In a recent, ongoing discussion with a co-worker, this question came up: how much should Christians get involved in the government, when our citizenship is really in Heaven?
My co-worker, whom I will call "Joel", is of the opinion that Christians should be very careful in how much they get involved in the things of this world. Basically, why try and prolong the inevitable? The world isn't going to be here much longer anyway, so why try and "fix" it? He did state, however, that Christians do have a responsibility. What that responsibility is as the body of Christ in this fallen world, and how we are to fulfill it is the question.
I am trying to figure out the biblical prospective of Christians and government. Of course as you all know, it would be hard to relinquish my love for law and government. (By the way, "Joel" is not suggesting this, but is also looking for answers) And I'm far from coming that conclusion, but I'm looking for any thoughts on this issue. My basic opinion is that God placed me and other Christian Americans in a freedom loving country and it is our responsibility to try and keep it free for the glory of God and the furthering of His kingdom. Unfortunately, I can't come up with any Biblical backing for my view. The following Bible passages were brought up in our discussion:
"our citizenship is in Heaven" (Phil. 3:18-21)
"friendship with the world is enmity with God" (James 4:4)
"We are just passing through" (1 Peter 1:17-18)
"Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's" (Matt. 12:14-17)
Paul used his citizenship, even though he was a citizen of Heaven (Acts 16:37-40)
Throughout the New Testament, it is emphasized that we are not to quit our jobs ect. in waiting for Christ to come back. On the contrary, we are to be in the world, but not of it.
And to give a over arching command: "DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD" I Cor. 10:31
I'm rather at loss of what to think, and how to put all these passages together, so I'm looking for any comments, thoughts, or conclusions on the matter.
13 comments:
Not only do I believe that Christians should be involved in politics, but I also believe that it is vital for them to do so. We live in a country with freedom of speech, and this blessing from God should not be taken for granted. We Christians must rise to the challenge by making out voice heard in the political realm.
1 Timothy 2:1-3 says "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior." We are told to pray for those in authority, but we are also encouraged to make "requests" and "intercessions."
The attitude of "the world isn't going to be here much longer so why try to fix it" is apathetic. Anyone who adopts that attitude basically gives up on furthuring the kingdom of God. We are instructed to be "in the world and not of the world." Christians involved in politics are not necessarily "of the world," they are trying to make a difference "in the world" for Christ.
Remember, the only way evil can triumph is if good men do nothing.
Right on Courtney! I totaly agree with you. I especially appreciate the Bible passages you used, those will be helpful! THanks for visiting my blog, by the way. =)
The verses Courtney used are good, as well as the ones that say "occupy until I come" (Luke) and to "teach all nations" (Great Commission in Matthew.) Since God rules over all things and His Word speaks to all things, we should not be afraid to do anything HIS WAY. Yes, our citizenship is ultimately in heaven and is more important than anything on earth (hence the martyrs that denounced their country's religion for the sake of the gospel). However, God has placed us in a particular nation to fulfill His purpose.
Aren't we glad the Pilgrims, settlers of the colonies, and eventually the Founding Fathers of America, had a view of starting a good government, to preserve the liberty of future generations? Many of them were Christians and we owe such a lot to them.
The conference we went to, Brooke, talked about this some as well. We have a book by Gary DeMar on this subject that you can read sometime if you want, too.
Hi Renee,
Thanks for commenting. I really appreciate the reminder about God placing us here for a reason. I'd like to find that verse in Luke you mentioned, that looks good too.
I'd love to read that book! I'll take all the help I can get. =) Were can I get it? Well, I hope your trip went well!
thanks, Brooke
Firstly, I notice you use the phrase "Christian American". I don't know if you intentionally use this rather than "American Christian", but either way it's essential to remember at all times that you are a Christian before you are an American.
I think it would be helpful to make yourself aware of the conversation that has been going on for centuries about this issue - this is not a new question!! So, for example, Martin Luther talked about being citizens of two kingdoms, both ruled by God. In this way, the secular authorities are governing on God's behalf.
His sermon on 1 Peter 2:11-20 expounds this perspective: Being obliged to continue in this wretched state - our Babylon - so long as God wills, we should do as the Jews were commanded to do - mingle with other mortals, eat and drink, make homes, till the soil, fill civil offices and show good will toward our fellows, even praying for them, until the hour arrives for us to depart unto our home.
