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Advent Lessons

Lesson 5 · November 2, 1895

The Powers That Be

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  1. 1.What is the source of all power? .
  2. 2.Who has ordained the powers that be?—Id.
  3. 3.Therefore, who ordained the existence of civil governments among men? See .
  4. 4.Must they not, then, be for a good and wise purpose? , first clause. (See note 1.)
  5. 5.What is the character of the work which God has ordained the rulers of civil government to perform? , first clause; , last clause; .
  6. 6.Was man created evil in the beginning? .
  7. 7.When did he become "evil"? Ans. When he sinned; when he transferred his allegiance from God to Satan.
  8. 8.Since the rulers of civil governments were ordained to be a terror to "the evil," and revengers to execute wrath upon him that "doeth evil," when did they become a necessity? Ans. Since the fall of man. (See note 2.)
  9. 9.What did man lose in the fall that made civil governments a necessity? Ans. The power of self-control, the fear and love of God, and love toward his neighbor; in other words, he became selfish.
  10. 10.What striking illustration of this lack of self-control do we have after the fall? Ans. The murder of Abel. .
  11. 11.For whom were earthly governments ordained? Ans. For those who have not the principle in them to govern themselves,—the principle of love. .
  12. 12.Who is the source of love? .
  13. 13.Through what divine agent is this love imparted to us? .
  14. 14.How do we obtain the Spirit of God? ; .
  15. 15.What is the character of this faith? .
  16. 16.How will this love be manifest? ; .
  17. 17.When, therefore, love is the active principle, who reigns?
  18. 18.What is that power and plan called by which God restores to man this principle of love or righteousness? . (See note 3.)
  19. 19.When men are governed by love, do they need the aid of civil laws and the fear of temporal punishment to keep them from trespassing on the rights of others? ; . (See note 4.)
  20. 20.Do such need the aid of civil laws to make them know the Lord and serve Him? .
  21. 21.Of what use, then, can civil governments be to Christians? Ans. To protect them, as well as all others, in their rights.
  22. 22.How long will there be use for civil governments? Ans. Only so long as there is crime or evil in the world.
  23. 23.Will there be any occasion for civil governments, then, in the new earth? ; .
  24. 24.What is said concerning the duration of earthly kingdoms? ; ; .
  25. 25.In contrast with these, what is the kingdom of the Lord called? .

Notes

1. We should not disparage the utility or importance of civil governments. They are a necessity under the existing order of things. They become a necessity in consequence of the fall. To secure men in their persons and property is a good object, and, as Lord Macaulay in his essay on Gladstone has said, "The best way, indeed the only way of promoting that object (among the masses of the people in a state of sin), is to combine men together in certain great corporations, which are called States." These States may be very imperfectly organized, and abound in abuses, yet, as Macaulay adds, "It seems reasonable to believe that the worst that ever existed was, on the whole, preferable to complete anarchy."

"Some, I saw, have a prejudice against our rulers and laws; but if it were not for law, this world would be in an awful condition. God restrains our rulers; for the hearts of all are in His hands. Bounds are set, beyond which they cannot go. Many of the rulers are those whom Satan controls; but I saw that God has His agents, even among the rulers. And some of them will yet be converted to the truth. They are now acting the part that God would have them."—Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 203.

2. Andrew W. Young, in his "Government Class Book," p. 12, explaining why civil governments are necessary, says: "Man is by nature selfish, and many would infringe the rights of others, for their own selfish ends, unless restrained. Hence we see the necessity of some fixed rules, that each one may know what he may do and what he must not do. These rules for regulating the social actions of men are called laws. . . . But law cannot exist without government. Law is a rule of action laid down by the supreme power, and if there is no supreme power there can be no law. Hence we see the necessity of government."

It will be noticed that the validity of this argument all rests upon the statement that "man is by nature selfish." Civil governments are a necessity, because men are selfish. But God did not create man selfish. Selfishness is an evil acquired through the fall, as shown in the three preceding lessons. Hence civil governments are a necessity because of the fall.

3. Love and righteousness, it will be seen, are one and the same thing; for righteousness is the keeping of God's righteous law (; ; ); and our lesson teaches us that love is the same thing, manifesting itself in the same way; love, or righteousness, is all-comprehensive. Everything good goes with it,—obedience, life, peace, happiness. True obedience springs from love. Love is the greatest thing in the world. "Now abideth faith, hope, charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [love]." . The means by which God places this in our hearts is through faith in the gospel of Christ.

> "Love is a golden chain that binds > The happy souls above, > And he's an heir of heaven who finds > His bosom glow with love."

4. True Christians, while obedient to all just civil laws, are governed by a higher and better law than these,—the law of God, the law of love. They do not refrain from killing or lying or stealing or committing adultery because the laws of the land make these things penal offenses, and threaten punishments upon those who commit them. They would not do these things if there were no civil laws or governments. It is not the fear of the lock-up, the jail, the penitentiary, or the gallows that keeps them from doing these things, but rather the fear of God. With Joseph of old, they say, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" . While this fear of God and love for His creatures controls the life of the individual, he cannot do such things; he does not desire to do them. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." .

Bible texts in this lesson

Romans 13:1 · Daniel 2:21 · Daniel 4:25 · Romans 13:4 · Romans 13:3 · 1 Peter 2:13 · 1 Peter 2:14 · Ecclesiastes 7:29 · Genesis 4:1-8 · 1 John 4:7 · Romans 5:5 · Romans 8:9 · Galatians 3:14 · Luke 11:9-13 · Galatians 5:6 · 1 John 5:3 · Romans 13:10 · Romans 1:16 · 1 John 3:9 · Genesis 39:7-9 · 1 John 4:16 · Revelation 21:1-4 · Revelation 21:27 · Revelation 22:14 · Ephesians 5:5 · Psalms 2:7-9 · Daniel 2:34 · Daniel 2:35 · Daniel 2:44 · Revelation 11:15 · 2 Peter 1:10 · 2 Peter 1:11 · Deuteronomy 6:25 · Isaiah 51:6 · Isaiah 51:7 · Psalms 119:172 · 1 Corinthians 13:13 · Genesis 39:9

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