THE POLITICS OF A JESUS FOLLOWER
In a democracy, we have been trained to believe that when leaders make bad decisions that we have the right to resist or critique their choices. This is true, but does this conflict with our testimony as Christians? Paul wrote in Romans 13:1, “…be subject to the governing authorities…”
When Paul wrote these words, who was in power in Rome? Nero! A man who hated Christians. He had Christians rounded up, dipped in tallow, tied to stakes, and burned like candles in his garden. He set fire to Rome and blamed the Christians. This was a time when abortion was rampant, homosexuality was accepted as normal, and everyone worshiped emperors like gods. And Paul tells the believers to be subject to the governing authorities?
How do we as Christians engage with the political life of our nation? I do not propose to answer this question. Answers are focused on solving a problem. I want to give you biblical principles to help you answer this for yourself. I am not arguing for political non-involvement, but that we would make wise choices as followers of Jesus.
What are the politics of a Jesus follower?
Choose Kingdom over Nation
Paul counseled the believers in Rome, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities…” (1a). Remember that Paul was speaking of authorities that were hostile to Christianity.
Considering that his was a less than ideal situation of a Christian, the principle of what Paul is saying is universal. This means that the principle can be applied to any form of government be it a democracy, aristocracy, oligarchy, monarchy, socialist, communist, or dictatorship.
Look at the text: first we see that it is a command (imperative tense). “Let every person…” Each person is commanded to subject himself or herself to the authorities. Be subject! What Paul is exhorting the church to do is to voluntarily follow the direction of those who were in authority over them. That’s what “subject” means. It is used over fifty times in the NT and is sometimes translated “submit.” Remarkable considering the context!
If we isolated this verse and read it by itself, we may conclude that Paul is throwing us to the wolves. What’s the motivation for submitting to rulers that don’t like us? Taken with other writings of Paul we see a bigger picture. Paul also said, “But our citizenship is in heaven…” (Phil 3:20). He was not speaking of a far off and future hope; Paul was talking about a present and transformative reality. You live in the nation of Canada, but as a follower of Jesus, you really belong to the kingdom of heaven. We are a not-of-this-world kind of people and our engagement with politics ought to reflect who we are in Christ.
What does that look like? The reality that we are citizens of heaven means that, as Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:11, that we are like exiles, strangers, and foreigners in a strange land. Think of it this way: You take a trip to Mexico for a vacation. You are Canadian, not Mexican. So, the laws of Mexico don’t apply to you right? Wrong. As someone traveling through, you obey the laws of the land even if you are not from Mexico. I live then as a tourist in this world; I live as someone passing through in Canada.
When we choose kingdom over nation, we are putting ourselves under the Lordship of Jesus Christ (King Jesus). I am a Christian first - a Canadian second.
Choose Theology Over Ideology
Paul gave the Roman church a strong motivation for subjecting themselves to the governing authorities. He said, “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment,” (1b-2).
God gives rulers their authority. Government is a gift from God. Government provides order instead of chaos. Even bad governments provide order. When Jesus was being questioned by Pilate, Jesus remained silent. Pilate responded to this silence saying, “Don’t you know I have the authority to release you or crucify you?” Finally, Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me unless it had been given you from above,” (John 19:10-11).
I admit that this picture is confusing. Jesus is the Son of God. But as a man, he submits himself to the authority of a man who uses his authority badly. Pilate abuses his power, but Jesus submits to it because, as he testifies, God has given Pilate the authority even if he misuses it. The ideology of Rome is that might makes right. The strong rule the weak. But Jesus submitted to Pilate's authority
An ideology is a system of ideals and values that form the basis of a political platform. We live in a country where the ideology is one of democracy – a government of the people, for the people (to borrow US lingo). We have a multiple-party system each with a unique ideology under that main ideology.
As followers of Jesus, we choose the ideology that we think will solve our nation’s problems. Typically, evangelicals vote conservative because they seem to share most of our values. However, if you give yourself to a particular ideology, that party’s platform may begin to shape your worldview more than the Bible does. It may even change how you view the Bible.
God gives rulers their authority so that there will be order in the world. But we must be a people who value the theology (that is, what we believe; what scripture says about God and life) over and above the ideology of a party.
Choose Christian Witness Over Political Power
A second motivation is given for submitting to governing authorities: “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer,” (3-4).
Note the words in this text: terror, fear, afraid, sword, avenger, and wrath. Now consider the mission that Jesus has given us: to make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. What did Jesus command us? To love our enemies; to love our neighbors; to love each other. Two different missions are pictured here. There is a conflict then between politics of this world and the politics of Jesus.
In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul states that “…we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us…”The appeal is to be reconciled to God through Christ. In all I do, as a follower of Jesus, I am called to be a representative of God’s truth in this world. Your mission as a Christian is to reconcile people to God. Can you do that while being partisan?
