Over the past couple of years, I have been trying to reconcile certain events in our country's history and certain attitudes in our present day culture with what the New Testament tells us about what a Christian’s Biblical response to government and culture should be. I have also struggled in my mind with a certain Constitutional Amendment which, in my opinion, should not be important to the Christian. I have also tried to get a balance in my mind between the “Red, White and Blue” and the shed blood of Christ. Does my identity lean more towards the American Flag or the Cross? Do I really believe that I am a pilgrim just passing through this world? I am not suggesting that Christians cannot be patriotic, but am asking where is the balance? Do I care for my country more than I care for Christ and His Kingdom? How do we know if we need an affection adjustment? (Matt 6:21)
The second paragraph of the U.S. Declaration of Independence opens by stating that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
I have tried to locate in Scripture where Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness are guaranteed to every person by our Creator. I have failed to find these promises for us this side of eternity, and even then these three items will only apply to those who know Jesus Christ as their Savior. At best, Christians are to expect trials, suffering, mocking and scorn from those around us. Life is a gift from God, not a right. We are not to boast for tomorrow. (Prov 27:1) We are repeatedly told in the New Testament that we are to die to self and to live for Christ. Any liberty which we may have is another gift from God. There are many people around this world who have no idea what it is like to worship God without fear of imprisonment, torture and/or death. The majority of Western Christians take this for granted. Way too often, I do too. However, instead of having true liberty, most people do not realize that we are all a slave to something. Many, many people are slaves to their own sin and selfish desires. The sad thing is that many of these people believe that they are free because they are not living by "some religion’s" rules. They are blinded and cannot see their sin for what it truly is, an offense against a holy God. Even Christians do not have unadulterated liberty. Paul tells the church in Corinth that, since we have been bought with a price, that we are to live as slaves to Christ. (I Cor 7:22) Ironically, in this form of slavery there is actually freedom because we are no longer held captive by our own sinful desires. The chains have been loosed and we have been made new. Christ gives us access to the power we need to be free from sin, although too often I know that I choose not to use that power. Worldly happiness should not be the goal of a Christian. Happiness today is getting the next big thing. It’s keeping up with the Jones’, whoever they are. We should not be concerned with this covetous, competitive lifestyle. We should have the joy of the Lord. We should be content with where we are and with what God has seen fit to give us. This includes whatever burdens in life He has fitted us to carry. We should simply be grateful and thankful that God has called us to Himself because He is all that we really need. A Christian should strive for holiness, not happiness. If we seek Him, He will give us the joy that we desire.
The 2nd Amendment in the U.S. Constitution states that: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” I believe that there are many Christians who put more faith in their personal arsenal than they do in their God. I have heard many complaints that the government is trying to “take our guns away.” I know of professing Christians who are buying weapons in the event that our freedoms are taken away. They talk about taking our country back. They claim that we need another revolution. I find it laughable that somehow a man standing on his porch with a weapon is going to stop a heavily armed military force from doing whatever they want. I look to the example of many in the early church who were martyred and/or imprisoned for their faith. Where in Scripture is it recorded that Stephen, Peter, Paul, James or John said that it was OK to take up arms against the government? They didn’t. They spoke the truth and entrusted the outcome to the Lord. Where in the New Testament are we told that we should have weapons in our home to defend ourselves from the government? Jesus never tells us to do that. In fact, Jesus says that “all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (I believe this applies to guns, as well…) Paul knew that “to die is gain” but he wasn’t going to push the issue by wielding a sword. He never told us to revolt or take up arms against the government. The truth is that the government in his day was in many ways more corrupt and ungodly than our government is today. And yet, Paul tells us to submit to the authority of the government. In Romans 13:2, Paul gives us, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, a direct command. “Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” (NASB) Based off this clear command, Christians cannot revolt against their government. I realize that we are also commanded in Scripture to “obey God, rather than men” but how many of us will find ourselves in a situation where we need to make the choice to obey God or be imprisoned or killed. (Acts 5:29) If a situation like that ever comes up, we still need to obey God and take whatever punishment the government decrees. We are also not to refuse to pay our taxes because they may be used to fund abortions, wars or anything else that we disagree with. It seems reasonable to believe that at least a portion of the taxes levied against the Jewish people in the early 1st century was being used to support the hedonistic and wicked lifestyle of those in power. Despite this fact, Jesus commanded that the Jews were to "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." (Mark 12:17)
Most Christians will freely admit that God is sovereign over the details of their lives, but I believe that we often forget that God is also sovereign over every level of government which has, is or will exist. God created the institution of government and nobody in a position of power is there unless God allows it. (Rom:13:1) He has the power to lift men up into positions of power and He has the power to remove them from power. I think of King Nebuchadnezzar and how God dealt with his pride and caused him to “eat grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.” (Dan 4:33) God had the power to remove Nebuchadnezzar and he had the power to restore him. God still has the power to do the same today.
It is perfectly fine to hold an elected office or to be involved in government via voting, answering polls or giving your opinion when there are things being done which directly contradict the teachings of Scripture. We must maintain a balance between our political involvement/concerns and our faith. We cannot put more faith in our government than we put in our God. Our government cannot save us. A politician cannot save us. The government and government officials can very easily become an idol. We all witnessed this during the last presidential election when many in our nation placed their hope and trust in one man to be the savior of our country. The media hype was over the top. He wasn’t just going to be our president, he was our only source of hope. He was going to fix every problem facing our nation. For all intents and purposes, many essentially worshiped him. I see it again in this election with a politician from the other side of the aisle. Many people are so supportive of this candidate that if anyone says anything remotely negative about him, it is akin to blasphemy. Both are forms of idolatry.
Regardless of what is happening in our culture, I suggest that a Christian's daily concerns should be that they are dying to self, a slave to desires of Christ and the pursuit of holiness.
