The Office and Character of the Bishop

[Sung Psalm: 15]

In our day, many often think of Paul's admonition to “pray for kings” and rulers, “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life,” in terms of praying that the government will leave us alone, and so we thank God for our religious freedom! But Paul's main concern in 1 Timothy 2 was actually that the governing authorities protect us from marauding armies.

If you do not have a strong government that is able to defend you from your enemies, then you will not live at peace. We don't tend to think about this so much in the United States, because we don't have many powerful enemies nearby. 9/11 was the first time that a foreign enemy had struck mainland America in a long time.

But for most of human history, powerful enemies have been much closer.

And in the early church, powerful enemies might live just around the corner. The book of Acts makes it clear that early Christians were in danger of persecution from Jews as well as Gentiles.

When you became a Christian, you left behind your old way of life. If you were a Jew, you would be expelled from the synagogue. If you were a Gentile, you would leave behind the pagan temples. Your patron (whether Jew or Gentile) might turn against you, leaving you alone and abandoned to face the world.

And in the early church, your bishop was a key figure in protecting the church.