The "Hierarchy" of Loyalty   
 

by Aubrey C. Belue

 

Through time, based on principle and experience, most of us appreciate folks who are loyal…How rare, but how great it is to have loyal friends, who as David says, “stick closer than a brother”…(Prov 17:17;18:24). In God’s world, one is expected to be loyal to Him, to be loyal to His word, to be loyal to His kingdom, to be loyal to His “order of things”… But, in life, there are conflicting loyalties…what then? Realistically, each of us must deal with a world in which there are times when being loyal to a certain thing or person means you must NOT be “loyal” to another. The first “level” is easy – our first loyalty is to God. There are many other “layers” of loyalty, but getting THAT one right is helpful in dealing with the rest. To illustrate: I am loyal to myself. “no man ever hateth his own flesh; but nourisheth it and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church” – Eph 5:29. And yet, there are times, because my first loyalty is to God, when I must “love not my life unto the death” – Rev 12:11; when I must “crucify myself” – Gal 2:20 I am loyal to my country. In important ways, I put “country” before many other things…but because my first loyalty is to God, I must often detach myself from it, and count myself a “pilgrim” and a “sojourner” here. Heb 11:8-16. I am loyal to my family. My parents, my wife, my children, my extended family have a special place in my heart and my priorities. And yet, if I do not “hate father and mother, etc” I cannot properly express my greater loyalty to God. I am loyal to my friends (or at least, try to be). I will defend them when appropriate, support them in every way I can. But I am not so “loyal” to them that I overlook their shortcomings, ignore their spiritual needs, and fail to “wound” them when necessary (Prov. 27:6). Holding back in such circumstances would in fact be “disloyal”.  I am loyal to “my” church – its elders and fellow disciples (I take the command to practice “brotherly love” seriously); but at times I must exercise my greater and first loyalty to God and His truth by respectfully disagreeing and even opposing them (1 Tim 5:17-23). ALL earthly loyalties have their limits, and sometimes truly fulfilling them might call for action in a direction that men (even those who expect loyalty) might consider as disloyal. That greater loyalty to God must be factored in.   Other Articles by Aubrey Belue How Can You Tell? My Dreams Have Shrunk What Is Wrong With Exclusive? Restricting the Never Bound Get Thee Behind Me Satan Two Visions of the Church The Exculpatory Rule It's Not How You Feel Teaching in the Moment       For Past Auburn Beacons go to: www.aubeacon.com/Bulletins.htm   Anyone can join the mailing list for the Auburn Beacon! Send your request to: larryrouse@aubeacon.com