Originally posted by Joel
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Is downloading music freely from the internet wrong in terms of biblical morality?
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"I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill
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Originally posted by KingsGambit View PostWe do see that civil governments were divinely placed by God, so that would seem to imply they at the very least have the authority to levy binding laws on the Christian.
And secondly, it does not follow when men are given "governing authority" that that includes the authority to legislate. When God first established human government among the Israelites it consisted of judges (judicial power). God himself was the legislator. The governing authorities were authorized to apply the already-existing Law, not authorized to alter morality. So at the very least, it does not necessarily include legislative power.
Even during the time of the Kings, it might be argued that the Bible still only ever speaks of God's Law and statutes, and that the role of the king is essentially judicial and executive. I haven't done an exhaustive study on that, but it seems likely based on searching for the words "law" and "statute", and certain passages, like when the people demanded a king, against the warnings that a king would be tyrannical, they said, "that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." (1 Sam 8:20). Or when God grants Samuel a request and Samuel wants to be a good, wise king, he asks for "an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" (1 Kings 3:9), presupposing an already-existing Law to be discerned, rather than him being a legislator and needing wisdom regarding how best to modify the Law such as by inventing new law. And then the example given of his exercising his wisdom in authority is judicial ("to administer justice.").
And then Romans 13 (and the other, related NT passages) clearly have in mind someone authorized to enforce the already-existing moral law (e.g., "3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority ? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same ; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid ; for it does not bear the sword for nothing ; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.") That is the whole purpose of the "governing authorities"--to do Justice (which of course, exists prior to the man so authorized). There is no suggestion of anyone being authorized to add to or subtract from this Law according to their own will.
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