Honor your Parents, but Jesus will turn us against them - help

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by AAG Netguy on December 11, 2009 at 10:44am

Leland,

The verses you cited are not contradictory. Everything must be understood in the wider context of all the Bible says about family relationships.

God's original design for the family is that there be a husband and wife committed for life to one another under the authority of God, worshipping and serving Him, and raising their chidren "in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Since sin has entered the picture, members of a family are under the influence of sin, so some family members may now be obeying God and other's not.

The general principle in God's Word is that children should honor, respect and obey their parents in everything (Ephesians 6:1), EXCEPT where their commands are unrighteous and directly contradict or violate the Word of God. An example of this is found in Acts 5:27-29 where the religious rulers commanded the apostles not to speak about Jesus (in direct contradiction to God's command). The reply of the apostles was correctly,"We must obey God rather than men!"

If parents are commanding their children to break God's law, then the child should obey God rather than the parent, which may set in motion the chain of events in Matthew 10:34-35; "...a man's enemies will be the members of his own household."

A word of caution: Children must make absolutely sure that what the parent commanding is a direct violation of the Word of God before deciding to disobey it. The should pray and ask God and get advice from other mature believers before they deliberately disobey, otherwise they may face the wrath of their parents and they will not only be sinning against their parents, but God as well. Just because the child feels the parent's command may be unjust, it does not necessarily make it a violation of God's Word.

Children who disobey parents should be prepared to face the wrath of the parents. If the child suffers as a result of chosing to obey the Word of God over their parents they are being persecuted for Jesus' sake. They should rejoice because they will receive a great reward in Heaven (Matthew 5:10-12).

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Permalink Reply by Theresa on December 21, 2009 at 12:20am

Leland,

With all respect to everyone's response, I am so blessed with Greg's answer. Thank you Leland for asking this question and thanks Greg for your response, it is awesome.

I think anytime you follow Jesus, it is going to bring some kind of seperation or enmity between you and the people in the world no matter who they are, whether they are a mother, father, sister, brother or friend, because simply you do not go where they go or enjoy the same things they enjoy. Jesus knew that and He knew that following Him is going to bring some kind of seperation ( It is not that I am holier than thou but simply I do not enjoy the same things that people who are not saved enjoy, it does not mean to stay away from them but to understand that you share opposite views, simply because you have Jesus in your life and they do not ). Now, when it comes to parents, they should be given the honor they deserve, and under no circamstances, they should be looked down at or be ignored and no matter how bad a parent is, their kids should never speak ill of them or to them, rather try to give thanks to God for their parent, and if they can not find something good to say, they should at least thank them for bringing them to this world. I am convinced that parents should not allow their kids to disrespect them, this is to me what it means not to anger your kids. Do not allow them to talk to you with anger or to look down at you in any way.
I do not think there is any contradiction in God's Word, the story is that we need to read it with the eyes of grace, it is so important to read it with grace and not just bunch of rules and regulations.

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Permalink Reply by ScribeD on December 12, 2009 at 6:20am

Leland, the first rule of Biblical interpretation is to read each passage in it's context. That is, to first understand who is speaking, to whom they are speaking, and what they are speaking about. While every passage of scripture is "God breathed" and is intended for our edification, not everything is addressed specifically to us today. Rather, it is meant that we will learn the precepts that God is teaching.

The first passage you quote is Jesus explaining to his disciples that he has not come at that time to bring a universal Messianic reign of peace. His point is that the Gospel will not be accepted by everyone and therefore it will cause division. He is not saying that he INTENDS for there to be division, but rather that he knows his message will offend those who do not receive it. This is a general principle that we call "the offense of the Gospel".

In your quote from Ephesians, the Apostle Paul is instructing the church on precepts that bring order and blessing to life. He is explaining that we have a responsibility to remember the commandment to honor father and mother - because this is the one that specifically carries a promise of blessing. We learn that it is a vital precept to have an understanding of authority structures and to submit ourselves appropriately.

These are not in conflict, but rather are in fact different topics. Jesus is NOT commanding strife in a family. He is explaining that the Gospel will divide people. I will give you three examples:

1. In the first century many people were put out of the Synogogues for faith in Jesus as the true Messiah. This was a matter of social disgrace and shame. Some people were therefore abandoned by their adult children for it - in violation of the commandment. Until the destruction of the Jewish temple in AD 70, Jewish Christians were persecuted by Jewish non-believers with great hostility. The story of Paul the Apostle is just one of many such accounts.

