Since 1543, when it was conferred on Henry VIII by the Parliament of England, every English (later British) sovereign has held the title “Defender of the Faith”, (except Mary I, a Catholic), and by Each new sovereign reinforces this at their coronation. At Charles III’s, he was handed a Bible with these words:

Sir, to keep you ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, receive this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; this is the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God.

The Coronation Oath itself binds the sovereign to preserve Protestant Christianity in the state. In the ceremony, the King promised:

Archbishop: Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England?
…

King: All this I promise to do.

King Charles went further in his vow, declaring before God:

I Charles do solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God profess, testify, and declare that I am a faithful Protestant, and that I will, according to the true intent of the enactments which secure the Protestant succession to the Throne, uphold and maintain the said enactments to the best of my powers according to law.

The king then acknowledges that he is serving under God and asks in prayer that he might receive knowledge of God’s truth.

Just a ceremony?

Some will say this is just ceremony and tradition with no binding power. Scripture disagrees:

When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
Deuteronomy 23:21

This command was singled out from the Mosaic law and named as sin – which makes it binding on all people, in all times, not only Israel under Moses.

Our king said, “I solemnly promise”, “All this I promise to do”, and “I … do solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God profess, testify, and declare”. These words are the language of a solemn vow made before God.

On 25^th June, the annual Sovereign Grant report was published. That may sound like a good read to send you off to sleep, but under “The Official Duties of the Sovereign” it states:

His Majesty is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation. [Emphasis mine]

In this official report from the House of Commons, the king is no longer “Defender of the Faith” but merely protector of “the space for Faith”, all kinds of faith.

This is huge, a bombshell declaration. For centuries, our rulers have defined this land as a Christian nation, not meaning that every citizen is a Christian, but that our laws and values rest on a Christian and Biblical foundation, while individuals remain free to believe otherwise.

Abandoning this definition opens the nation to mutually exclusive worldviews, as if religion is merely decoration, cultural artistry, rather than a rival claim to truth.

More than tradition

Religion is not liturgy, clothing, or music. It is morality – the basic principles of right and wrong that define a society: the dignity of all life or the supremacy of one group over others; blind justice or discriminating justice; living peaceably or under subjugation. But it also deals with eternity – the ultimate destination of the soul. Once entered, it cannot be changed, and therefore it is vital we have the truth about salvation.

Every religion, whether it involves belief in a supreme deity or not (yes, atheism is a religion) is in essence a set of beliefs that govern behaviour and values. And every religion but one requires the individual to contribute something toward their own “salvation”: effort, works, or merit to achieve the ultimate goal, whether Heaven, Paradise, Nirvana, or a lasting legacy and memory.

Biblical Christianity alone offers salvation already purchased by Christ, simply received by faith alone, not earned.

This is why the king’s pivot away from “the Faith” to “Faith within the multi-faith nation” matters so much. Despite vowing that he is “a faithful Protestant” and to maintain “the true profession of the gospel”, King Charles III has affirmed the validity of Islam – most visibly at Easter when he gave no Easter message but did deliver one for Ramadan.

What does this mean for the United Kingdom? Scripture is clear:

It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.
Proverbs 16:12

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Proverbs 14:34

Everyone sins, but the sin of a king impacts the whole nation. King Charles sinned by breaking his vow before God and that sin is a reproach upon the country. But he is not the sole source of blame for a country under God’s rebuke. His rejection of the truth of God’s Word in favour of Islam’s false doctrines reflects a deeper, prevailing spirit of rebellion against God running throughout the nation.

He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
Proverbs 29:1-2

As the leader of the nation, King Charles bears responsibility to lead his subjects towards the one living and true God of the Bible. It is one thing to provide a safe space for individuals to practise their chosen faith freely; openly endorsing other religions while rejecting the gospel as the only way of salvation is another.

Christians must recognise that the world’s religions are incompatible with the gospel. This is not just a clash of philosophies or a mere a difference of opinion. All “religions” are not equal – truth is not a shared commodity. The gospel is the truth of God. Anything contrary to it cannot be the truth. Rejecting the gospel does not lead to a benign ignorance, but to a lost eternity (Rev 20:15; 21:8).

King Charles has broken his vows before God. I would hope he did not lie in taking them, but he has since abandoned them. He has failed to maintain the true gospel. He needs to repent from this course, or, failing that, to be honourable and abdicate so another might uphold the Oaths he would not.

A higher throne

Yet we must remember that “the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1). Perhaps God deems this nation ripe for reproach, and so has given it a “breaker of vows”.

But God is still on His throne. He is still King of kings and Lord of lords. Whatever the sovereign’s course, the Church’s responsibility to spread the gospel has not changed. Not the Church of England, but the true body of believers – those who have repented and believed the gospel, receiving Christ as Saviour. We have been called to go and preach the gospel, to be salt against the rot of sin and light to every heart.

So Christian, don’t be discouraged by the king’s actions. Our hope for the nation was never in his hands anyway. Our hope is in God. He can change hearts and minds. He can revive our nation, no matter how unlikely that seems. But even if He doesn’t, He is still on the throne. His Word will endure, the gospel will never lose its power, and souls will continue to be saved.

Look beyond the throne of this kingdom. Look to the throne of Heaven. Approach it often with boldness, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”.

And the next time you sing the national anthem, make it a prayer: may “God save our gracious king”!

Keep looking up!

