1286. Christians And Government (ROTC Commissioning)

Welcome to The Daily Platform. Our program features sermons from chapel services at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Whether it's the general chapel service for the whole student body or services for those in the ministerial class or seminary, everyone at the school is blessed by the preaching of the word each day from the chapel platform. Since today is the U.S. holiday, July 4th, our program will focus on our country and the military. Bob Jones University has an ROTC program which stands for Reserve Officer Training Corps. This program prepares students to become officers in the U.S. military. And on today's Daily Platform, we'll hear a chapel service where students were being commissioned into the ROTC program.

And after that, BGU President Steve Pettit will give a short challenge about a Christian's responsibility toward government. Today we are privileged to host the annual contracting ceremony for the Army ROTC cadets here from Bob Jones University. So please join me this morning in standing for the presentation of the colors by the Bob Jones University Army ROTC cadets of the Paladin Battalion, and please remain standing through prayer. O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? One of my first desires when I became the president at Bob Jones University was to pursue the idea of offering an ROTC program here.

In fact, it was one of the first things that I mentioned to our congressional delegation when we met in their offices in Washington D.C. in my first year here. So I want to first of all say how thankful that we are as a university for the leadership of our Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, as well as Congressman Jeff Duncan and former Congressman Trey Gowdy in encouraging and assisting Bob Jones University in its pursuit of Army and Air Force ROTC. We are very fortunate in that our second year here at the university and working with the ROTC program that we now have 26 Army ROTC cadets and seven Air Force ROTC cadets, and I look forward to seeing that number grow within our student body. To our cadets, let me thank you for your commitment to your service branch and to your country. You have been given an incredible opportunity and I deeply appreciate the path that each one of you have blazed for those who follow in your footsteps. Not only are you representing your country and Bob Jones University well, but most importantly you are representing the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful for Commander Carper and for his leadership with our ROTC program. He will now come and introduce the guests that are joining us here today.

Thank you President Pettit. It has been my privilege to serve as the ROTC coordinator for Bob Jones University and it has been a pleasure serving these young men and women. It's now my distinct privilege to introduce Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Manganaro. Colonel Manganaro is the director of the ROTC program at Furman University for the U.S. Army. He serves as a professor of military science. He has over 15 years experience serving in all levels of the military from tactical to strategic. Immediately prior to his service within ROTC at Furman University, Colonel Manganaro served as chief operations for surface deployment and distribution command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He received his bachelor of business administration and management degree from Hofstra University and a master of policy management in homeland security policy from Georgetown University. Please give a warm welcome to Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Manganaro who will now come to the platform.

Good morning on a nice cloudy day here in Greenville. Again my name is Chris Manganaro. I'm the professor of military science and the commander of the paladin battalion. We're extremely excited, Dr. Pettit, for the growing program we have here because the unique thing here about the military is we don't serve a single person. We don't even serve our alma mater. We serve a piece of paper known as the Constitution of the United States. I did that more than 15 years ago and I'm willing to die for that as well as these new cadets are going to do that today.