2. When I first became a believer, my extended family rejected this. We had come from a religious tradition that did not fully accept the Bible as the word of God. Instead, our historical tradition held to many teachings of people in addition to the Bible. As a result of my stand on the Word of God alone - and salvation exclusively by faith in Christ, my family rejected me. I was once expelled from my Grandfather's home for trying to explain the wonders that God had done in my life by faith in Christ. Some of my family grew very hostile to me; Not because I sought it, but because they refused to accept my beliefs. My own mother pled with me to come back to the family tradition and I told her I could not. She said "then you don't love me". To her, I was being hateful and unloving by my commitment to Christ.

3. In 1999 I met a Muslim from Afghanistan and we became good friends. I asked him if he had ever heard the Gospel or if he knew of Christian missionaries that had ever established a church in his country; I asked him to consider becoming a Christian. He said to me "you don't understand, no matter how compelling the message of Jesus, I cannot." I asked him "why?" and he said "to follow Jesus, I would have to deny my father and mother, my brothers and sisters; I would have to deny my entire nation and even deny myself!" I said "you have actually just quoted Jesus; and you are right".

Now, I can also tell you that it is possible to honor your father and mother, even if they do reject you for your faith. I know people who have been blessed for doing so. I also know many who have later won their family to faith in Christ by their faithful commitment to honor.

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Permalink Reply by David on December 13, 2009 at 2:24pm

Hi Lee! The issue of parental authority is one of law, and has been from the beginning. The role of Father in the family has been under attack from the beginning, as well. The question of "who's your daddy?" certainly applies here. The fact is, we've all been led astray by forces working against the family and through structures that have been built up in the imagination of fallen men, and not of God.

Each of the respondents below referred to context as being critical, and this is quite true. The context of Honoring one's father and mother comes from Deut 5:16. The context has to do with remaining on the land that the Father in heaven was going to give to Abraham. The object of the promise is freedom, and dominion, and authority.....liberty.....the right to do as one pleases, without the hindrance of ill-advised contracts which subject oneself to foreign governments and their gods. God wants mankind to be free souls under Him, not subjects of a foreign god. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

The ignorance of the law of the Father has brought the role of the Father into disrepute, and has caused the near annihilation of the family. Patrimonial rights have been surrendered from the very moments following the birth of our children. Find me a "minister" who can justify the process of Novation. That is, the process of signing over the authority of the role of Father to the State in the moments following the child's birth. We have all been warned that Satan waits at the womb! You lost your parental rights when you ignorantly signed them over to the State. The State maintains a record of that forfeiture in their database. They gave you a copy of the Contract you signed. It's called a Birth certificate. It is the first cord in a three-fold cord which is used to bind a child to the State from cradle to grave.

The Bible teaches us to Call no man on earth Father. This has nothing to do with Catholic priests, but everything to do with calling someone other than your bio-dad a father. You and I went to public school. We learned all about our Founding Fathers. These are the gods of this country. These are the ones that God said we are not to call father.

When Moses was born his mother sent the tiny tot down the river, just as you did with your own children. And, the daughter of Pharoah received the baby of the Hebrew woman and called for her, and told her to take the baby home and give it suck and when it was of age, she would take it back. Can you see the parallel between surrendering your child to the State at birth, and then taking it home and raising it up until it's 18, and then sending them off to be ruled by the State? It's no wonder that children are disobedient to the parents, instinctively they know they've been sold out...sent down the river!

There is a second cord that binds a child to the servitude of the State, rather than the Father, and that is the process called Tutor. That's where I met you. We both had parents that participated in that sin. Tutor is "free" public education. The third cord that completely binds a child into servitude for life is called Corban. You can read about that at Mark 7:11. It is the exact same system today, as it was 2000 years ago. Today we refer to it as Social Security, and everyone has their SSN. Almost all the countries of the world have their own version of Social Security, and those that do not are presently at war with the USA. Those are countries which still maintained the role of the Father. By the way, in Canada, their program of Social Security is called Social Insurance. They quite candidly abbreviate their program as such, SIN. Gotta love the Canadians for their disclosure;>)

The Bible warns us about this three-fold cord which is not easily broken in Proverbs. Now you know what the process is to accomplish that object, and the goal is to destroy the role of Father, family, and freedom.

