I wrote the entry below in November of 2012. It comes from my personal blog which can be found here.
I post it now because it is more apropos than ever. This will be the first of a weekly blog I hope to write.
Freedom comes from God. God designed men to be free. Adam and Even before the fall were free to roam, love, and live in the Garden of God. Fellowship with the Creator was the normal condition. God made only one rule; to not eat from the tree in the center. But He gave them the choice to obey or not to obey. He never bothered with their freedom. God never pushed Himself on either one of them. He never invaded their space uninvited.
Freedom has to do with space as in the air around you. You are free to occupy your space and anyone who enters your space without your permission has violated your freedom. As God never invaded the space of Adam and Eve, so we are not to invade the space of one another uninvited.
Men and women who understand this principle over time formed communities which became towns and villages. Violators of freedom or what we can call “space invaders” were punished. Laws were established and people were appointed to enforce these laws; today we call this profession “law enforcement”.
As the centuries progressed, towns and villages became cities and provinces and then became nations. But then some nations did not regard the law of freedom as ordained by God and so nations had to form groups of people to maintain national freedom. In this country, this profession is called the U.S. Armed Forces or the Military.
Today, “space invaders”, both individuals and nations are dealt with by that means necessary to effect voluntary compliance. From simple words of warning up to physical death, freedom is ensured.
In a fallen world, this form of governing works. Those men who founded this nation understood these principles and wrote them into the constitution. When the constitution is followed freedom is maintained and the “space invaders” are kept at bay.
I spent 18 years in the profession of law enforcement therefore it was my job to keep the “space invaders” in my periphery at bay. Consider that when the “space invader” invades the space of someone else he or she loses his or her space privileges and they are incarcerated or worse. The same principle applies on a national scale as well.
Guess what? sometimes I had to get “violent” with people to effect voluntary compliance.
I am also a Christian. I have been one since the age of 12. Therefore, the entire time I was in law enforcement I also was a believer in Jesus Christ.
Due to the fact that I believe in a Constitutional Representative Republic, law enforcement, and a strong military and that I am a Christian; myself and those like me are labeled war mongering, violence loving, American Imperialists. At least this is the case sometimes. But honestly, all any of us are trying to do is keep the space invaders at bay.
Some Christians believe that we are to live a life of peace at any cost. To allow the space invaders to have their way and let God deal with them. After all, Jesus Himself allowed the space invaders to nail Him to a cross.
In the Old Testament, one of the names of Jesus is “The Lord of Heaven’s Army’s” or “The Captain of the host of the Lord” which are military titles. Long before Jesus was the suffering Servant, the humble God-man who hung on the cross, He is first of all the Captain of the Angelic Army currently billeted in Heaven.
Jesus when He came to the earth He was on a covert mission behind enemy lines. The ultimate space invader named Satan had won a victory in the Garden of God. So Jesus in turn set aside His command long enough to take out the space invader at the cross and resurrection. His mission at that time required Him to be humble and merciful so that we could have our space back.
So today, what about military, violence, law enforcement and the body of Christ? How does it all work together?
The answer is freedom. Law enforcement and the military (as designated in the constitution) are designed to keep the space invaders at bay. And sometimes the space invaders choose not to comply easily so violence is required. When the space invader is kept at bay then freedom reigns. When freedom reigns then the design of God for the human race works even in the midst of a fallen world.
By the way, when Jesus returns He will be in battle array, ready or war, and will have to use violence on a scale never before seen in human history (Psalm 2, Psalm 110, Zechariah 14, Revelation 19) to name but a few.
To end on a good note, Jesus loves the space invaders as well. They just need to let Him invade their space :)