Colin Parkinson
I know that the following may be difficult for many readers. I understand that there is much frustration and anger over what is happening in New Zealand, but I have noticed a lack of respect for our government and the opposition parties. (Perhaps that is the biggest understatement of the year.)
But I am going to say something that may outrage many:
We must show respect for those in authority.
I myself have battled with the current situation. How do we give honour and respect to those who oppress us?
I understand that while many readers may hold conservative views and be “right-leaning” politically, not all are Christians and may find the above statement difficult to swallow.
Perhaps a bit of perspective from history may help.
Jesus taught us to “Turn the other cheek” -a phrase that many would be familiar with from Matthew 5:39, but perhaps some are less familiar with the passage that Jesus was quoting from Lamentations chapter 3, which says much the same thing in verse 30, going on to remind us that God sees when people are denied their rights and justice in verses 34-36. We are encouraged that even though we turn the other cheek, God will bring justice. So we must do our part knowing that justice will be served in due time. This is confirmed with a strong warning in Isaiah 10:1 to those who would issue unjust laws.
I am sure that many would also be familiar with the account of “Daniel in the lion’s den.”
Daniel refused to obey a law to not pray to God (a law that the king had been tricked into making to trap Daniel), and although he refused to obey a law that went against his faith, Daniel showed great respect to the king and did not insult him, accepting the punishment given to him for breaking the law. He was thrown into a lion’s den and left there overnight, where he remained unharmed as God had protected him. Those who had tried to set Daniel up were then thrown into the den and torn apart by the lions before they even hit the ground.
Christians are taught to respect authority, not just when we are treated fairly. Early Christians were tortured to death for refusing to deny Jesus Christ, and there are many accounts recorded throughout history where people have faced much worse than what we see now in New Zealand.
In the end, when we look at history, good always triumphs over evil, and if we hold fast and do what is right, we will be rewarded for it.
Remember we get the government that we deserve, and I plan to write a bit more on this soon, but perhaps we should also consider that now is an opportunity for those in power to show their true colours, and I think those colours are starting to show clearly.
So I ask people to show respect to the position of the Prime Minister and to those in authority https://biblehub.com/1_peter/2-13.htm, not because it has been earned by an individual, but because this is the right thing to do.
Respect God also as the highest authority and trust that He has everything sorted (even if it doesn’t look like it) because if we ignore authority we only give way for anarchy to take hold. The consequences of such could be far worse than having a single dictator to face.