Yes, we must obey God rather than men, so why does anyone have a Social Security number? Why do they "vote" in an indirect democracy for men that call themselves Father, in a system with centralized top-down authoritative style government, who by design and stealth take children away from their families, and send them off to war, who have a central bank, and who plunder to poor, the widow, and the fatherless? Moses stood against such practices and would've body slammed everyone of the Founding Fathers for creating such a debauched system. The Prophet Samuel railed against such a corrupt system, and God told him that if the people wanted such a system it was because they had Rejected God, not Samuel. God told Samuel to go ahead and let them have their way, and that they would pay a heavy price for their disobedience. Such governments were abhorrent to Jesus, and he told His disciple, it shall not be so with you! He taught them to build a system of service from the bottom-up. The greatest amoung you shall be as the least, a servant of all.

Lee, if you want your children to be obedient to you, you need to be obedient to God. In order to do that you need to repent. Repent from the evil works that you and I were led into by those we trusted: our parents, teachers, government leaders, and "ministers". We need to chart a new course and follow Christ. In order to accomplish that you will need divest yourself of the platitudes of modern day Churchianity, and the sophistry of seminarians and translators. You need to roll up your sleeves and get busy learning what no one else ever taught you before today. The leaders in the "church" so-called, have been blinded by their own ignorance, and are the modern shephards who flee when the enemy approaches, because the flock is not their own.

A man's enemies are those of his own household, and of his own "church", and community, because they've all gone astray from the womb, speaking the lies they were taught by well-meaning, but nevertheless ignorant people. No man can serve two master's. And, those who try to walk in the camp of Saints and the world, will be torn asunder. The Church is not the State, and "ministers" alledgedly proclaiming Christ have NO authority under God to translate their congregations to the power and dominion of the State, which is what every single 501C3 "minister" does. These are State "churches", State organizations, and they are silenced in their abilithy to speak out against the corruptions of the State, which include the destruction of the family....from the moment of the creation of the union of man and woman. ALL 501C3 "ministers" perform ceremonies of marriage by the "Power and Authority vested in me by the State of __________". Your marriage License is on record with the State, is it not? Because of this your children, the fruit of your marriage, are also promised to the State. This is why the State can dictate how your children can be raised. They come into your home and dictate the care of their health, education, and welfare. You completed the necessary contracts to allow that to happen. Your trusted "minister", ought not to have been trusted.

These "ministers" of 501C3 "churches" have no business telling anyone to be obedient to God, for they are the greatest offenders of that statement of all men. These are the hypocrites of our day. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

In the day that Christ was beginning His ministry, there was a blind man from birth who was made to see by Jesus. His family was called to give an answer as to how it was that their son was made to see. Their answer was quite illustrative. You can read about that in John 9. The point of that was that if anyone was professing that Jesus was the Christ, they were agreed to put that man or woman out of the synogogue. It's easy to see this incident as ex-communication, but, men forget that Isreal was a nation set apart by God. It was to be a "religious" example of how a nation was to live according to the dictates of God. When the leaders of the synogogue ex-communicated someone, they were actually expelling them from the benefits, privileges, and opportunities offered to them through the system of Health, Education, and Welfare they had set up in that nation. In fact, these people were being focibly ex-patriated. In the Greek Interlinear text of the NT, the word Father is often untranslated, from the Latin word Pater. It is where we get the words Patriate, ex-Patriate, and Patriotic. Are you a Patriot? Do you call upon the founding fathers of the nation, or upon the President to solve your troubles, or do you call upon Our Father which art in Heaven, whose name is hallowed? Who is your father?

There are MASSIVE problems in the modern "church", old friend. The slumber of the "ministers" has caused the destruction of the Father, the family, and the nation.

However, Christ Jesus has given us a way out, and that is through Him. You may also want to read Galatians 4.

I recommend the following sources for further information and guidance:

George Ricker Berry Greek Interlinear
Strongs Concordance
Vine's Expository Dictionary
In Caesar's Grip, by Peter Kershaw
www.hisholychurch.info There is a specific article written addressing this very concern, Call no man Father

Blessings to you Lee! It's been too long!

Blessings to all those who have ears to hear, and eyes to see. The time is very short.

