Honoring Barack Obama

The real test of faith in God in not when want to do what He tells us to do in scripture. The real test of faith is when He tells us to do something that we don't wish to. If we do it on account of His word, then we have faith. If we do not according to His word, then we don't have faith that He is right.

I did not vote for Barack Obama. I believe his politics are the politics of envy, built on a violation of the 10th Commandment against coveting. His abortion position is a violation of another commandment, "Thou shall not commit murder". He seems to me to be bad medicine wrapped in a pleasant package. Until he releases his vault birth certificate, I have real doubts that he is even Constitutionally eligible to enter the office.

Despite that, the scriptures tell us some things about the attitude we are to have toward those in authority over us in civil government. First Timothy Chapter 2 says that we are to pray for them in just about every way. Romans 13 says that we are to give them the honor that they are due, and that they are God's ministers to bring wrath on evil doers.

I understand that these passages are not calling us to blind obedience to the government, but the government in power at the time these passages were penned was a pagan dictatorship. If God expected those early believers to give due respect to the corrupt Roman Emperors, surely we in America today are obligated to do the same. If blame is due, it should fall to our fellow citizens who voted them in, not the man those voters chose. Pray for revival, and the politics will follow.

Again, none of this means we have to agree on policy. We should witness to God's truth in the realm of civil government and in all other realms. Still, our default position should be the one God instructs us to affect. We should honor and pray for our civil rulers, and coming soon that includes Barack Obama.