John Dekker,
When I said 'Christian American' I did not mean to infer that all Americans are Christians. Thank you for clarifying that. I appreciate the links you gave. I'll be looking into that.
thanks, Brooke
Hi Brooke,
Joel told me about your blog and I was interested to check it out. I read your last post on Christians in politics and it was very interesting. I wrote down some thoughts that I hope will help. It'd be great to talk with you more about this topic. Thanks for doing this blog and I'll see you soon at work or in Greek class! -Dan
What is the purpose of the church in the world? Why has Jesus, the Head of the church, left us here? This is a crucial question for all Christians, and more specifically, for all local churches. It may seem like a simple question, but if we do not know why we are here in this world, we will not be obedient to Christ and we will waste our lives on pursuits that have no warrant in the word of God.
The church, first of all, is to be under the authority of the word of God. This is not a minor point. The authoritative word of God sets the agenda for the church, because all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), the very words of God. This means that no other words outside of the Bible are God’s words, and therefore no other written documents of any society or by any person have the authority of God’s words. The Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety, is the word of God written. How are we to be the church in the world? We need to consult the Bible. The documents and legislation of the world do not determine who the church is and what she should do.
In the beginning, the church is brought into existence by the word of Christ: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18). In the book of Acts, the growth of the church is often mentioned synonymously with the spread of the word of God: “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem…” (Acts 6:7, also 12:24, 13:49, 19:20). In Paul’s letters to individual churches, he tells them that they exist as a church because of the word of God that was proclaimed to them (Rom. 1:16, 1 Cor. 1:17, 15:1-2, Gal. 1:6-9, Eph. 1:13, Phil. 1:5, Col. 1:5-6, 1 Thess. 1:5-6, 2:13). The message that Christ gives to the seven churches in the book of Revelation are “the words of him…(a description of Christ follows)” (Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18, 3:1, 7, 14). God has always created his people by his word, from his promise in Genesis 3:15 to create offspring for the woman resulting in a redeemer, to his word of promise to Abraham in Genesis 12, to the great vision of the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37, to the present day: “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth…” (James 1:18). The church “has been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23). Though I could list many other passages, we can see from this brief survey that the word of God creates and builds the church.
Therefore, what God’s word says is the mission of the church in the world; that is its mission. The words of Christ determine our mission, just as the words of Hebrew Scripture determined his mission (Luke 24:26), because “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deut. 8:3, also Matt. 4:4). I put this emphasis on holding fast to the word of God because so many ideas about the role of the church in the world are formed as a result of not carefully studying what the whole Bible (not just a select passage) says about the role of the church in the world. Many people in the present day who want the church to exert its influence in politics and on the state for the sake of the “common good” of all of society appeal to the needs of society rather than to the written word of God. For example, on the election year pamphlet “Vote Your Values”, the most prominent quote is not from the Bible, but from Billy Graham. In the quote, he appeals to the needs of society, not to the word of God: “If America is to survive as a nation (emphasis mine), we need to elect more God-centered men and women to office in America.” This quote subtly communicates to us that what is of greatest importance in the electoral process is the survival of America as a nation. But the prosperity of America or any other nation is not supreme in God’s mind (Isaiah 40:15, 17, 23). We as the church are to ask him for his kingdom to come (Matt. 6:10). The kingdom, or reign, of Christ comes not through worldly dominion and lordship, nor the kingdoms of this world, but through servanthood and humility (Mark 10:42-44; Luke 9:54-55, John 18:36), even death and martyrdom (Phil. 1:20-21, John 21:19). “If the church is going to influence a hostile secular society like the one in which we live, political clout is not what we need. All the power, politics, and public policies in the world will never force unbelievers to yield their hearts to Christ as Lord.” (Quote from Phil Johnson in the excellent book Fools Gold, edited by John MacArthur). Should this not be the goal of the church in the world, to have unbelievers yield their hearts to Christ as Lord?
The church is to proclaim and display the gospel of Christ. The burning ambition of the church should be that the Lordship of Christ would be proclaimed and recognized in all the earth (Matt. 28:18-20). The greatest evangelistic, outward concern of the church should be the proclamation of the gospel; the good news of God’s saving work in and through Jesus Christ. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). Who are we witnesses of? Christ. The center of the church’s mission in the world must always be the proclamation of Christ, displaying His character as His body on earth.
We as the church need to be far more concerned with the advance of the gospel than the relative morality of the state. The advance of the gospel was the consuming passion of our Lord. “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mark 1:14-15). He commissioned the greatest missionary in the history of the church with the same passion: “He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15-16). Paul told the Ephesian elders, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24). The gospel of the grace of God, not family values, not government legislation or political freedom, was Paul’s burning passion. What did Paul do when he encountered the idols in Athens? It fueled in him a desire to preach the gospel. What did Jonah do in Nineveh? He did not demand that they pass moral legislation; he preached a message of repentance from sin and turning toward God.