David

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Permalink Reply by Richard Jackson on November 11, 2010 at 11:28am

David,
Thanks for the otherwise very good article. However I have to object to one point. After correctly listing various perversions of the government today you wrote, "Moses stood against such practices and would've body slammed everyone of the Founding Fathers for creating such a debauched system."
I am fairly certain that if you check the constitution and the Bill of Rights that you will see that the FF would have been standing by the side of Moses and body slamming all those (WW, FDR, LBJ, Clinton, W, Obama, and others) for allowing such a debauched system to be developed. Also this (Constitutional) system did not include the infamous 501(C)(3). That was a present from LBJ in 1954- one of the modern progressives. Prior to that all churches were exempt from taxation by a proper understanding the First Amendment.
I am researching the ways/effects of/on our society violates the 5th commandment and am very interested in the ways you see it plundering the widow and the poor.
Thanks
Rich

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Permalink Reply by Leland Bartlett on November 11, 2010 at 12:52pm

Richard - wow thanks for responding to such a long ago discussion. I took the time to read through the entire discussion and again was reminded and learned a lot.

What I found interesting is my initial question was did Jesus Christ give us contradicting instructions. In my read it does not see as though I can still answer it clearly or thoroughly; but I am going to try here to see if I do understand points made.

Honoring your parents does not mean we are to follow them. Such as jumping off a cliff to honor them. We can honor them even if they resist the acceptance of Christ. There is honor even among thieves I believe Jesus states at one point. So in the same sentence he is saying; don't speak out negatively against your parents, honor them such as give them the right to choose their own way of life; but it does not necessarily mean we won't have disagreements based on how we live our lives.

To take this a step further. We, I don't necessarily mean you and me, but we seem to decide who gets honor by their position, title, success. Yet, as I see it, even the worst person on earth is still a creation of God and given the chance to talk to this person, I would expect I would be on my best manors, because although evil, I shall not become evil, I shall show honor and want to glow in the Lord's light. As Jesus said also, the servant is not below the master.

The depth of this conversation is very good. If I can suggest a book to read if you have not. Read the book by Anthony Quinn, Ishmael. I don't necessarily agree with all; but he brings up some very good premises and the most significant point he alludes to is, if you read it well, is we are so much more buried into the matrix of this world than we think. Just because we sit around and talk about the bible, study the bible, preach the bible, pray to God and maybe do it everyday or three times a day; truly evaluate your life in comparison to how God/Jesus Christ talks about how we SHOULD live and I think it will scare you as it has me how much more I was absolved into this world than i wanted to admit. Another good book is "A Reason for God", in his book he talks about how the life style of the "Christian" is virtually identical to those who do not claim to be Christians.

I think David's points are should be well taken - we are all afraid of the number of the beast, "666", but maybe we already have it by having a SS#.

The challenges Ishmael reveals is how dow we live contradicting philosophies and survive in this world....? Can't wait to start a discussion on those of you who do take the time to read the books I mention.

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy Brown on December 15, 2009 at 11:28pm

I think He is referring in this instance that if the members of his own household, perhaps the children would be believers in Jesus, but the parents would have stayed with their old Jewish traditions, or vice versa.

We know that a man ought to serve God first in all things, even if it were to go against the wishes of an earthly parent. The father or the mother who does not want their child to go to the mission field because it would be too dangerous for him or her, but that missionary child ought to listen to God rather than the parent.

I know that in my own faith in Jesus, if I were to listen to what my parents thought or believed about Jesus, I wouldn't be living according to what Jesus tells me about having faith in Him.

We know that the Bible tells us not to be unequally yolked together with non-believers, where if the parent of a child were a non-believer but a child were a believer, that child ought to live in faith with God in hopes that the parent would see the light of Jesus in that child and be converted...

Just a few of my own thoughts on that subject.

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Permalink Reply by David on December 17, 2009 at 9:27pm

Hi Jeremy! There's actually quite a bit more going on in the context of the era that the Bible was written. Jesus came to confirm a POLITICAL kingdom. He was the rightful heir to the throne of David. Pontius Pilate declared Jesus to be the King of the Jews. Jesus was obedient to His Father in heaven, and was teaching His disciples (ambassadors) to also lead others into the Kingdom of God.

While you mention the possibility of doing work for the kingdom of God as a missionary, it might surprise you to read the application form, and United States Code section, for completing the form to obtain a US Passport. In those documents it is quite clear that you must DENY all other potentates before you will be issued a US Passport. It is more than a bit hypocritical to to deny Jesus as the King of kings, and Lord of lords in order to get a passport, and then go and tell others in a foreighn land how great Jesus is, don't you agree?

