concerns that we can’t escape especially in terms of most Christians particular vocations are going to be in this line. So we must be able to feel comfortable, if you will, with the state and understand that it is a legitimate thing in itself with which we can conscientiously cooperate. That, of course, is the whole emphasis in the Bible, wherever Christians are addressed in terms of this responsibility. State in elsewhere in the Bible So if you look at 1 Timothy 2:2 or if you look at, what is it, 2 Peter, wherever the verse is in there, wherever. Then the people of God are being exhorted to respect to the state. It’s that we should have a respectful attitude toward the state, in Romans 13, as the minister of God. These are wonderful passages. Jeremiah 29 and the state The one in Jeremiah 29, you remember that? Here are the Israelites and they’ve been living in this theocracy thing, but because it was a covenant of works and they broke the covenant. Here comes the point of exile, days of Jeremiah, when God says to them “no longer my people.” The whole corporate nation is driven out, the covenant is done with for the moment, He will renew it for a while afterwards but meanwhile exile and off you go to the common. So here are God’s people no longer in this theocratic holy kingdom situation. Now they find themselves in Babylon in this common grace context and how are they supposed to behave? What should be their relationship towards Babylon? Babylon, God’s instrument to exile them. What should their
concerns that we can’t escape especially in terms of most Christians particular vocations are going to be in this line. So we must be able to feel comfortable, if you will, with the state and understand that it is a legitimate thing in itself with which we can conscientiously cooperate. That, of course, is the whole emphasis in the Bible, wherever Christians are addressed in terms of this responsibility. State in elsewhere in the Bible So if you look at 1 Timothy 2:2 or if you look at, what is it, 2 Peter, wherever the verse is in there, wherever. Then the people of God are being exhorted to respect to the state. It’s that we should have a respectful attitude toward the state, in Romans 13, as the minister of God. These are wonderful passages. Jeremiah 29 and the state The one in Jeremiah 29, you remember that? Here are the Israelites and they’ve been living in this theocracy thing, but because it was a covenant of works and they broke the covenant. Here comes the point of exile, days of Jeremiah, when God says to them “no longer my people.” The whole corporate nation is driven out, the covenant is done with for the moment, He will renew it for a while afterwards but meanwhile exile and off you go to the common. So here are God’s people no longer in this theocratic holy kingdom situation. Now they find themselves in Babylon in this common grace context and how are they supposed to behave? What should be their relationship towards Babylon? Babylon, God’s instrument to exile them. What should their