The post The king’s oath appeared first on Now Nearer Ministries.

Last week, we discussed a little about Donald Trump abandoning Israel with his Memorandum of Understanding with Iran. Ironically, Trump’s tweet “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” (in capital letters, as per his style on occasion), meant to refer to Iran, is viewed by many as being an admission of his own capitulation to Iran, giving them everything they wanted.

At the beginning of this week, there were initial cheers by people throughout the UK when Keir Starmer resigned from his premiership. Those cheers were quickly muted when it emerged that Andy Burnham, a political clone of Starmer, was likely to run unchallenged for the leadership of the Labour Party to become our next Prime Minister. For those who have never heard of him before, Burnham is a former mayor of Greater Manchester and was not even an MP until sworn in on Monday after his recent by-election victory. Given his past record, there is not much optimism in the UK about the road ahead.

A little closer to home (for me) and Northern Ireland politics again revealed its ugly side. Jeffrey Donaldson, former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was convicted on all counts, having been charged with one count of rape, four of gross indecency towards a child and thirteen of indecent assault with a child. The sense of betrayal of trust was felt, not only within the DUP and the unionist community at large, but also with evangelical Christian circles, among whom Donaldson has been a prominent name. With his prosecution, the once golden boy of Unionism was shown to be just wood, hay, and stubble.

In all, it has been a fortnight of great disappointment in our leaders. It feels like it has been a lifetime since we had any kind of optimistic expectation from those in power. But then, isn’t that why we’re not to look to our politicians for solutions? We can’t afford to get our moral bearings by examining or mimicking our earthly leaders.

An pagan king’s praise of God

One of my favourite kings in the Bible is Nebuchadnezzar. While being portrayed almost like a benefactor toward the Jews in the early chapters of Daniel, like a reasonable and kindly dictator, we can’t forget that this is the man who brought king Zedekiah into captivity in Babylon, killed his sons in front of him, then put out his eyes so their deaths was the last thing he saw. He was also the king who sacked the temple and brought out all the equipment and utensils of silver and gold and put them in the temple of his own gods. And yet, by the time we get to the end of Daniel chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar is giving one of the greatest and most eloquent expressions of praise and worship of God.

In this great confession, he makes it clear that the God of heaven is eternal and unchanging, continuing from generation to generation, and outlasting all human governments. He describes Him as the One whose works are true (Dan 4:37), not just His words. Everything He does is consistent with His character and attributes – there is no deceit or guile in His deeds. What a difference from earthly rulers!

Nebuchadnezzar continues by declaring God’s ways as just, that is, correct and appropriate – “and His ways judgment” (v37). That’s something we need to accept by faith. God knows all things, while we know nothing in comparison. Somewhere within His omniscience He sees the necessity of acting as He does, and that is always right. It may not make sense to us, but this is what living by faith looks like.

But listen to what Nebuchadnezzar says in Daniel 4:35:

“And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou?”

But if God allowed it … why?

This reminds me of Romans 13:1, where Paul writes, “For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”

Why would God allow Trump to turn his back on Israel?

Why would he let the rot of left-wing liberalism continue in the highest public office in the United Kingdom?

Why would he let a professing Christian rise to a position of prominence as both a politician and a believer, only to have him torn down through his own actions?

Simple answer – I don’t know! But then, I don’t know a fraction of the things God knows.

Perhaps God knows that Trumps irrational behaviour toward Israel over the past two weeks will set the stage for America’s absence from the prophetic platform that is about to be fulfilled, just as prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39.

Perhaps the UK is receiving the leaders it deserves for abandoning Israel and opposing the Christian heritage that made the UK a mighty world power for so long. Perhaps this is part of the judgment God is bringing on the UK for ignoring and despising God, a judgment that will reduce the country to global irrelevance.

And perhaps the Donaldson case will be used by God to waken up the true Church and to get our eyes off the politics and cultural Protestantism and back on the God of the Bible.

If these disappointments only do one thing, if they get us to stop trusting man and expecting man to sort things out in the world, and instead cause us to place our faith in all God has actually promised to do, then the disappointments are worth it.

God has a plan and purpose that will be done. He sees the ripple effects multiplied countless times over that reach far into the future. He sees where all the pieces need to be in order for His prophetic programme to be accomplished, and He knows what needs to happen today for that programme to be completed in the fulness of time.

Our responsibility is simply to trust that God knows what He’s doing. Our earthly leaders will always fall short. That’s the inevitability of sinful man, even saved sinners. But our God will never fail, falter, nor fall.

When you feel disappointed or frustrated with our leaders, remember that God has placed those leaders where they are for His purposes to be fulfilled. Praise Him that He is able to take ungodly men and women, place them where He wants them to be, and cause His will to be done. He excels at taking the broken and making them useful in His purposes.

And isn’t that a great encouragement for us too. After all, we’re just as broken and imperfect as our leaders, to varying degrees, and yet can take even us and use us to bring glory to Him and to bring sinners to Christ.

So take heart. Don’t get discouraged, and instead sing from your heart:

God is still on the throne, and He will remember His own
Though trials may press us and burdens distress us,
He never will leave us alone.
God is still on the throne, and He will remember His own;
His promise is true – He will not forget you!
God is still on the throne!

Amen, and hallelujah.

Keep looking up.

DC

The post When our leaders disappoint appeared first on Now Nearer Ministries.