WE ARE NOT APATHETIC
Posted at 05:30 PM
A Christian Response
by Joshua Jerome Q. Santiago
What is an appropriate Christian response?
First of all, I am operating under the premise that the intended audience of this talk would be Christians or those who would adhere to Christian principles or values. Specifically, those of the protestant/born-again/evangelical belief where the authority of Scripture is supreme (1 Tim 3:16); man is fallen and lives in a fallen world and cannot save himself (Romans 3:23, 6:23) and that salvation is by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8,9). Those who are curious also although not belonging to the same faith are also more than welcome to listen.
In essence, the Christian response should be guided by a correct understanding of Scripture. As my friend Atty. Michael Ong said, though the application isn’t always clear, there are clearly unchristian responses such as terrorism and apathy. However, not all Christian responses are equally faithful to the Bible. Thus, it is every believer’s duty to study and discern. We pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” We want righteousness not only in our own life but in society. If it is clear that God isn’t happy with what is happening, neither should we. At the very least we should pray.
Clearly the present political crisis is a spilling over of the long-standing spiritual decay of our country. As a friend said, the Hello Garci tapes and PGMA’s confession to them made it clear that the issue was as much moral as it was political.
This is “a” Christian response, not “the” Christian response, knowing that we could all have different ways of expressing our faith all of which may well be valid in the eyes of the law of the land and in the law of God. I would thus like to present options on what the Christian can do and consequently, those which he or she cannot or should not do.
1. Prayer
Prayer should be our first response, not our last recourse. The Christian is never to underestimate the power of prayer. We are to pray for the President whatever our political beliefs may stand.
Pray for those in authority
Ph. 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Ph. 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Tim 2:1-3
2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. NIV
Confess our sins before God
I read a chapter on the life of Daniel (of the Bible) through Brother Andrew’s book, “A Time for Heroes”. And what he wrote floored me. “Even in the darkest hour, God will not forget a people as long as there is even one person who qualifies in the sight of God to be a hero of the faith, who can claim his nation back for God.”
After reading the scroll of Jeremiah, Daniel said, “I prayed to the Lord and made confession.” (Daniel 9:4) Brother Andrew continues, “In this mighty prayer of confession, he worshipped God, the great and awesome God who keeps covenants and is steadfast in loving kindness for those who love him and keep his commands.”
“Then Daniel admitted the condition of his people, confessing their sin – not just a few little mistakes, but “…we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from thy commandments and ordinances; we have not listened to thy servants…” (Dn 9:5,6) In all this Daniel identified with the people, yet when we study the life of Daniel it appeared he is just about the only person (other than Jesus) of whom nothing negative is mentioned anywhere is Scripture. He was a mighty warrior for God, but he got on his knees in sackcloth and ashes, humbling himself to identify with his people.”
“After confessing the sin and praising the Lord, Daniel said, ‘O my God, incline thy ear and hear;… for we do not present our supplications before thee on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of thy great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, give heed and act; delay not, for thy own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name. (Dn. 9:18-19)”
I almost wept after reading Daniel 9:7 where it was written that the people were covered with shame because they were scattered in far away lands brought about by their unfaithfulness to God and His commands. I thought of my own grandparents and other relatives; I thought of fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who left for foreign lands – some to be abused, some even killed – because our own land could not adequately provide for their families.
I truly believe that the battle here can and will be won not in the streets but on our knees. But what do we pray for?
There are so many things to pray for. There is truth and justice. We can also pray for conviction of sin for our nation and especially our leaders. Pray that media will have integrity, that our people will be vigilant in holding our officials accountable, for protection of the "good ones" in government and in the private sector dealing with them. We can pray for wisdom so that the President will do what God leads her heart to do. And yes, we can pray imprecatory prayers for those who would seek to do evil – that God thwart them, that they get caught in their own traps, and that they eventually be outed and brought to justice. We can also pray, I might add for rain to fall on those who would troop to the streets not in protest but merely to sow chaos.
We can pray that men and women of God in government will be able to shine as light and preserve order like salt. And that they be sources of hope now that the desperation has escalated. Pray for those persecuted for righteousness that they would hold steady and God would give them strength.