The issue of Father is vital to understanding how we are to view our own status as men in the world. I'm quite certain you've heard the mantra, we are to be in the world, but not of the world. The world we are not to be a part of is the world you ARE a part of. Almost all the people on this website ARE a part of it too. We need to figure out how to free not only ourselves from the unequal yoking with the world, but all those who also truly seek to serve God in righteousness and truth. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, ought to be our mantra.

I posted a link to a website above. I suggest spending much time reviewing the information there. You will find no shortage of supporting links, and documentation. We're all in this mess together, Jeremy, and we need to work our our salvation with fear and trembling based upon a clear understanding of precisely what the obstacles are in our path.

Blessings to you in your journey.

David

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Permalink Reply by ScribeD on December 20, 2009 at 10:50pm

Jesus said at his trial "my Kingdom is NOT of this world. If it were of this world, my servants would fight."

Jesus was the rightful heir to David's throne. However, he did not come to bring a political kingdom. Rather he came to judge the political kingdoms of this world.

Furthermore, his Apostles were very careful not to be drawn into politics of earthly kingdoms. The Sanhedren of 66 through 68 AD condemned Christians for refusing to stand with them against Rome. Instead, they obeyed the Savior who told them to flee Jerusalem when "armies surround". Some returned after the first Army left Jerusalem and returned to Rome in 66 AD; those people were then trapped in Jerusalem when Titus returned in 68 with his conquering legions.

Many faithful missionaries come and go from their earthly nations, using passports. I dare say that few missionaries in modern times could rival the faithful work of David Livingstone who carried a passport authorized by the King of England.

What you have mistaken is the fact that the believers of the first century refused to proclaim Caesar as Lord and GOD to pay his annual tax. Doing so was blasphemy. There are blasphemous things done in our modern world, but carrying a passport is not one of them.

Paul made it clear in Romans that we are to obey the righteous laws of the land and live orderly lives. Carrying a passport is hardly an issue which God is concerned about. He is far more concerned that we learn to live under authority and live honorable lives which demonstrate humility and respect.

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Permalink Reply by David on December 21, 2009 at 1:12am

Thanks for your contribution D'Nucov,

When Jesus was in court, His statement was to the Jurisdiction of that court. He was telling them that they didn't have jurisdiction over Him. I realize that the word "world" in the verse can be a bit troublesome and requires some rather detailed study to find it's real meaning.

Strong's No. 2889 kosmos {kos'-mos} probably from the base of 2865; n m AV - world (186) - adorning (1) [187] 1) an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government.... , Woodside B. F. 1991.
If you go through most of the verses in the NT, the word Kosmos means government. In Vines, Kosmos (e) he says: the present condition of human affairs in alienation from and in opposition to God.

I posted an article for Lee to read, and I don't suppose you've taken the time to read it yet? I think it would help to clear up some of the misconceptions in your mind as to what was going on there. It's a short article, and probably won't take more than 5-10 minutes to complete. Here's the link to the article: http://www.hisholychurch.info/sermon/fatherabba.php

The kingdom Jesus came to declare was indeed a Political Kingdom. There's absolutely no doubt about it. The reason the disciples weren't paying taxes is because they weren't liable to pay the taxes. Their baptism was a public declaration of their citizenship in another kingdom. Their entrance into the Religious Order that Jesus started separated them from any preceding political system they were a part of.

As to political controversies amoung the Apostles...Paul was in jail as a political prisoner. He laid down his life to settle issues with the Roman government. During his time in jail, the questions of the authority of the burgeoning kingdom of God were matters to be settled by the court. Therefore, the rest of the Apostles were able to spread the Good News much more freely while Paul's case was pending. This was a legal maneuver Paul chose, and God Blessed. While in jail Paul wrote the majority of the what we today call the New Testament. I know you already knew that, but it bears repeating;>)

Mankind has a right to choose who they will serve, but for all too many they've contracted themselves into seritude. There is a way out that Jesus has provided, but that will take many people many years to complete. Jesus and the first century Church was our example.

And, before you decide that applying for a Passport isn't a renunciation of Jesus, you need to read the law that goes with the application. I can assure you, it is a renunciation of Jesus. These matters ought not to be taken so lightly. After reading those documents, I'm sure you'll agree that in applying for a US Passport, "the ends do NOT justify the means", and it would indeed fall under the category of Blasphemy. And, if you declare that you do belong to another Foreign Prince, or Potentate, aka Jesus....guess what? No Passport for you.

