing and shaping us for that new world - regardless of wealth. If we are poor our obedience will be appropriate to our poverty. If wealthy, it will be appropriate to that state and it may mean - give it away. No group has an unfair advantage. We carve our own statue from the stone we are given, not from the work of anyone else. The end we keep in view is the life that really is the life, not the life in the present age which is a fleeting shadow of what is to come. There is a warning to Timothy saying that some may form small bodies to whom is entrusted special (esoteric) knowledge (Gnosticism). This special material is designed to lead to a multilayered heaven. This teaching is in error. Genuine faith leads to God the good creator and thence to Jesus, the beginning of the new creation.
Periodically, variants of Gnosticism appear. It seems we long for hidden messages and attempt to make them seem to be authentic. They are not! Jesus calls us as He called His first followers - to accept His offer of a new life; not to discover secret variations of what we have. We must organize a healthy community and deal with the practical details of a church. God’s creation is physically robust. That is how God’s grace works in practice and Paul wishes grace to Timothy [v. 21] Grace does not ignore the specific challenges. We, like Jesus, must get our hands dirty and get on with the job. After all - that is what we should expect from a truly pastoral letter. AMIN
End 1 Timothy; 9090 Words
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