Also, we can pray for the ordinary "tao" to see through those seeking to exploit them or take advantage of them. Pray for electoral reforms that there would be no more cheating or vote-buying/scaring next time. Pray for the military to be loyal to the Republic and the Constitution and not to private interests. Pray that money would hold no sway over judges and prosecutors.
Pray for courage for all Filipinos to stick together and stand against evil together. Pray for NGO's and private groups/orgs/churches who seek to hold officials to accountability. Perhaps the OFW's can also have a strong voice considering that they do have economic clout. That students wise up. That teachers inspire their students. That parents teach their kids to be good citizens and that they love their country. Dami pa. We just need to spend time with Him and as His Spirit leads, he will lead us into all truth…and into His heart.
2. Submit to Authorities
We are to respect the rule of law – in our case, the Constitution. And yes, we are to respect the Office of the President although we may not necessarily respect its occupant.
1 Peter 2:17
17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
1 Peter 2:13-17
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Jesus himself was put to death by the Jerusalem Death Squad with the Jewish religious leaders and those of the Roman empire put him to death. It is interesting that,
John 19:11
11 Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."
3. Be a Good Citizen first
Let us not be hypocrites by asking for good government when we ourselves are not contributing both in terms of actions and in money. Aside from praying maybe we can actually practice being good citizens. Simple things like obeying traffic rules, paying what is due to the government, reporting abuse and not being apathetic, helping the weak and not just the rich. Hirap eh para lang tayong hypocrites when we denounce corruption and inefficiency when we ourselves are participants.
Romans 13
Ro. 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities,
for there is no authority except that which God has
established. The authorities that exist have been established
by God.
Ro. 13:2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling
against what God has instituted, and those who do so will
bring judgment on themselves.
Ro. 13:3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those
who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one
in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
Ro. 13:4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do
wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing.
He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment
on the wrongdoer.
Ro. 13:5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not
only because of possible punishment but also because of
conscience.
Ro. 13:6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s
servants, who give their full time to governing.
Ro. 13:7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay
taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if
honour, then honour.
Ro. 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to
love one another, for he who loves his fellow-man has
fulfilled the law.
Ro. 13:10 Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the
fulfilment of the law.
Romans was written by Paul at the time Nero was emperor and was using the Christians as human torches and feeding them to the lions for sport. Food for thought. We only have one land of our birth. As a wise buddy of mine said, God placed us here by His sovereign will and infinite wisdom. And to not honor him by how we live as citizens of this land is to mock God.
4. Exercise of Guaranteed Freedoms but Exercise Discernment
The political opportunists are again loading up the streets with no real love of country at heart but merely their own private agendas. Mga nagmamalinis when we all know they are also guilty of cheating during elections (and stealing after) - hindi nga lang sila nahuhuli.
The question therefore is whether the Christian can express his indignation or even protest at the moral failures of the President. I say he can but should he given the present factual backdrop?
Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial (1 Cor 6:12). It is within our right to freely express ourselves, to peacefully assemble to petition the government for redress of grievances. However, should we? This is where discernment comes in. We are called to be pure as doves but wise as serpents by no less than the Lord Jesus himself. Let us therefore not be ignorant and be used as pawns by those who seek to exploit others for their own selfish ends.
Perhaps other things we can do is write our congressman and tell him you want him to push through with the impeachment of the President if that is your conviction. Or write the President herself and make your thoughts heard in private rather than humiliate her in public. Also, you can ask that the laws be changed to be more specific in covering specific offenses we have encountered from this experience.
5. Hope
This is not unexpected. As earlier stated, the Christian premise is that we live in a fallen world and things are going to go from bad to worse. However, we are to serve as salt and light. Preserving order and law and serving as a guide to those who are spiritually and morally lost.
Much as I love the Philippines, it will burn up as with everything else except people and the Word of God. We look forward to a heavenly kingdom. A permanent and everlasting one where justice prevails and there is peace. So do not fret, God has not forgotten the Philippines. He himself said not to be afraid or discouraged for he will be with us wherever we go. (Joshua 1:9)
2Th. 2:16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who
loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and
good hope,
2Th. 2:17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed
and word.
