RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IS OF GOD.
By G.
God obliged the king of Egypt to grant religious liberty to Israel; but He did not deny liberty to the Egyptians to worship what and how they pleased. Israel was sorely oppressed with labor, and the Lord noted it. But when He made demand upon Pharaoh, through Moses and Aaron, it was not for any merely civil rights or temporal privileges, but for religious liberty—freedom to worship God. God has a spiritual kingdom in this world (Luke 17:20, 21), and in the hearts of His people He is enthroned. They are not of the world, even as Christ was not of the world. John 17:16. They are subject to the governments of earth, as He was. Romans 13. He did not resist the judgment of the government against His personal rights as an individual, even to save His life; yet He reminded the governor that he could have no power at all were it not given him from heaven. John 19:10, 11. The very existence of the Roman Government was dependent upon the heavenly Father, whose power was all at Christ's command, yet He would not raise a finger against that government in His own behalf as a man temporarily subject to it. He declared to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world; if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from hence." John 18:36. If His kingdom had been of this world, He would have done just as the rulers of this world do—destroyed men's lives for His own personal protection. But He was here to save life, and not to destroy it. Luke 9:56. Christ made no attempt to reform the Roman Government, or to overrule its action by any political methods. He demonstrated the Spirit of the Gospel before Pilate in a way that caused the governor's wife to plead for Him, and even to convince the governor himself that his prisoner was innocent. But, tho Christ had an invincible army at His command (Matt. 26:51-53), He would use no force. Moreover, He sent His apostles to all parts of that corrupt Roman kingdom, yet none of them had any authority, or made any attempt, to reform the government or take any part in its affairs. They were simply to preach the Gospel and do what other good work they could to bring individuals to Christ. Paul, an accredited "ambassador" to this world, in coming to Athens, would not assault their institutions or any of their thousands of gods. He recognized one of their deities, one that they ignorantly worshiped in a negative manner, and took advantage of their own law to declare unto them the God of heaven and the Gospel of Christ, the God and His message which they knew not. Acts 17:22-31. In no way did he intimate that they had no right to worship as many gods as they chose; but he singled out their "Unknown God" and showed them that He was superior to all others. In this way he reasoned with them. Paul spent at least five years as a prisoner of the Roman Government, but in no case did he complain of the government; altho he did show that his accusers had no ground for their complaints. But he made the most of his opportunities as a prisoner to preach the Gospel. He was thus privileged to preach Christ before kings and governors and military commanders, and even made disciples "in Cæsar's household." Acts 13:6, 7; 24:24, 25; 26:19-29; 27:1-3; Phil. 4:22. All classes of people in this world are dependent upon the God of heaven for "life, and breath, and all things," yet the true subjects of His spiritual kingdom ask only the privilege of worshiping Him in His appointed way, and of proclaiming to all men the Gospel of peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Their motto, as given by the Master, is, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Therefore, as the Lord wants religious liberty for His people in the earth, He grants the same to their opponents. If they choose to worship false gods, when probation closes, they will have to take the result of their choice. In the judgment they will simply get the wages they have earned, and "the wages of sin is death." On the other hand, those who have chosen to obey the Gospel will receive the gift of God, which is eternal life. So far as God is concerned, He desires all to have perfect religious liberty, then there will be no ground of complaint against the justice of the final judgment.5 Religious liberty for all men is a heaven-born principle. Religious intolerance, by whomsoever exercised, is not of God, and is therefore unchristian.