The Patriot’s Authority (part 2)
The verses in Romans 13 assume the government will obey God. But what happens when it doesn’t? What is the consequence when the government causes terror on the good and rewards evil? We call this tyranny. The American founding fathers struggled with this verse for years before and during our revolution. After doing everything possible to rectify the aggression of England, they saw the revolution as self-defense, led by the American government. Understanding the dangers of tyranny, the founders wanted to prevent tyranny forming here. So, the founders structured our constitution in a way that Christian citizens could unquestionably stand up to tyranny without violating God’s command.
Before we go to the constitution, let’s hear advice from Thomas Jefferson.
“On every occasion [of Constitutional interpretation] let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying [to force] what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, [instead let us] conform to the probable one in which it was passed.”
Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson, 12 June 1823
In other words, there will be a lot of people wanting to alter or convolute the constitution. Do not listen to them but go back to the original words of the Constitution and keep it in context of the day it was written. He was prophetic. The debates over the second amendment have gone back and forth. The debates cannot rectify how government militia and individual gun rights are being interconnected. They tend to go towards only government military having guns or ignore the militia and focus on the individual rights. But it is neither extreme.
We must remember that the state and federal government do not want a strong civilian force. The state government is more likely to support individual gun rights to help protect the state from federal encroachment. However, they still don’t want the civilians to be strong enough to resist them. Therefore, the debates become a balance between gun rights and restrictions.
We must remember that the citizens are the ultimate human authority in America as James Madison writes:
James Madison, Federalist No. 46, January 29, 1788
“The federal and state governments are in fact but different agents and trustees of the people, instituted with different powers, and designated for different purposes. The adversaries of the constitution seem to have lost sight of the people altogether in their reasonings on this subject; and to have viewed these different establishments, not only as mutual rivals and enemies, but as uncontrouled by any common superior in their efforts to usurp the authorities of each other. These gentlemen must here be reminded of their error. They must be told that the ultimate authority, wherever the derivative may be found, resides in the people alone; and that it will not depend merely on the comparative ambition or address of the different governments, whether either, or which of them, will be able to enlarge its sphere of jurisdiction at the expence of the other.”
With this in mind, let us look at the second amendment.
“A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. “
The question then is in defining “militia.” How did the founders define militia?
“Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.”
James Madison, Federalist No. 46, January 29, 1788
Break out and discuss Madison’s statement. Below are main points and questions to help discussion.
According to Madison,
• The government is subordinate to the armed people. What does that look like today?
• These armed people are attached to the government as a militia.
• Militia officers are appointed to these armed people.
• Why: to protect against ambitious government.
By Duane Shoebridge
Romans 13 was exactly the Scripture used by two-thirds of the clergy in Germany in the 30’s to justify their decision not to oppose anything that the Hitler or the Nazi Party was advocating, and look what happened! Read Eric Metaxis’ new book entitled Letter to the American Church. Metaxis makes it clear that the American clergy is making the same mistake the German clergy did in the 30’s by not taking a stand against the evils of our time. It is a quick read. Only 139 pages. Buy a copy for your pastor.
My sister-in-law sent this to me. https://www.hausvater.org/ The one I listened to was “Called to Defend” from 2021.
I found it to be quite appropriate for this conversation. It’s the best explanation I’ve heard regarding how to respond to our government when it gets out of line, as a Christian living in America.
This is from a Lutheran perspective.