I have been reluctant to post on the political turmoil that is taking place right now but I feel that the time has come to shed some light on what Jesus said about this…
The focus of a Christian is Jesus and Him crucified, to expand the Kingdom of God, to show the love of Christ, to do the work of the ministry. This is why; Paul states in 2 Timothy 2:
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”
He then sums it up by saying: “Keep your attention on Jesus Christ as risen from the dead and descended from David.”
Why? Because God places those in leadership to achieve His own purpose and to fulfill scripture. “Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1) Now it is to note that this is not a blanket statement as some have tried to claim. We follow the laws of the government as long as they are not in opposition to God’s Word. If it becomes opposed to God’s Word, not only do we have permission but a duty to not obey. Our allegiance is first to Christ, not a nation. As long as that nation’s laws are in agreement with the Scriptures, we obey and live peaceably, when it does not, we do not obey. The proof of this is right in Scripture. If we were to blindly follow government laws irrespective of whether they line up with the Word of God, then Jesus, the Apostles, the Church, and the Old Testament Prophets were in sin because they all disobeyed the governing rulers. But our not submitting is not to riot and protest, it is simply to not submit.
This also does not mean that the one that is in office is “God’s man” simply because they agree with most of what we want. Nor does it mean that the one that was put in office is illegitimate because God’s will was to have a ruler that Christians agree with and His will was somehow usurped because our guy was not elected or placed in office. We have truly started adhering to a false doctrine of “Christian Nationalist” rather than being of Him. Have we dangerously made nationalism an idol, thinking our comfort is of God?
So, this last passage of Romans 13:1 says that God placed them there. That means it is to His end that He places rulers and those rulers are not always Godly or even good. They can be evil. Why? Because how the end will take place according to God’s Word will indeed take place.
Did Jesus not say in Mark 13:7-8: “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed; these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.”
Did He not say: “Then they will hand you over for persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name. Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:9-12) (This is a continuation of what was being said above in Mark 13.)
For the Church He said: “In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12) Scripture explicitly states that we, who are His, WILL suffer persecution for living Godly and yet we seem to think that our comfort is God’s will for us in this country and anytime there is a challenge or chance that comfort is removed, we beg God, misquote the scripture for “Healing our land” and think our comfort and wealth equal Godliness. This idea is so much of a departure from Scripture that it is mind boggling that we Christians believe this.
The end WILL take place as He sovereignly has said it would. That being so, how should we respond to political turmoil? We focus on Intimacy with our Abba Father. We are to know Him and stay in peace and focus on the Kingdom rather than world.
Am I saying that we should not have a political opinion or that we should never state it? No, I am not saying that. In the pulpit we should not preach politics. We can preach Scripture and righteousness as it applies to when making a decision of who to vote for. But we are not political activist nor should we be perceived to be one. There is a big difference between being a political activist and speaking of righteous behavior and character. We should also vote for the one that more closely aligns with Scriptural character. We do not simply leave the truth of Scripture at the door when entering the voting booth to vote for the one who promises to give us the most stuff.
To conclude; As Christians we vote for who aligns with the Word of God but we proclaim the Word and righteousness, not a candidate. But we also remember that God installs those leaders that He will use to fulfill His Word and Scriptural end. Understanding that how the end takes place, it should not be a surprise to realize that good people are not always going to be placed in power. But we should take comfort that we are His and we live outside of these worldly concerns. We have His life in us, His peace and joy. Our focus is Him and to know Him.
The focus of a Christian is Jesus and Him crucified, to expand the Kingdom of God, to show the love of Christ, to do the work of the ministry. This is why; Paul states in 2 Timothy 2:
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”
He then sums it up by saying: “Keep your attention on Jesus Christ as risen from the dead and descended from David.”
Why? Because God places those in leadership to achieve His own purpose and to fulfill scripture. “Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1) Now it is to note that this is not a blanket statement as some have tried to claim. We follow the laws of the government as long as they are not in opposition to God’s Word. If it becomes opposed to God’s Word, not only do we have permission but a duty to not obey. Our allegiance is first to Christ, not a nation. As long as that nation’s laws are in agreement with the Scriptures, we obey and live peaceably, when it does not, we do not obey. The proof of this is right in Scripture. If we were to blindly follow government laws irrespective of whether they line up with the Word of God, then Jesus, the Apostles, the Church, and the Old Testament Prophets were in sin because they all disobeyed the governing rulers. But our not submitting is not to riot and protest, it is simply to not submit.
This also does not mean that the one that is in office is “God’s man” simply because they agree with most of what we want. Nor does it mean that the one that was put in office is illegitimate because God’s will was to have a ruler that Christians agree with and His will was somehow usurped because our guy was not elected or placed in office. We have truly started adhering to a false doctrine of “Christian Nationalist” rather than being of Him. Have we dangerously made nationalism an idol, thinking our comfort is of God?
So, this last passage of Romans 13:1 says that God placed them there. That means it is to His end that He places rulers and those rulers are not always Godly or even good. They can be evil. Why? Because how the end will take place according to God’s Word will indeed take place.
Did Jesus not say in Mark 13:7-8: “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed; these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.”
Did He not say: “Then they will hand you over for persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name. Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:9-12) (This is a continuation of what was being said above in Mark 13.)
For the Church He said: “In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12) Scripture explicitly states that we, who are His, WILL suffer persecution for living Godly and yet we seem to think that our comfort is God’s will for us in this country and anytime there is a challenge or chance that comfort is removed, we beg God, misquote the scripture for “Healing our land” and think our comfort and wealth equal Godliness. This idea is so much of a departure from Scripture that it is mind boggling that we Christians believe this.
The end WILL take place as He sovereignly has said it would. That being so, how should we respond to political turmoil? We focus on Intimacy with our Abba Father. We are to know Him and stay in peace and focus on the Kingdom rather than world.
Am I saying that we should not have a political opinion or that we should never state it? No, I am not saying that. In the pulpit we should not preach politics. We can preach Scripture and righteousness as it applies to when making a decision of who to vote for. But we are not political activist nor should we be perceived to be one. There is a big difference between being a political activist and speaking of righteous behavior and character. We should also vote for the one that more closely aligns with Scriptural character. We do not simply leave the truth of Scripture at the door when entering the voting booth to vote for the one who promises to give us the most stuff.
To conclude; As Christians we vote for who aligns with the Word of God but we proclaim the Word and righteousness, not a candidate. But we also remember that God installs those leaders that He will use to fulfill His Word and Scriptural end. Understanding that how the end takes place, it should not be a surprise to realize that good people are not always going to be placed in power. But we should take comfort that we are His and we live outside of these worldly concerns. We have His life in us, His peace and joy. Our focus is Him and to know Him.