It's a piece of paper that our founding fathers wrote down and said where enough is enough and we need to stand up and defend our country and the young men and women that step forward and do that is why we have a country that we have today. So without further ado I'd like to take that next step for these three cadets and bring them into our fold. At this point in the service Colonel Manganaro brought three Bob Jones University students to the platform and swore them into the ROTC program. We'll now continue with President Pettit. Thank you so much. I think we should give Lieutenant Colonel here a wonderful hand. Thank you. We're so proud of these young men and women who are are up three days a week and over at Furman University between 5 30 and 5 45 doing physical training back here at 7 15 and so it's a sacrifice but it's a sacrifice well worth it. Well in light of today's chapel I thought it was a little awkward to go from such an important event and then suddenly switch gears to something completely different. So I think in light of our our mindset this morning so what I'd like to do is take just a couple of moments if I may and I want to say from a biblical perspective why it is that we support the government and our military and it's not just because you know we're conservative or this or that but actually it's because we're Christians and I'd like to read to you Romans chapter 13 verses 1 through 7 as the apostle Paul is actually writing Christians on how you're supposed to live in the world in relationship to the government and the Bible says in verse 1 it says let every soul be subject unto the higher powers that's the government for there is no power but of God the powers that be are ordained of God whoever therefore resists the power resists the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation or judgment for rulers are not a terror to good works but to evil will thou then not be afraid of the power do that which is good and thou shall have praise of the same for he that is the those that are in authority for he is the minister of God to thee for good but if thou do that which is evil be afraid for he bears not the sword in vain for he's the minister of God a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil wherefore you must must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for conscience sake for for this calls pay you tribute also for they are God's ministers attending continually upon this very thing render therefore to all their dues tribute that means taxes to whom taxes is due custom to whom custom fear to whom fear and honor to whom honor why should we be both good citizens and why should we be good soldiers we should support the government and that includes the military for three reasons given here in the scripture the first reason is that actually government authority is actually ordained by God that's what the bible says he affirms it three times he says there's no authority except from God and the authorities that exist are appointed by God therefore whoever resists the authority that's government authority really are resisting the ordinance of God God is delegated his own authority to government that's what it means God is given his own authority to government all government is delegated power regardless of the kind of government that it is it could be a monarchy a king a democracy like we have in the United States of America or even a tribal chief the power given to government is established and it is instituted by God it's the way God created the world it's a biblical world view as we see the world today we see the world not as as coming into existence by chance but coming into existence by God's purposes and plans and so God has ordained this this is his purpose and we can say to all rulers exactly what Jesus said to Pontius Pilate the Roman governor of his day when he said you can have no power at all against me unless it had been given you from above so government power is divinely ordained now this passage of scripture doesn't answer all the potential questions and the problems that come in in the way that government may handle or may mishandle that authority for example we know Pilate actually misused his God-given authority by abusing God's own son we know that so wicked rulers often abuse their authority however Paul's primary concern is not the abuse of power but rather it is to show in a general way how God maintains order in our society we live in a we live in a country and we have a government that has order and authority and that is why we experience blessings and peace and that comes through the authority of the government so first of all we support the government because the authority is ordained by God number two because government government officials are actually called ministers of God God affirms the ministry three times he says in verses four and six for he is God's minister to you for good actually the word minister there means a deacon so every police officer you can call him deacon I recommend sir but you can do either one for he is God's minister an avenger to execute wrath on him that practices evil for they are God's ministers that word minister actually means a priest attending continually to this very thing so as we look at the bible we actually look at government officials as God's servants isn't it interesting that the king of Persia Cyrus who was a pagan king was called a servant of God we read in Isaiah 44 28 where it writes of Cyrus he is my shepherd and he shall perform perform all my pleasure saying to Jerusalem you shall be built into the temple your foundation shall be laid God's God's blessing is is run through these government officials they are called ministers of God now if they're ministers what is their ministry what is their function and first of all they function for the benefit and the blessing of society he is God's minister to you for good what would it be like if we didn't have police officers what would it be like if we did not have a military protecting our country they are a blessing to us secondly they maintain order and protection through authority rulers are not a terror to good works but to evil that is they that is they protect us from the evil that is in society this includes training these protectors and the defenders of this order this includes military military protects us from evildoers outside the country so these three gentlemen who made this pledge today they are pledging to protect the country the police force protects us from evildoers within the country and so government is established as a system that protects its people and so therefore the government is to make laws to protect its citizens from the evils of human nature and to promote peace and security for all this also includes the execution of judgment on those who violate the law the bible says if you do evil be afraid for he does not bear the sword in vain he is God's minister an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil the sword here is a symbol of power to enforce acceptable social behavior you just can't go out and kill people you can't go out and rob banks you can't go out and kidnap people you can't go out and rape people so we have given it the responsibility of whether it's a police force or it's a standing army it is to protect us so God has given to these men and women serving in these capacities the power of life and death it is in their hands both the military and the police are issued weapons to protect society and to defend life even if it means taking life so that is why there is a just cause for war and there is a just cause for capital punishment upon those that are evildoers you cannot go out and kill people and then get away with it so this is why God has ordained government and this is why we need government is it a necessary evil or is it necessary because of evil we need government because of the sinfulness of human behavior and actually