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Matthew 4:8-11

What do these verses of scripture imply?

  • Satan ruled the world and offered it to Jesus.

    Votes: 3 100.0%

  • Satan didn't rule the world. He tricked Jesus into believing that he did.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Satan still rules the world since Jesus didn't take him up on the offer.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Beats me.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    3
  • Poll closed .
Goshin said:
I can't entirely agree with the bolded statement. For one thing, that is a very generalized interpretation of a very specific event.

I will grant that power is a perilous thing to possess, spiritually. It is a two-edged sword... on the one hand, with power one can right wrongs, protect the innocent, and administer wise justice. On the other hand, one is accountable to God for how one wields that power, and the wisdom of any person is a limited thing... and power brings many temptations.

Certainly, to caution believers about seeking or accepting power is wise... to advocate always refusing it is, however, in my carefully considered opinion, an excessive generalization and too much an absolute to be extrapolated from this passage.

Indeed, in his refusal Jesus says nothing about the perils of power, but simply that none should worship any but God.

Consider the position of Pastor.... is this not a position of power? Certainly it is... perhaps not "hard power", as in "obey or die", but certainly a position of leadership and "soft power" or strong influence over many. It should be undertaken only with the most serious mind and great care, but not refused if one is called.

Contrast the verses of Romans 13, speaking of the magistrate, "who does not bear the sword in vain", but is a revenger of evil... and is spoken of respectfully in that context, not as something to be avoided... but surely a position of power.

Like wine and wealth, power should be avoided if you can't handle it in a Godly manner....
Click to expand...

No it isn't, infact the scriptures are clear on that, it's a matter of ministry, i.e. service, a pastor isn't "power" influence maybe, but not power, a pastors role is to serve and to minister, Jesus was clear in this.

Romans 13 MUST be taken in context with the rest of Paul and the letter to whome it was sent to. The early Christian community was always straddling the line between "being no part of the world" and "12 For our[a] struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. " (ephesians 6:12), and so on, but falling short of being revolutionary. So they we're opposed in practice in culture and instittuionally to the Roman Empire, but they were not revolutionary, nor were they hermits. John 15: "18 “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world,[f] the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world—therefore the world hates you.", but still as Jesus says later in John 17: 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.[e] 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. So they are in the world without being part of it.

We can see in Church history how this was worked out, Christians refused to take part in Roman Imperial politicial office, they refused to join the legions, they set up parallel economic structures, they bought out slaves, they didn't take part in much of Roman Culture, poltical and economic life, but they wern't revolutionary.
 
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