Fighting Against God

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1-3)

Peter and John healed a lame man by God’s power. Peter then preached about Jesus. The religious leaders ordered them not to speak about Jesus. The two then prayed with other Christians, referencing our passage, saying, “For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,” (Acts 4:25-27)

Jesus said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) The government–”Caesar”–has authority, but the government should never try to usurp God’s authority. Jesus, God the Son, gave Christians this order: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) The religious leaders tried to override God’s authority when they told Peter and John not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.

The founding fathers obviously respected the idea of submission to God’s authority: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; [boldface added] or abridging the freedom of speech,…” Interestingly, freedom of religion is mentioned before freedom of speech.

Now the leaders in our opening passage, “the kings of the earth,” and “rulers”, go “…against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” They disregard God’s authority. A leader who uses his position to force those under him to violate God’s word is placing himself above God, whether he intends to do so or not. Our passage specifically warns people in power not to do that.

Say a male student named John wants to present himself as female. The school board does not want him to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome, so they institute a policy wherein teachers and other students must accommodate people such as John by referring to them according to their chosen “gender identity.” No doubt the school board means well.

Yet the Bible says in Genesis 1:27, “…male and female created he them.” Jesus also said God “…made them male and female,” (Matthew 19:4), so either God or John is wrong. They can’t both be right. John can call himself what he wants, but John is physically a “he.” God made John a “he.” If a Bible-believing teacher or student is ordered to call John “she,” they must either call God a liar or risk discipline. Thus the school board has placed its power above God.

Now what if John is gender-dysphoric? People can be confused about various things in life. Moreover, according to Transgender Trend, “…gender dysphoria does not persist in most children past puberty.” (“Do children grow out of gender dysphoria?” Transgender Trend) If those around John are ordered to lie because the school board places itself above God, they reinforce his confused behavior and encourage the same in others. Lying is not showing love.

The devil is “…a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44) Jesus gives truth. He is “…the way, the truth, and the life:” (John 14:6) No one loves people, including “trans” people, more than Jesus. He died to give people forgiveness of sins and eternal life. To learn more, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”

Brian Miller 6/16/2023

Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822