Page 170 - Ephesians

I call attention to that, because many Christians don’t deal with
social injustices, the same way God did in the New Testament.
We’ve got to get all of our principles from the Bible. We need to
be men and women of the Book.

As I read the New Testament, I don’t see God encouraging any
kind of revolution. He didn’t march on imperial Rome saying,
“Down with slavery, carry signs, and have a sit in at the palace.”
They didn’t do that kind of thing. They didn’t sign petitions. There
were plenty of occasions in the New Testament that might call for
a march for social injustice. Yet Jesus and His disciples never did
it, and neither did Paul. They could have marched against
slavery, or the inhumanity happening in the arenas. You talk
about women being suppressed and oppressed! They certainly
were in New Testament times. But they didn’t march.

God didn’t like those conditions, but how did God change those
practices? One by one, He began to change human hearts. And
as He changed human hearts, those things fell away. Get people
right with the Lord. You can’t legislate love. You can’t draw up a
law, and say that from now on, we are going to love one other.
It’s the fruit of the Spirit.

I shudder every time a Christian asks me to sign another petition
to send to Washington, hoping to change some social injustice. I
can’t do that. I received a ballot this morning by some so-called
concerned Christian group, telling me I’m supposed to register my
vote to get prayers back in the school. I didn’t even read the
whole thing. I know this, that’s not how they did it in the New
Testament. God changed the heart. And as hearts were
changed, those social injustices were dealt with. His counsel to
slaves in Ephesians, is 180 degrees away from “Fight it tooth and
nail. Stand up for your rights”. He didn’t say that. The opposite is
true. He said to submit to your task masters. (“The truth will set
you free, but first, it will make you miserable")

Every time I see Christians marching against social injustices, my
blood runs cold. I just want to say, “Let’s get back to the Bible