Christianity and Politics

Religion and politics seem to be the two most volatile topics. Especially politics around election times. Just ask a group of people who they plan to vote for and watch the fireworks start. There are only a few people that really seem to be educated about each candidate. Many people only seem to know the talking points from their own political party and they will use those to bash you over the head if you just happen to present them with contradictory evidence.

Mark Twain said, “If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're misinformed.” He also said, “It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”

If politics is such a polarizing subject, should followers of Jesus be politically active? Many Christians believe that good citizenship implies that we should be involved in politics. They have made use of Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, and more to push their own message about which policies and politicians you should support if you are a believer.

Some even suggest that to be a Christian means you must be a Republican and not a Democrat, and that not to vote is a serious sin…such political preoccupations are somewhat ironic considering the dominant premillennial eschatology of conservative evangelicalism. Our end-times theology tells us that until Christ returns, nothing can fix this crumbling world system. Yet our political practice suggests we are desperately trying to fix it nonetheless. – John MacArthur (Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong)

The short answer is that every person living in the United States has a constitutional right to be politically active and, therefore, it is acceptable. Christians and non-Christians alike. That said, most Christians should not be politically active. Why?

God has given certain gifts and talents to each of us and some people would be wasting those if we asked them to divert their time toward political activism. We need to stay focused on the work that God has called us to do. Politics can easily get us sidetracked from that calling.

Some Christians do not have the ability to discuss politics without becoming argumentative or even belligerent. This is not a Christ-like attitude and it becomes extremely difficult to share the love of Jesus with the person they just virtually beat to death with their words.

Everyone has certain things that can cause them to stumble. Some individuals might find that discussing politics is one of those weak areas that could cause them to say, do, or even think things that are not Christ-like. I think I would fall into that category and it is why I try my best not to discuss politics. I fail more times than I would like to admit.

How then should Christians respond to political issues, policies, and candidates. We can learn that from God’s Word beginning in Romans 13.

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:1,2 (HCSB)

Our Confidence Is in God

In God We Trust is imprinted on our money and carved onto the walls of thousands of government buildings. There are some that think nothing of this motto and others that want it removed. Followers of Jesus should see In God We Trust as a way of life.

At Elevate Church we constantly emphasize that when you become a follower of Jesus you are agreeing to make Jesus the boss of your life. That is the best modern word I can think of to describe to us what the Bible means by the word Lord. As Americans we have no real understanding of what Lord means, but we should all be able to comprehend what a boss is.

Our Charge Is to Submit

If God is our boss, then we must trust Him. And obey Him. Romans 13 is telling us that all governments are instituted by God, that every leader has his authority because of God, and that we are to submit to those leaders and government. I can hear all the screaming now, “They didn’t have a country as messed up as ours is today.” Really?

When Paul wrote Romans, the Romans had conquered most of the world and all of these nations were subject to Roman rule with no rights unless Rome allowed them. Those rights, especially when it came to religious freedoms, seemed to change with every emperor. Nero was Emperor of Rome at this time. He ruled from A.D. 54-68.

Who was Nero? He became emperor at the age of 15. At age 22 he had his mother murdered. Three years later he divorced his wife and had her murdered. Many historians believe that Nero burned Rome to rid it of the Christians and his enemies. He blamed the fire on Christians and had them tortured and burned publicly. He was the one who ordered the Apostles Paul and Peter to be killed. Paul was beheaded and Peter hung on a cross upside down.

That is the political landscape that existed when Paul said that we are to submit to the leaders and governments that God has allowed to exist. God has already revealed how this world will end. The Bible teaches that society will continue to get worse until the return of Jesus, yet many Christians seem to believe that the moral corruption seen in society is something they can legislate away.

Our Commission Is the Gospel

Instead of being politically active, Christians need to focus on being faithful to what God has called them to do within our own sphere of influence: elevating God, encouraging other believers, evangelizing the lost, and exhibiting godly conduct.

The Great Commission is not a call to effect policy change, but a command to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I [Jesus Christ] commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) – John MacArthur (Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong)

The only way to transform any society is to do it God’s way: share the love of Jesus and the transforming power of His salvation. Your brothers and sisters are not those that just happen to believe the same political views as you, they are the ones who believe in the name of Jesus Christ and follow Him.

Imagine if Christians all over the nation decided that they would take the time they had been spending in talking about, worrying about, debating, and campaigning for certain political people or policies, and used that time to share the love of Jesus with others in their community.

The reality is that only 25% of Christians admit to sharing about Jesus with anyone in the past 6 months. Only 14% have shared with more than one person in the same time. (LifeWay Research 2016). Yet most Christians have shared their political views with others around them countless times in the past 6 months.

Our Commitment Is to Pray

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy 2:1,2 (HCSB)

We are also called to pray for our nation and our leaders. God does not ask us to only pray for the parts of the country or the leaders that we like. Paul was telling people to pray for the emperor that would eventually have him killed. Paul had already been arrested, beaten, and left for dead numerous times by political leaders at the time when he wrote this letter to Timothy, a pastor that he had trained.

Not only are we to pray for them, but we are to be thankful for them. If we want to trust God, we must trust those God has allowed to have authority over us, and we must be thankful for them because God has given them their authority. This is not always easy because sometimes the people in authority are not good people. Sometimes they are, in fact, evil. Yet God wants us to pray and be thankful for them so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life.

Again, this is the same Paul that has been beaten and left for dead. You might wonder: What could be so tranquil and quiet about that? Some of the governors and emperors during his lifetime tortured Christians just for fun. How could that be tranquil? Paul is speaking about our spiritual life. When we pray unselfishly, even for those who we might see as the enemy, our soul will be at peace with God.

I want Elevate Church to be a church that is constantly praying for our leaders: local, county, state, and nationally. In fact, I have been participating in a program with the Baptist Convention of Maryland and Delaware where 100 churches have been praying for our U.S. Senators. I was assigned Senator Kelly Ayotte from New Hampshire. If you would like to join me in praying for her, her family, and her staff, as well as sending letters to thank her for her service and words of encouragement, let me know.

Our Citizenship Is in Heaven

Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments:
Do not commit adultery;
do not murder;
do not steal;
do not covet;
and whatever other commandment—all are summed up by this:
Love your neighbor as yourself. (Romans 13:8,9 HCSB)

Lastly we are to remember that we are only temporary citizens of the United States. Our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20a).

Our identity, priorities, and mission are not defined by our citizenship on earth, but in heaven, where our Savior awaits…and our fellow countrymen dwell…It is there that our names are recorded…and our treasure is stored…Though we live in this world, we do so as servants and ambassadors of our heavenly King, Jesus. – John MacArthur (Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong)

As ambassadors of Jesus, what are our responsibilities? We already mentioned our commission to tell others about Jesus and our command to pray for the leaders and country. We are also called to love everyone.

We cannot complete our commission if we do not love others. We cannot pray effectively if we do not love others. The world will not be drawn to Jesus by our political actions. Those usually drive a wedge between us and those we are supposed to be reaching. The world will be drawn to Jesus when we show them the love of Jesus.

We should not be known as American Christian. We are Christians that live in the United States and we must stay focused on the mission that has been given to us by God. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’” (2 Corinthians 5:20, HCSB)

Our primary concern must be with saving souls and making disciples. These are things that have eternal value.

“And while we preoccupy ourselves with the spiritual rather than the political, we can rest in knowing that [God] is sovereign over the government and affairs of this world.” – John MacArthur (Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong)