Transcripts: Enjoy Life Forever!

Transcript: True Christians are Neutral. Part 1
[Text: JW Broadcasting. David Schafer. Helper to the Teaching Committee]
David: Our theme this month is “Christian Neutrality, What It Means, What It Takes, and Why We Choose It.” What is your opinion? Where do you stand? Can one person make a difference in countering injustice? When we hear people discussing political topics, we might at first think their conversation is purely philosophical; but when injustice threatens our loved ones, it can seem personal. We expect that people will be divided over political ideology. Revelation chapters 8 through 13 foretold that in the last days, government would be the burning issue among mankind and that people would feel pressured to take sides. The question each of us needs to ask himself is, how do I respond when people debate solutions to serious injustices? As Christians, we’re most interested in the example of Christ. Satan was pleased to offer him “all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth” in an exchange for one act of worship. But Jesus wouldn’t accept it. Neither did he assert that Satan had no authority to make such an offer. Later, Jesus’ own countrymen tried to make him king, but he rejected that too. Later still, someone asked him whether it was lawful to pay taxes to the Roman government. Again, Jesus didn’t take sides. He refused to become a world ruler, a national leader, or a political activist. Did that mean that Jesus didn’t care? that he had no opinion? To the contrary! Jesus cared more deeply than we can fathom. And by treating people fairly, Jesus promoted justice at the most fundamental level. Still, his principal focus was on teaching people about the Kingdom of God, which would eliminate injustice for all time. So, what did Jesus indicate should be our position regarding human governments? We learn from Jesus’ response to the question about Roman taxation as recorded at Mark 12:15-17: “‘Bring me a denarius to look at.’ They brought one, and he said to them: ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They said to him: ‘Caesar’s.’ Jesus then said: ‘Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.’” What are Caesar’s things? At Romans 13:1-7, the apostle Paul lists tax, tribute, fear, and honor. Notice, too, that Jesus said to “pay back Caesar’s things.” What does that imply? That Caesar, the ruling authority of the day, had issued valuable things, coins, for example. Thus, Caesar had the right to ask for some of those coins back. This enabled the State to continue rendering necessary services. Jesus acknowledged that. On the other hand, our most valuable possessions are grants from God himself, such gifts as our heart, our life, our mind, and our strength. We can’t give those things back to Caesar because Caesar didn’t grant them to us in the first place. We rightly give those things back to God in the form of our dedication and our love. Regarding our love for God, Jesus said at Mark 12:30: “You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.” So, the love we give back to God is total, no bodily part, function, capacity, or desire being left out. Those who love God take the side of Jesus, whom Jehovah has appointed as King.
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