“Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”
John 14:30
This declaration made by our Lord Jesus Christ shortly before going to the cross is very profound and significant to what He came to do for humanity. Prior to making this statement, in John 8:46 He also threw this challenge to the religious leaders of His time:
“Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?”
Without these credentials, our Saviour would not have been qualified to redeem us. Glory be to God, we have a Redeemer who is without sin.

The early disciples were first called “Christians” in Antioch because they lived like Christ after being taught His ways (Acts 11:26). This is what the Lord expects from us today. As seen in 1 Peter 4:15, it should not even be mentioned amongst us that one of us is suffering as a result of criminal acts. This is very important for us to note because some Christians think that they were born-again into lawlessness. This is a wrong idea of our liberty in Christ. The Bible says Christians should be law-abiding. It is an aberration when Christians are accused of tax evasion. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave us a perfect example in this regard when He paid His due taxes (Matthew 17:24-27). We should therefore learn from the Master. How would it have been if Jesus was genuinely found guilty of the offences cooked up against Him (Luke 23:4)? He would have been disqualified from carrying out the work of redemption, and we would still be in our sins today.

In Romans 13:1-8, we are admonished by Paul to obey higher powers. His understanding of God was so profound that he knew that no person could come into power without God assenting to it. If God installs a government for reasons best known to Him, disobeying such a government in civil matters would amount to disobeying God. As a matter of fact, our leaders are described as ministers of God ordained for our own good. For us to live peaceably in this world, let us therefore heed this warning in Romans 13:4-5:
“…But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must need be subject, not for wrath, but also for conscience sake.”
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.