Today's Scripture Reading (April 30, 2021): Titus 2 & 3
I believe that good comes in many stripes and
sometimes from surprising places. So does evil. No one has a monopoly on either
good or evil, nor do I believe that any human is pure evil or purely good. Good
and evil can come from anywhere. Anywhere. We don't want to consider that. To
argue that the most vicious villains of history have accomplished good is
unthinkable, and yet the truth is that some good has come from these evil
people. And the reverse is also true. Outstanding
people have enacted some evil actions. But in our contemporary society, we
sometimes struggle to recognize the difference between people's actions and
their perceived character. We are more likely to approve of the actions
accomplished by the people we support or to disapprove of the actions of those
we oppose, regardless of the action might be.
In the aftermath of the Second World War, there was a
push to punish those who had done evil in Nazi-led Germany. We wanted our pound
of flesh, our revenge on the ones who perpetrated the evil and intense
suffering in Europe. But part of the struggle was what it means to be part of
the evil of Nazi Germany. More precisely, is "I only did what I was
ordered to do by my superiors" a good enough defense for actions taken in
the face of evil.
And the Bible doesn't seem to be much help. Romans
13:1 admonishes us to "let
everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no
authority except that which God has established. The authorities that
exist have been established by God." It is a passage with a long history
of being used to justify the evil of those in power over us, including institutional
slavery. And yet, the verse is present in Paul's letter and deserves at least
some consideration.
It
might be that Paul clarifies Romans 13:1 in his letter to Titus. Here he makes
the same assertion but adds a clause that Christians should "be ready to
whatever is good." It is not that we necessarily need to partake in the
evil of our earthly governments. There are times when we need to stand aside or
even oppose evil. Still, we must be willing to enthusiastically participate in
whatever good thing might come from those in power, even if we stand in
disagreement with most of that government's actions. Conversely, we need to, at
minimum, be willing to stand aside when those in power do wrong.
In
our politically charged environment, it is harder to follow Paul's instructions
than it should be. For Democrats to admit that President Donald Trump did was
good is almost too high an ask to request from those who opposed the former
President. Similarly, for Republicans to acknowledge that President Joe Biden
might do some good is also almost too much to expect. And yet, Paul tells Titus
to precisely that. If those in government oppose your moral stand, it is okay
to voice disapproval, even while you support the government; after all, God is
the one who gave them the power. But when they do good, we need to be ready to
support them, even if we disagree on most of what they seek to accomplish.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 1
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