This is the second in a series surrounding the question “Should Christians be involved in politics?”
Jesus in His Day and We in Ours
If we look at Jesus’ stand regarding politics in His day, we will see that He took quite an extreme political position. He basically challenged the existing ruling power by announcing a new government – that is the Kingdom of God – and He Himself as head of it. The Jews were living under the government of the Roman Empire. People could worship the gods of their choice, so long as they also worshiped the Roman Caesar (a man), who was seen as their god. Refusing to worship Caesar (the Emperor) was seen as an act of treason, which was punishable by death. That is why so many early Christians were persecuted by the Roman State, not because they were involved in various religions, but because the Roman authorities saw their religion as a threat to the state. The official religion of the day was Emperor worship, this meant that it was a political offence to not worship the Roman state. Christians were burned at the stake and eaten by wild animals because it was perceived that they were involved in crimes of treason.
Jesus stated that He, and not Caesar, had all authority in heaven and earth. His disciples understood that God’s Laws took precedence over Caesar’s laws. In other words, He challenged the political and spiritual authority of the most powerful government in the world at that time. Jesus told us to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God the things which are God’s. The Bible makes it very clear (as in Acts 5) that when man’s law violates God’s Law, then we are to obey God rather than man.
Jesus’ disciples did not get involved in politics, not because they were prohibited from doing so, but because Rome was not a democratic country. Political involvement, as we are familiar with it today, did not exist. Jesus proposed a higher Law and a new King, and First Century Christians were prepared to sacrifice their lives for Him.
The question remains – does God expect us to become involved in politics today? What do we mean by ‘political’? Today it’s perceived as the practice of government in the civil arena, usually referring to involvement and influencing those who govern. If we are to minister to people’s needs, then obviously we have to deal with social problems. How do we accomplish this without getting involved in politics? How do we take care of the poor, the widows and the orphans? This is a perfect example of why Christians should influence government officials because the poor are usually impacted first by changes in the economy, and these changes are generally brought about by new laws and policies established by government.
Government policies can protect unborn babies, protect women and children from the exploitation through pornography, can either proliferate or restrict sex and violence on television, domestic violence and child abuse can be corrected by the passing of godly laws.
Governments govern people and can determine if we are going to live in freedom or oppression. Most importantly, government will, by establishment of laws, decide whether we worship God freely or under persecution. The standard of morality is set by the laws that are established and enforced.
When God’s Law comes into conflict with man’s law, then we as Christians need to obey God’s Law above man’s law. In 1 Timothy 2:1-4 we are instructed to pray for God’s wisdom and for direction for our leaders so that we might “live peaceable and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Saviour who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.”
God uses godly men and women in government to carry out His will. If the moral, righteous people of our country do not take their responsibility in government, then we leave the doors open for our nation to be governed by the wicked and immoral.
Christians, like the English statesmen, William Wilberforce, have been instrumental in leading the fight to abolish slavery. Christians brought about correction of child labor abuses, reformed insane asylums, worked in prisons, and are still working and making an impact on every level of society. Christians established thousands of missions around the world including orphanages, schools, hospitals and medical clinics. Christians have led the way in bringing literacy and modern sanitation to multiplied millions of people around the world. All these reforms were brought about by social action of godly men.
Yes, Christians need to be represented in government. Here are some ways you can get involved in the process:
1. Christians need to pray every day for its leaders.
2. We need to register to vote.
3. We need to be informed regarding where the various parties stand on moral/Biblical issues.
4. We need to select, elect and actively support godly men and women, who are prepared to stand for public office, making our selection and election on where each candidate stands on moral/Biblical issues, not by political party.
5. We need to vote on every Election Day – whether municipal or national.
The 18th century Irish statesman, philosopher and political theorist, Edmund Burke, said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” I hope I’m not one of the ones he’s referring to.
Tagged: Christians in culture, domestic violence, elections and voting, Jesus