The church is to see herself as under the authority of the word of God, because, as I showed before, the word of God creates and builds the church. The needs of men, however urgent, and the degradation of society, however bad, should not determine the mission of the church. If the local church was willing to examine Scripture together and come to a consensus on what the Bible teaches on the purpose of the church in the world, much confusion could be avoided. A biblical understanding of the role of the church in the world would take time, diligent study, repentance of unscriptural ideas, and much discussion, all things that many in the church are sadly not willing to give in order to understand the Bible’s teaching. We are often content with superficial solutions and lazy, un-thoughtful exegesis of the text of Scripture. We say we don’t have time to sink our roots deep into the word of God; that we are too busy, that we have more “important” tasks and activities to attend to. We might not say this with our mouths, but our lives prove otherwise. By saying all this, I am not attempting to put myself on a holy pedestal, because what I have just described is all too characteristic of my own life. I am only able to analyze the situation in the church because I am a part of it. But the Lord will sanctify his bride (Eph. 5:26-27)!
Daniel Mikesh,
Thanks for visiting my blog! I read your remarks with great interest. I really appreciated all the Bible references you used. I totally agree that the Bible is the final authority and no other document should be placed before it. I also appreciated the examples you used of Jonah and Paul. Indeed, God's glory and God's kingdom are first and should be foremost. I am curious as to how we are to function as citizens of the U.S. (voting ect.) and still pursue God's glory and kingdom? let's say that someone becomes a Senator or something like that...he still is a Christian and strives to be a witness for Christ whenever he can, but he still fights for freedom and Christian values in the Senate. Would this be wrong? It seems to me that as long as the United States takes a distant 2nd to God's kingdom, then it'd be okay. ("In the world but not of it") Am I missing something?
See you Monday. =)
thanks, Brooke
I would argree with a lot of the things that have already been said.
I realise that we can't change American government until we change the hearts of America. But, I don't think that it should keep us out of politics. Like it has already been stated, God has placed us in this nation of Democracy for a perpose. I have been thinking about the statment "prolonging the inevitable", I believe that to be true. But what about the people that are coming behind us? The children of the United States that are going to be left with a hard country to live in if we don't do something about it. I think that we need to keep others in mind - people that come to this country for safety, don't we want to keep it a safe haven for others? These are just some thoughts that I've had on the subject, I'm not sure if they are right or wrong. But I do think about the children that are going to be left with whatever we leave behind us.
"And may all who come behind us find us faithful"
Thanks J! I appreciate you commenting. =)
I would say that it is perfectly fine for a Christian to be involved in goverment, HOWEVER, he/she must hold to scripture unwaveringly. God's Word is our authority and we must hold to it no matter what the cost.
All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16.
If we hold to God's Word without compromise, as we should be doing, we probably will not be very popular. Jesus told His disciples that if they persecute me they will persecute you. God's Word tells us to expect persecution.
What does persecution have to do with being involved in goverment? Simply that politics is about compromise. A good example of this is that Allah and God (Yahweh, the God of the Bible) are one and the same. (Bush said this a few years back.) A dilligent student of the bible knows that this is not the case, Allah is not the god of the Bible.
Why did he say this? I don't know and won't speculate, but it was a compromise on what scripture says. There are many other examples that could be looked at as well.
By holding steadfastly to God's Word means that a person will not be popular and will probably not be elected or stay in office if he is elected, because compromise is a part of politics. If there was no compromise very little would be accomplished in goverment.
As Christians we must not compromise on what the Word of God says. We must hold fast to the Word of God even if that means that we are sent to prison, out to the lions or before the firing squad. This world is not our home and the only things of eternal value on this earth are God's Word and human souls.
A question for thought?
Since God's Word and human souls are the only things of eternal value in this earth sould we allow ourselves to get bogged down in politics? New legislation will not change a person heart, only God's Word will do that.
James 1:18
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
Anonymous,
I agree with all you said. Indeed, my general conclusion is that it is okay to get involved with politics, ONLY if God comes first, and foremost and this you stated very clearly. Thank you for your insightful questions, and comments. You are so right that a no-compromise politician won't get very far, but at least it is nice to know that it's not wrong to try. By the way, do you care to share your identity?
Thanks!
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