what does this teach us at the bottom line at the bottom line the need of government reveals the need of salvation every court of law that executes justice reveals that one day there will be an ultimate judge nobody gets away with sin this is the whole point of the book of Romans Paul is teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ as the only provision of salvation from the wrath of God if governments execute wrath on evildoers what about God who establishes government this is why we need the cross Jesus suffered God's wrath when he died on the cross our only hope of eternal salvation and peace is through Jesus Christ our savior who who satisfied God's justice so that now he can show us his grace so government officials are ministers of God and then finally number three Christians therefore are commanded to obey and support their government and how do we do this first of all we are to be in subjection to the government we read let every soul be subject to the governing authorities therefore we must be in subjection and the word subjection here is a military term it's a position of subordination when you go into the military the first thing you discover is who you are you are given a rank structure whether a non-commissioned or commissioned officer you start out as a private or you start out as a second lieutenant you understand there is structure there is authority there are laws and respect has to be shown that is exactly what we are to do as believers we are to respect the authority that is over us the apostle Paul says that when we are submissive we have nothing to fear how many of you have ever been stopped by a police officer when you are driving an automobile would you raise your hand and hold it up sure a good portion of you not everybody was caught how many of you when you were saw the blue light flashing there was a streak of fear running through your heart raise your hand yes that's the way it should be why because God has created us that way and do you know what it is important that people be afraid of the police in the military why because we want bad guys to be afraid fear is a deterrent to crime for rulers are not a terror to people who do good but people who do evil do you want to be unafraid of authority no do what is good and you will have praise for the same so we are we have nothing to fear when we are submissive and not only that but the Bible says we have a good conscience we live with a peace of mind if you want to have peace in society you have to start with peace in the soul you you you cannot have a democracy if people do not have the propensity to obey the law and this is so important that we are submissive so we are to be submissive to the government and secondly I know you love to hear this Christians are to pay taxes the second command is perhaps the most unpopular when it says in verse 6 for because of this you pay taxes taxes are necessary to carry on responsible government the military the police the government officials Paul said it this way no man goes to war at his own expense do you expect our soldiers who went to Afghanistan to pay their plane ticket and to buy their uniforms in all of their weapons do you expect them to pay for all the food that they know we are to support them and how do we do that we pay taxes the state cannot exist without taxing its people to pay for these services now political parties may differ on the desirable size of the government's role in nation's life and whether it should increase or decrease taxation we get that however we all agree that we should pay services that the government will provide and the only way it can be done is through the paying of taxes so Christians should accept this responsibility this is a good thing that we support our government and let me say this in conclusion because of that because of that and I thought of this I thought of our young men and women who will be graduating as the as the years marched by and they will be commissioned to go out and they will go out not only to serve their country but they will go out to be salt and light because one of the greatest mission fields and one of the greatest fertile evangelistic fields in the world is in the United States military I hope many of you will go out into the military especially in that chaplaincy and the opportunity to serve there but the Apostle Paul gives us a very specific and clear command and that is that we are to pray for our government Paul says I exhort therefore first of all supplications prayers intercessions in giving a thanks be made for all men for Kings and for all that are in authority why that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life and all godliness and honesty if we experience peace in the United States of America it is because the Lord has blessed America and that little phrase God bless America is not jargon it is something that we really should pray so as we can finish this morning let's all stand together for a word of prayer and ask God to bless those who are serving our country whether it's in the military or the police force we have our criminal justice majors that are here and many of them going to serve our country in so many various ways and let's pray for our country that God will bless America father we thank you for this day that we can take this time to respect these who are giving their lives to serve and Lord I pray that you would bless them bless our country bless our president bless our elected officials we pray for freedom to reign we pray for righteousness to rule we pray that you will protect us from evildoers and give our leadership wisdom in making good decisions that are best for your people thank you for our country and thank you Lord at Bob Jones University we have not one country but we have 46 countries represented in our student body and we would pray that you would bless those countries especially the Christians that they would be influenced and be salt and light as they go back to influence their countries based on what they've learned here at Bob Jones University thank you for this day in Jesus name amen you've been listening to a special commissioning service of Bob Jones University students into the reserve officer training corps of the United States Army and Air Force let's continue our 4th of July holiday celebration and consider the patriotic song America otherwise known as my country tis of thee the words were written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831 while a student at the Andover Theological Seminary in Massachusetts the church music composer Lowell Mason who was a friend of Samuel's had asked him to translate the lyrics in some German school songbooks into English or to write new lyrics for the same tunes the tune God Save the Queen caught Smith's attention at the time but rather than translating lyrics from the German he wrote new words to the melody completing the lyrics in 30 minutes the song was first performed in public on July 4th 1831 at a children's Independence Day celebration at Park Street Church in Boston let's now listen to the Bob Jones University concert band perform this patriotic song you you you you you you you I'm Steve Pettit president of Bob Jones University in Greenville South Carolina I'd like to invite you to attend one of our summer camps for both middle and high schoolers BJU has over 50 camps to choose from so there is one for you here's just a few aviation astronomy cinema computers culinary criminal justice media music nursing theater robotics soccer basketball volleyball golf and there's many more come explore your future during a week of what we call EduCamp for more information about our camps visit our website go to EduCamp that's educamp.bju.edu have a wonderful 4th of July holiday with friends and family and join us again tomorrow as we'll continue the study in Philippians called Live Worthy of the Gospel from Bob Jones University this is The Daily Platform