Paul himself said that he "would not be brought under the power of any".

In Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, he praised “the union and discipline of the Christian republic.” He also pointed out that “it gradually formed an independent and increasing state in the heart of the Roman Empire.” The early Christian community was a republic that was recognized by Rome through the proclamation nailed to the cross by order of the Proconsul of Rome, Pontius Pilate


You might also want to read numerous articles on the internet related to Title 42 USC section 666
This isn't just a humorous Code section, it is full disclosure of the predicament you are presently in, if you are participating in the SS system. All those who have voluntarily participated in the Social Security system now have a barbed hook that is firmly set in their lips.

Again, as I explained to Lee, the question of "who is your father" is instrumental in determining one's ability to live as a Man, or as a subjected person. God created man to live as a free souls unto Him. God is not a respector of Persons. All the laws in the US apply ONLY to Persons. The government is in place to deal with the lawless, and they generally leave alone the lawful.

BTW: Pilate was willing to let Jesus go, as he "found not fault" in Him. Pilate lacked jurisdiction, and he knew it, that's why he sent Jesus to another jurisdiction to have Him tried there. They failed to obtain jurisdiction too, and sent Jesus back to Pilate.

Until Christians learn to look at the Bible as a law book, they will continue to be brought under the bondage of the heathen governments which co-exist in their midst. God wanted His People to be able to be free to serve Him.

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Permalink Reply by ScribeD on December 22, 2009 at 11:00pm

David, taking definitions of Greek out of context demonstrates that you don't understand interpretation. Knowing the literal definition of a word, while ignoring it's context, is the sin of a person who rejects understanding while clinging to data wrapped in a pretext.

Jesus very clearly make a point to Pilate that his disciples would not fight because he was not initiating a political movement; had his movement been political, they would have fought. He was speaking clearly to Pilate that his Kingdom was a heavenly Kingdom. Pilate got the message and was freaked out that the blood of Christ would be on his hands before God. His Apostles spent their lives brining a message of freedom from sin and the judgment of God, not freedom from political establishments.

Jesus made it clear that we ought to pay taxes to our earthly governments by teaching "Render unto Caesar" and that we even pay taxes to corrupted systems when he told Peter to pay the temple tax. Paul made it clear that the Roman soldiers were "instruments of God" to bring law and order. We are to honor and pray for those in authority over us.

You have created a pretext, based on a personal pretense, and have taken verses out of their proper context to try to prove your flawed beliefs. You will find yourself in conflict with the teachings of the Apostles and the church fathers (the guys they Apostles left in leadership), who did not believe in pursuing political ambitions against Rome, but rather who spent everything to serve the message of the Gospel.

I urge you to surrender your heart and mind to God and forsake your antipathy to civil government.

I have been to countries on 4 continents and I have never yet been to one of them that requires me to renounce my faith in Christ. I know that there are governments like that, but the US is not one of them. (at least not yet).

If you want to know what kind of government Paul the Apostle was dealing with, go to Saudi Arabia - where they will execute you for converting to Christianity from Islam, or imprison you for carrying a Bible.

The US is not one of those - at least not yet.

Carrying a passport is an issue of declaring yourself loyal to the US, as opposed to some other earthly government. It is a privilege not afforded to our enemies, at least not in theory. No one will force you to carry a passport - at least they do not yet. You simply cannot re-enter the US without one when you travel abroad.

Feel free to leave the US without a passport. But, you won't find yourself returning anytime soon.

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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on December 17, 2009 at 8:37pm

Hey bro,
I read everyone’s contributions to your inquiry and the brothers have given you the correct biblical perspective of the question you raised.

Which is a good question by the way? I will only add the following lesson I learned eons ago and it has served me well.

There are no contradictions in the bible - There are however apparent contradictions. What is going on those times when we see what appears as a contradiction? Well is only a lack of information in our part in such instances and if we are teachable (which you are since you asked) God will continue to guide you to all truth.

When confronted with one of those, continue to asked the body for counsel and primarily asked the author of the bible to guide you to all truth as He has promise to do.

John 14
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

When you hit another apparent contradiction ask Him (and also throw it at us) to guide you to all truth.
Great question bro.

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