Serving Two Masters

[alex2165]

Serving Two Masters​

Not long ago my Baptist church conducted pledge of allegiance to a flag, and while I was standing suddenly the words of Christ came to my mind.

Matthew 6.24
24.”No one can serve two masters, a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve GOD and wealth.”

If we have Baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and accepted His death on the cross as the act of our salvation, and desire to be spiritually born again, and call ourselves as Christians, and praying to GOD for whatever needs we may have, would be all of it considered as our pledge of allegiance to GOD?

How then we give our pledge of the loyalty to our earthly temporary country when we already pledged to be loyal to the Heavenly and Everlasting Country of GOD, and to Him Personally?

Do we have in Heaven of GOD Anglo-Saxons, Latinos, Asians, African, and other nationalities?
Is the Heaven divided on Americans, Mexicans, Canadians, and others?

When we vote in any type of elections for a man or for a woman to be elected for a certain position in our local, state, or government office, and at the same time call our Lord as King of the Earth for Whom we wait to come, call Him our Master, and our Lord, and our Savior, why when we vote for a mortal human being?

I am not suggesting that we should be disloyal to our country in any way, but in this sense I would like ask a question, what comes first, our earthly temporary country, or everlasting Kingdom of GOD?
What comes first, the principals of GOD, or the principals of our society?

I believe that we shall be always supportive of our government when it comes to do something good, if it does not interfere with the Christian’s principals and ideals.

To Romans 13.1-7
Authorities on Earth are GOD’S servants, obey and respect them.
1.Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except GOD, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by GOD.
2.Therefore, whoever resist authority, resist what GOD has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
3.Rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval.
4.It is GOD’S servant for you good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of GOD to execute wrath on the wrongdoer.
5.Therefore, one must be subject not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience.
6.For the same reason you also pay taxes, the authorities are GOD’S servants, busy with this very thing.
7.Pay to all what is due them, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom is due.

First Timothy 2.1-2
1.First of all, then I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2.for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all goodness and dignity.

To Titus 3.1
1.Remiand them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,

1Peter 2.13-14.17-20
13.Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
14.or to governors, as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
17.Honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear GOD, honor the king.
18.Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.
19.For this finds favor if for the sake of conscience toward GOD a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
20.What credit is there if when you sin and are harshly treated, and you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it, this finds favor with GOD.


I found some other places of the Bible which relate to the issue of our true citizenship.


John 17.14-16
Jesus prayed to His Father concerning His followers.
14."I have given them Your world, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15.I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.
16.They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

John 18.36
36.Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting that I might not be delivered up to the Jews, but as it is, My Kingdom is not of this realm."

To Philippians 3.20
20."Our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,"

Hebrews 11.13-16
13.All these (Abel. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and all other patriarchs and holy men of GOD) died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the Earth.
14.Those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
15.And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16.But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a Heavenly one. Therefore, GOD is not ashamed to be called their GOD, He has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 13.14
14.Here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

1Peter 1.3-4
3.Blessed be the Lord and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a Living Hope (Jesus Christ), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4.to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in Heaven for you,

1John 4.4-6
4.You are from GOD little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He Who is in you, than he who is in the world.

5.They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.

6.We are from GOD, he who knows GOD listens to us, he who is not from GOD does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.

1John 5.4
4.Whoever is born of GOD overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.

 

[hedrick]

I agree. I am loyal to the USA. But Church has a different role, which sometimes may involve criticizing national policy. I think it's dangerous to do anything that might make it look like the Church is serving two masters.

 

[childofdust]

Amen, alex2165, there is no room in the kingdom of YHWH for nationalistic allegiance to a corrupt, secular, human government. What it really comes down to is two options: 1. the support of a theocracy or 2. the separation of church and state. Since we know, clearly, that Christ and his kingdom had nothing to do with the world's powers of government and authority, we can strike 1 off immediately. As for two, it should be obvious why that is so important: the church does not operate according to the powers and motives of the world, but the state does. Therefore, if the state and the church are intermixed, you will only have one result: corruption.

And that's also why the Reformation failed—because the Reformation tried to fix what was wrong with the faith without breaking away from the thing that was most responsible for its corruption (the state!). That's why the Reformation Churches became little more than mirrors of Catholicism and why my people (the Anabaptists) suffered the same fate at their hands as they did at the hands of the Catholics. Because for all their differences, the Reformation Church and the Catholic Church were doing exactly the same thing--serving two masters.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

So it seems we should cross out the following verses and pretend they don't exist?

Luke 20:25 So he (Jesus) said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Rom 13:1 - 7 [1]Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. [2] So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment [3] (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation, [4] for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God’s servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer. [5] Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities but also because of your conscience. [6] For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants devoted to governing. [7] Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

Or, possibly on the other hand, I can honor and serve my country unless such duty requires me to deny my allegiance to God and my service to Jesus Christ?

It sounds to me like an undertone of total withdrawal and pacifism which is not Biblical, does not honor God and flees in the face of evil.

 

[childofdust]

So it seems we should cross out the following verses and pretend they don't exist?

