A United Message
- Strength For Life
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
As Pastor Johnson often says, the first rule of public speaking is that the speaker should consider his audience. Failure to observe this principle can distract from an otherwise true or compelling message to the point that not a single person remembers it afterwards. We can all recall times we sat under speakers who did not consider their audience; no doubt it makes for an entertaining story. At the same time, we can use the principle of considering the audience to answer another question. The question is this: why do people who are making the same point often use very different arguments to get there? Here’s an example. On October 9, more than 20 people spoke at the City Council in Pensacola, making public statements in the ongoing opposition to A Drag Queen Christmas. The speakers included NorthStone members, representatives of other local churches, business leaders, concerned parents, and people we didn’t know at all.
The arguments against the drag show were various. Some arguments reminded the City Council members they are accountable to God for their authority. Some arguments simply appealed to (once-upon-a-time) commonly held public morality. Some speakers argued against the show as blasphemy that violates Scripture; others made primarily legal arguments. Some speakers emphasized the sanctity of Christmas. Finally, some gave the simple gospel or reminded the City Council that God will judge us all after our earthly life is over. To put it simply, each speaker used an argument that he thought was the most persuasive.
Using so many different arguments raises another question: how do they all fit together? Is it contradictory to make both a legal argument and a blasphemy argument? The answer is no, the arguments all fit together. Not only can we draw a straight line through all the arguments against A Drag Queen Christmas, these arguments are also all related to each other. Let’s follow the thread of the argument and unite the Christian message against A Drag Queen Christmas.
God delegates power to earthly rulers
Romans 13:1 says that “there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.” This means that civil rulers, including city council officials, owe their authority to the decree of God. It is passages like Romans 13 that prohibit rebellions and revolutions for what our Declaration of Independence would call “light and transient causes.” We who worship the Creator God believe that rulers hold their positions of leadership according to God’s will.
God grants rulers power over more than just matters the Bible directly addresses. The Pensacola City Council can make laws about issues that are not inherently moral or immoral, such as garbage cans by the curb, or the convention for naming streets, or the size of the city police force. Obviously, drag shows are a more immediately moral matter than allocating money for a veteran’s memorial. However, either way, the decisions of earthly rulers are binding, because they have delegated authority from God.
Earthly rulers are obligated to rule righteously
If humans get their power to rule from God—and they do—then they must follow His law as they rule. According to Romans 13:3, it is proper use of authority for rulers to be a terror to evil works, and to reward those who do good. We can also say it this way:
God demands his creatures behave morally.
Rulers are his creatures.
Therefore, God demands rulers behave morally.
Behaving morally includes ruling morally.
Therefore, God demands rulers rule morally.
In Exodus 18:21, God gave a short list of specific characteristics that apply even to rulers in the 21st century: “Thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.” Because earthly rulers are under God’s authority, they should fear God enough to call righteous the things God calls righteous, and to condemn the things God condemns. We know that A Drag Queen Christmas is condemned by God for at least two reasons: it is a display of inordinate sexual behavior, and it blasphemes the name of Christ by using His birth to celebrate the depravity of the performers and the audience. By that standard, the righteous decision by the City Council is to cancel the drag show.
However, we should not forget another aspect of delegated authority. Rulers are both under God and over their fellow man. Remember that in Romans 13, rulers are to make decisions that help those who do good and stand in the way of those who do evil. This means that, as long as the citizens of Pensacola are doing good, the city is responsible to promote our best interests. It is important to remember that God’s righteousness results in laws that are practically good for those who are affected by them; similarly, wicked actions and laws are bad for the people who are affected by them. Inasmuch as local laws and city standards reflect God’s righteousness, or at least do not violate it, they should be upheld. In our case, this means two things: one, the City should diligently uphold the laws relevant to the drag show case. Two, the City should exercise its authority to cancel events like A Drag Queen Christmas within the boundaries of local law.
Earthly rulers are obligated to honor the Lord Jesus Christ
This statement is extremely controversial across the United States, but it is unavoidably true. There are two reasons rulers must acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ. The first reason is quite simple. It goes like this:
Earthly rulers are obligated to honor God.
Jesus is God.
Therefore, earthly rulers are obligated to honor Jesus.
Ruling in favor of the drag show does not honor Jesus.
Therefore, earthly rulers should not rule in favor of the drag show.
The second reason rulers must acknowledge the Lord Jesus is that a ruler who is serious about ruling righteously will always end up at Christ, who is the true and living standard of righteousness (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). Taking righteousness seriously will always bring a person to faith in Christ.
The truest example of living under God’s rule is to fear Him and believe His gospel
Picking up where the last point left off, demanding righteousness from leaders, and rulers pursuing righteousness, always leads to the Lord Jesus. A man who understands that God is the authority above him, and who understands that God will judge the actions he takes as a delegated authority, only has a few choices: ignore the truth, be overcome with guilt, or run to Christ. The gospel is the answer to the enormous problem of how a human can survive the scrutiny of the Divine Judge. God holds all men accountable for their actions, and an authority is additionally judged for how well he discharged his responsibility of delegated authority. Obviously, the choice to ally with and promote wickedness like A Drag Queen Christmas is a choice to turn from the Lord Jesus. Those who do not repent from that path will destroy their own souls. Romans 2:6-11 is a good way to end: “[God] will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good—to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile—for there is no respect of persons with God.”
The above article was written by Jonathan Kyser. He is a pastoral assistant at NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
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