“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21)
Government was never intended to change society; it is incapable of producing morality through legislation. It may help restrain immorality, but only if the church has established a moral foundation in the hearts of men and women. For Christianity, politics plays an important role, but it is a limited one. Christians view the state as important for coordination, administration of justice, and security and defense. But the state is not the source of truth and law. The state is not the final arbiter of justice. The state is bound by the same moral laws as individuals.
We must keep in mind that no one party is entirely good or entirely bad. The fact is that we live in a fallen world, and thus will always be led by sinners at all levels of government. We must always keep in mind what government can and cannot do. We should work toward good government, good laws, and good judges. But we cannot be naive in thinking that government can rescue us from the abyss of moral and spiritual failure. We have to understand that the best news our nation needs will not come from government, but from the lips and lives of followers of Jesus Christ.
It is important to be clear that while Christianity gives us key insights into politics, Christianity is not a political program with specific policy recommendations. There is no single Christian model of government. Christians can hold a variety of political positions and can disagree about many things. What Christianity provides is an orientation—a foundation of how to think about politics and government.
We must stay above it all, preaching the Gospel to everyone, for God will not ask whether we were Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, or liberals but rather what we did to advance His kingdom. As Christians, we can have our convictions and involvements, but not as official representatives of the Gospel.
The will of God permeates and supersedes every aspect of life. It is God’s will that takes precedence over everything and everyone (Matthew 6:33). God’s plans and purposes are fixed, and His will is inviolable. What He has purposed, He will bring to pass, and no government can thwart His will (Daniel 4:34-35). It is God who “sets up kings and deposes them” (Daniel 2:21) “because God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes” (Daniel 4:17). A clear understanding of this truth will help us to see that politics is merely a method God uses to accomplish His will. Even though evil men abuse their political power, meaning it for evil, God means it for good, working “all things together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
We must understand the fact that our government cannot save us! Only God can. We never read in the New Testament of Jesus or any of the apostles teaching believers on how to reform the pagan world of its idolatrous, immoral, and corrupt practices via the government. The apostles never called for believers to demonstrate civil disobedience to protest the Roman Empire's unjust laws or brutal schemes. Instead, the apostles commanded the first-century Christians, as well as us today, to proclaim the gospel and live lives that give clear evidence to the gospel’s transforming power.
Our responsibility to government is to obey the laws and be good citizens (Romans 13:1-2). God has established all authority, and He does so for our benefit, “to commend those who do right” (I Peter 2:13-15). Paul tells us in Romans 13:1-8 that it is the government’s responsibility to rule in authority over us and to keep the peace.
One of Satan’s deceptions is that we can rest our hope for cultural morality and godly living in politicians and governmental officials. A nation’s hope for change is not to be found in any country’s ruling class. Christians are mistaken if they think that it is the job of politicians to defend, to advance, and to guard biblical truths and Christian values.
Our mission lies not in changing the nation through political reform, but in changing hearts through the Word of God. When believers think the growth and influence of Christ can somehow be allied with government policy, they corrupt the mission of the church. Our Christian mandate is to spread the gospel of Christ and to preach against the sins of our time. Only as the hearts of individuals in a culture are changed by Christ will the culture begin to reflect that change.
Throughout the ages, Christians have lived, and even flourished, under antagonistic, repressive, pagan governments and they have sustained their faith under immense cultural stress. They understood that it was the church, not the government, who were the light of the world and the salt of the earth. They understood that, as believers, their hope resided in the protection that only God supplies. The same holds true for us today. When we follow the teachings of the Scriptures, we become the light of the world as God has intended for us to be (Matthew 5:16).
When the church tries to implant its beliefs on the government that subverts the basic constitutional prohibition concerning the separation of church and state. When we allow politics and Christianity to comingle, and try to use the government to intercede in religious affairs, it inherently weakens the church. By doing this we threaten both our democracy and the church.
No matter who is in office, whether we voted for them or not, whether they are of the political party we prefer or not, the Bible commands us to respect and honor them (Romans 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13-17). We should also be praying for those placed in authority over us (Colossians 4:2; I Thessalonians 5:17). We do not have to agree with them, or even like them, but we do have to honor and respect them. Politics is always going to be a difficult issue for Christians. We are in this world but are not to be of this world (I John 2:15). We can be involved in politics, but we should not be obsessed with politics. Ultimately, we are to be heavenly minded, more concerned with the things of God than the things of this world (Colossians 3:1-2). As believers in Jesus Christ, we are all members of the same political party—monarchists who are waiting for their King to return (Revelation 19:11-16).
In our day and age, there are many who want to drive the name and message of Christ completely out of the public arena. Voting is an opportunity to promote, protect, and preserve godly government. Passing up that opportunity means letting those who would denigrate the name of Christ have their way in our lives. The leaders we elect—or do nothing to remove—have great influence on our freedoms. They can choose to protect our first amendment right to religious freedom and the right to spread the gospel, or they can restrict those rights. They can lead our nation toward righteousness or toward moral disaster. As Christians, we should stand up and follow our command to fulfill our civic duties (Matthew 22:21).
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