As soon as you quote anyone in this forum who made any such statement, I'm sure everyone will be happy to think you are more than merely a trolling straw man (which is not becoming of a Christian).

 

[alex2165]

I think that Archie mixing apples and oranges together.

The verses that he presented in Luke 20.25 and in Romans 13.1-7, are all relating to the same issue of obedience and to submission to earthly authorities, including paying the taxes.

But none of it relates to loyalty and to allegiance, which is completely different issue here.

To submit yourself and to obey the laws and rules of the earthly authorities, it does not mean to be loyal to them at all.

In order to show your loyalty to your authorities whatever they may be, you have to give them the pledge of allegiance, and when you literally sealed in, and you cannot disobey your authorities no matter what they order you to do.

Same thing the Lord our GOD asked and from us.

In the days of Abraham GOD required from us Faith as the pledge of allegiance to Him. Such men of course was Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and some other men faithful to the Lord their GOD to the point of death.

In the days of the Law of Moses GOD revealed Himself on the Mountain, and whole Israel took oath before Him to obey Him and to follow only Him, and never to have other gods.
This is also considered as a pledge of allegiance, and the circumcision as a seal of such pledge sealed the relation and belonging only to GOD and to GOD only.

In the days of Jesus Christ, Baptism by water and by Holy Spirit also represents a type of special pledge of allegiance to GOD, by which we promising to GOD to have clean conscience, confessing our sins, repenting for forgiveness of sins, and faithfully believing that the Blood of Jesus Christ able to cleanse us from our transgressions and iniquities before our Lord.

Such pledge of allegiance also sealed with a ritual of Christ’s Passover, in which we symbolically unite with Him in our body, in our soul, and in our life, to be just like Him in everything, nailing our sins with Him on the cross and ascending with Him to GOD in our goodness.

If you born again spiritually, and become true, faithful, and dedicated to GOD Christian, but before this you pledged your allegiance to someone else, then your allegiance to someone else is revoked and become void.

But if after the pledge of allegiance to GOD you made another pledge to someone else, by this you also violated your pledge to GOD, and consequences of it very much similar in both cases, but the violation of the pledge to GOD will produce much more serious consequences, as well you cannot be trusted by both sides.

And this is why you cannot serve two masters.

Do not judge me harshly, this is only my opinion.

Concerning you, you can do whatever you want.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

I think the arguments presented offer a self-righteous excuse to avoid service. I further submit they ignore the spirit and essence of the passages quoted.

But do not judge me harshly, this is my understanding. People can follow their own understanding.

 

[alex2165]

Hi Archie

Yes, you right, it can be used as pretext to avoid service whatever it may be, and of course as you mentioned, the essence and the spirit of the passages can be twisted, bend, and misinterpreted.

But the core of the issue remains the same, to whom you pledge, then him you will and serve like it or not, and such a pledge as a pledge of allegiance can be given only to one party and only ones, other wise it would be completely meaningless and will serve no purpose.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

Alex, thank you for identifying yourself.

 

[alex2165]

I do not inderstand what you mean by that?

 

[God Is Immortal]

One cannot be a slave to sin and be considered the servant of God. How can one serve both sin and righteousness?

 

[SG9]

I agree. I am loyal to the USA. But Church has a different role, which sometimes may involve criticizing national policy. I think it's dangerous to do anything that might make it look like the Church is serving two masters.

Hi hedrick, I myself see many flaws in the OP as it appears that Church and State are being inter-mixed in a relationship of the Church with the State as the Church pledges allegiance to the Statehood.

I used your post as the example for it's simplicity and fewer words. I myself see a problem with any Church pledging allegiance to any Statehood, IMO.

The prophecy is an absolute statement, as a man cannot serve both at one time, it's lawfully, and spiritually impossible. Many of prophecy paints an image of the Cross of Christ in human form as the Law is written IN man. To be UNDER the Law is to have a law written inverted, while the one's who have the Law written in them from the Book of Life in which they are written are above the Law, which is upright. The same principal applies as Christ be in us, and we in Christ as He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him. Christ is man's head covering, while man be woman's head covering; there's a ranking system in this prophecy.

Mixing Church with State writes another law in the man who believes in what he is doing within his heart. That law is inverted in the soul and the heart/mind of man obeys it [Romans 2:14].

Romans 2:14
King James Version (KJV)
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the (inverted Cross) law, these, having not the (Upright Cross) law, are a law unto themselves:

The Gentile mindset is an image of the upright law written inverted, and the head that was once at the top then becomes the ten toes or horns on the head. In parallel, and side by side they oppose one another as the head opposes the ten toes, and visa verse.

The inverted law is the law of the beast, and the Gentile is a beast that worships the image of the Upright Cross/Law that is inverted within his heart/mind/spirit. The Gentile mindset is the mark of the beast, and their works are manifested in his church traditions, etc. The Gentile world then, worships the Image of the Beast.

There are much more details to this but the gist of it is what I have detailed in the Cross/Law. Thanks

BTW, the truth is not dangerous to the true believer of the Upright Cross/Law, and it is spiritually fatal to them who have the inverted Cross/Law written in them.