"BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU." -Jesus Christ (Mat 6:33)
The relationship of Christians to politics in America is, by its nature, somewhat complicated. After all, we're not vassals of a distant Empire, or uprooted exiles--we're citizens of a country premised on the concept of us all having some measure of ability to influence the government.
So, for example, Scripture says, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities," and, "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him." (Rom 13:1; 1Pet 2:13-14) But when it says this, how are we to apply these commands to our lives when in this particular government we're afforded some measure of participatory power? Merely being "subjects" feels fatalistic, quietist, and flawed. But then putting our hopes in the American political system feels somewhat delusional and can be depressing.
So, yeah, the relationship of Christians to politics in America is somewhat complicated. Books and books, blogs and blogs, have been written to attempt to explain various nuanced ways to describe this relationship. Here are a few passages of Scripture that speak of political values and identities, to give us a uniting sense of clarity on this subject.
"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33)
Jesus states at least two facts here, relevant to our situation.
First, we are in the Kingdom of God. A Kingdom, in case this is not plain, is a political entity. It's the dominion ruled by a King, the expanse under His authority. To be a part of this Kingdom is to belong to a political reality, to owe allegiance to a governing body, to hope in a certain Lord.
(See also the charges brought against Paul in Thessalonica, "They are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." [Acts 17:7] Note: Paul doesn't correct them.)
Second, this Kingdom into which Christ has brought us is to be sought "first." No other policy, plan, program, allegiance, affiliation, or any other political status or ideal can be compared with the significance of this in the lives of Jesus' people. First and foremost, this is what matters. Regardless of whether God's people are slaves, exiles, or citizens, their first allegiance is to advance the Kingdom of God and concern themselves with doing right by Christ.
Isn't this good news?! First, because nothing that changes in the world around us changes the most important things about us! We are in the Kingdom of God! And that is a Kingdom that will never perish, never tremble, never recede, forever unto eternity! And second, because nothing that is important for us is altered by the nation-states shaking around us. We know what we seek first and foremost. We know what we do. And if we're in chains, in prisons, on job sites, in transit, in board rooms, or wherever, we do what we do. We do what Jesus has called us to do: follow Him and work for His Kingdom to advance.
"Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself." (Philippians 3:20-21)
Paul here brings Christ's words into the lived-reality of Roman citizens.
Where is our citizenship? "Our citizenship is in heaven." Who will save us? "The Lord Jesus Christ." What should we do? "Await a Savior... who will subject all things to Himself."
Jesus Christ is our Savior, and none other. We belong to Him and His Kingdom, and no other above it. And therefore, while we await His final, glorious, return and the establishment of His Kingdom for eternity, we ought to live faithful to Jesus as our Savior, to His Kingdom as our kingdom, and to His work as shaping our work--subjecting all things to Himself.
So here we gain some clarity in a complicated world.
In summary, we are to seek the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ first and foremost in all that we do, because we belong first and foremost to it, and to Him.
Whoever is President of the United States of America in a month or so, these truer and higher facts, allegiances, and obligations remain unchanged. Whatever shall be the fate of this wonderful, beautiful, American experiment in federal constitutional democratic republicanism, we know--thanks be to God--who we are, whose we are, where we're heading, and what we're to be doing.
And, I think, those knowledges are enough to keep us steady, busy, and motivated.
So, yeah, sometimes it feels complicated, being a Christian American. There are certainly other Scriptures that could be referenced and further matters to be raised in order to nuance and to explain, to discuss and to shade. Yes. Okay.
But the big things stay clear. And it's the big things that give us weatherproof foundations in an otherwise sandy, stormy, world. (Mat 7:24)
Unrelated Links:
Interviewers vs. Volunteers - I talk to people A LOT and some of those conversations "just click" and some are "challenging." Like most people, for years I've interpreted this through a selfishly biased lens--i.e. the way I related to people is good and the way "challenging" people relate is not good. So I found this article describing different conversation styles to be kind of MIND BLOWING and super helpful.
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