RE: Theology of Steemit Series: Article 1 - Introducing the Series
Do you believe in the authority of scripture?
I'll go first and try to express where I'm coming from...
I believe that all scripture (i.e. the most widely accepted canon of Christianity at large) has come to us by inspiration from Jesus/God himself. Further, I believe that we do need to be discerning, but that the true context for understanding any isolated scripture is in fact the entirety of the complete canon scripture.
And so, I could list a dozen or more scriptures that support my understanding of "all authority" being an absolute. Rather than look them all up right now, I'll allude to them in a paraphrastic free-form.
Jesus Christ is the only begotten God, full of grace and truth. He is King of kings and LORD of lords. At his name every knee shall bow throughout this universe and the highest of heavens. God laughs at the totality of all human governments that pretend to his throne. The very beginning of sin itself was Lucifer's incipient desire to usurp God's authority. Jesus/God will shatter all his enemies even as the pagan statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream was shattered. He is presently seated at the right hand of the throne of God, i.e. the seat of universal authority. He is presently exercising his rule, and will continue to do so until all his enemies are brought to heel or destroyed. He is the King, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the Only Wise God, to whom belong honor and glory forever. No man can on his own stand in Jesus' presence, and all who attempt to do so will be consumed by that very fiery presence on the day spoken of by the prophets when Jesus appears in flaming fire to take vengeance on those who do not know him.
I hope you're familiar with the many scriptures I've alluded to in support of my thesis that Jesus presently holds and wields all authority everywhere?
If you were to read my articles on the corruption of Romans 13, you would find that I believe it and many other scriptures have been grossly misapplied and in many cases intentionally mistranslated in order to support a false understanding of authority. The corrupt church browbeats parishioners into an utterly unwarranted subservience to human government, and I object to that in the strongest terms.
As creatures whose initial and ongoing existence are entirely the result of God's creative acts, we are his possessions, and we owe no debt to Caesar whatsoever. We are not subjects of civil government. If we are God's we are simply sojourners here, and citizens of another realm.
And yet Jesus said to pay to Caesar what is due to Caesar.
And Paul used his status as a Roman citizen to demand the rights granted to him by that human authority.
And nobody in the New Testament encouraged setting up a rogue society within the civil society. The Kingdom of God was spiritual, operating in tandem with civil government. It was never thought of to replace civil government, but rather they were asked to pray for their leaders that they would lead with justice.