The church today has swallowed the fallacy that to change the world, we need to elect Christians to positions of power. Yes, that helps. But we ignore the scriptural mandate that God has given us the church as a change agent in the world. God has chosen the church to change the world. As agents of God’s transforming power and wisdom, we may find ourselves at odds with the political party that we follow. Whom do we identify with? Do we choose God or party?
Imagine that you are a magistrate in 1526 in Switzerland. You love Jesus, but you are a middling official in the local government. Some upstarts have just baptized some adults in a nearby river. This is illegal. As an official you are tasked with arresting and prosecuting these rebels. Maybe you will even have to execute them.
Imagine that you are an RCMP officer who loves Jesus during the late pandemic and a church is not obeying the rules.
Imagine that as a politician who loves Jesus you are involved in creating a law that conflicts with biblical values....
Choose Influence Over Susceptibility
Verse 5 repeats verse 1 and summarizes the two motivations we just talked about. “Therefore, one must be in subjection not only to avoid God’s wrath, but also for the sake of conscience,” (5). The word that stands out is “conscience.”
The principle is this: we should be subject to the government not only because it is for our good, but also because it is right. You know the illustration of the boy told to stand in a corner but mumbles that he is sitting in his heart? Paul uses the word “subjection” again and it has to do with the heart attitude. It focuses on the attitude of the individual which leads to obedience. It recognizes authority; it includes respect; and it implies a spirit that seeks to understand the perspective and purpose of the one who is over me. There’s no “sitting” allowed in the heart with this principle.
We submit for the sake of conscience. A pastor was asked to speak in another church, and he was running late. He was driving about 20 clicks over the speed limit, when suddenly he remembered he had a Christian bumper sticker on his car. The pastor’s conscience lit up. What would the people I pass think as I whip past them going over the speed limit? he thought. So, he pulled off the road, ripped off the bumper sticker, and kept speeding.
As a follower of Jesus, do I influence others as a good citizen, or do I compromise for the sake of a goal? Christian political engagement will ask you to consider who you partner with in reaching those goals. Paul said, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers…” (2 Cor. 6:14). When we are “yoked” (image of two oxen pulling a plow) with a party or a political group, we can become susceptible to ungodly influence. We may be asked to compromise our faith for a cause that others deem to be good for the community.
Choose influence over susceptibility. What greater influence is there in our political climate than that of prayer? (read 1Timothy 2:1-2).
Choose Trust Over Panic
Paul’s final counsel to the church in Rome may strike you as odd. It seems that there must have been some question as to whether Christians ought to pay taxes to support a regime that was not only anti-Christian but bent on world domination. If there was any question, Paul puts it to rest saying, “For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes…revenue…respect…honor,” (6-7).
You may have heard discussions about whether we as nonviolent believers ought to pay taxes that support the military. Or if you don’t agree with the provincial curriculum for school, can you withhold the school tax? Paul would say, “pay it!” How can Paul advocate paying taxes?
What’s the rationale for paying taxes? This attitude requires of us a certain degree of trust that God is sovereign over the people in charge and that God will make it right when those people misuse their authority. Ultimately, whoever is in office, we must remember that God is on his throne. Can we trust God when the politics of our province or nation deviate from God’s good purposes? We must! This is our testimony: we believe that God is sovereign even when people govern badly.
Panic was the response when Peter took his eyes off Jesus as he walked on water. When he saw the waves, it through him off. We see the waves of ungodliness in government and in society and we panic. Panic is how we respond when the government proposes to spend money on programs that the church opposes. From Peter’s experience, it is better that we keep our eyes on Jesus, the King who is coming to set all things right.
What are the politics of a Jesus follower? Is it even proper to talk about Christianity and politics in the same sentence?
Christianity is political because Jesus was a political figure. But his politic was a higher standard than the world’s politic. And he called his followers to live by this higher standard of politic.
Lee Camp said that the primary task of the Christian community is not to be a so-called religious gathering concerned with souls floating off into the afterlife, nor is it to be a sort of spiritualized yoga class helping individuals find existential peace with themselves. The primary task of the church is to embody and bear witness to the end of history, an all-encompassing reality that has already broken into the world (the coming kingdom of God). The primary task of the church is to be an alternative politic. (In Jesus Creed blog by Scot McKnight commenting on Lee Camp’s book Scandalous Witness).
At the same time, be subject to the governing authorities, Paul said. Peter echoed Paul’s command and affirmed that being good citizens of the nation you live in is a witness to others. Peter said, “For this is the will of God that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people,” (1 Peter 2:15).
Living as a good Canadian citizen reveals in part that you are an even better citizen of Christ’s heavenly Kingdom.
AMEN
Outline and some content adapted from Christians and Politics: 5 Principles for Christian Interaction with the Political World by Paul Huyghebaert on Renew.Org.
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