Our Relations to Civil Rulers and Laws
407
grinding cruelty. Yet the Saviour attempted no civil reforms. He at-
tacked no national abuses, nor condemned the national enemies. He
did not interfere with the authority or administration of those in power.
He who was our example kept aloof from earthly governments. Not
because He was indifferent to the woes of men, but because the remedy
did not lie in merely human and external measures. To be efficient, the
cure must reach men individually, and must regenerate the heart
Again and again Christ had been asked to decide legal and political
[315]
questions. But He refused to interfere in temporal matters. Christ
stood in our world as the Head of the great spiritual kingdom that He
came to our world to establish—the kingdom of righteousness. His
teaching made plain the ennobling, sanctifying principles that govern
this kingdom. He showed that justice and mercy and love are the
controlling powers in Jehovah’s kingdom
The spies came to Him, and with apparent sincerity, as though
desiring to know their duty, said, “Master, we know that Thou sayest
and teachest rightly, neither acceptest Thou the person of any, but
teachest the way of God truly: is it lawful for us to give tribute unto
Caesar, or no?”
Christ’s reply was no evasion, but a candid answer to the question.
Holding in His hand the Roman coin, upon which were stamped the
name and image of Caesar, He declared that since they were living
under the protection of the Roman power, they should render to that
power the support it claimed, so long as this did not conflict with a
higher duty.
When the Pharisees heard Christ’s answer, “they marveled, and
left Him, and went their way.” He had rebuked their hypocrisy and
presumption, and in doing this He had stated a great principle, a
principle that clearly defines the limits of man’s duty to the civil
government and his duty to God
Oath Taking
I saw that some of God’s children have made a mistake in regard
to oath taking, and Satan has taken advantage of this to oppress them,
566
The Desire of Ages, 509
567
Testimonies for the Church 9:218
568
The Desire of Ages, 601-603