Are You Living... All In?

Once upon a time on a quaint little farm, there was a pig and a chicken. They were well looked after by the farmer and really appreciated how he always gave them their favorite foods and made their homes clean and comfortable. One day, the chicken was talking to the pig and said, “Did you know that Mr. Farmer is having a birthday this week?” The pig replied, “No, I didn’t. We should do something nice for him.“ The chicken and the pig went on with their day trying to think of a gift for Mr. Farmer.

As they admired the sun setting over the hills, the chicken said, “I’ve got a grand idea! Let’s do a nice breakfast for Mr. Farmer!” The pig got a little nervous when he heard this idea. “Er… a breakfast you say?” The chicken replied, “Sure, it would be lovely! Think of how Mr.Farmer will enjoy starting his morning off with a plate of eggs and bacon from us.” The pig felt even more nervous now, after all, he really did love the farmer and wanted to do something special for him. Seeing that the chicken wasn’t thinking of a “continental breakfast” the pig pressed the chicken, “Now hang on a moment... it’s not that easy for me the participate in this gift you want to give Mr. Farmer!   All you have to do is lay some eggs and go on about your day with a smile... for me, this is an “all in” commitment... I have to die to put [my] bacon on Mr. Farmer's plate!”

Cute and familiar story about the idea of what it means to be “all in”.  Now, think about it as an analogy to your life as a Christian. Suddenly it’s a tougher consideration than you might have first thought.  The knee-jerk reaction for most of us is that we’re absolutely the pig. Fully committed and fully passionate about what we do as Christians.  Are you really the pig, or is putting the “bacon” on the table a bit beyond what you might be willing to do?  It seems the real test is determined by our attitude and our actions. 

All In.  In the card game of poker, it could mean wagering one's entire stake, all the money you have, to the last penny.  The most concise, efficient meaning... All things having been taken into account, nothing held back, no reserves.

All in all, when first coined, was a reference to the omnipresent and all-pervasive nature of Almighty God, i.e. 'all things in all places'. The phrase comes from 1 Corinthians 15:28, which says... When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

There are numerous references in the Bible addressing the Christian’s commitment in various aspects of living: to our families, our neighbors, employers, the church, our health, and in “all things” what we do and say (Ephesians 6:5; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 31). The Bible also teaches that the chief commitment of our lives is to God Himself. Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38).

ALL your soul... ALL your mind?  Jesus is telling us in those powerful words that every fiber of our being, every facet of our lives must be fully, totally, completely committed to loving and serving God. This means that we can hold nothing back from Him because God holds nothing back from us (John 3:16).

Jesus has made it plain what’s involved in the cost of discipleship... “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). In essence, the true cost of commitment to Christ is one’s total self-denial, cross-bearing –– following God no matter what happens in your life.  

These imperatives paint a vivid picture for us of personal sacrifice, selflessness, and service. A cross epitomized the ultimate punishment and humiliation (Galatians 3:13). More than that, it fully demonstrated the love of God (Romans 5:8)—selfless and sacrificial in the giving of His life for the world (Matthew 20:28).

It was the apostle Paul who exemplified the Lord’s example of commitment to sacrifice and service. when he said: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

So... what do you think, are you the chicken or the pig? Hesitating makes sense, but not for your entire life.  You must get on board with God's expectations, or risk your promise of eternal life. There’s a lot we are responsible for in meeting God’s expectations for our lives in relationship to Him.  Living Christian is a life long learning and growing experience of making steady progress.

Total commitment to God means that Jesus is our sole authority, our guiding light, our unerring compass.  However, instead of getting stuck in fear at what could happen, neither moving or growing in Christ, use your time of hesitation to think about how you can do the little things that will boost your “all in attitude”.  Remember, “he who is faithful in small things, will be faithful in the bigs ones when they come.” (Luke 16:10)  Your conscience will reveal your current level of commitment and help you determine how much action you will need to move your lifestyle and attitude into closer harmony with God.

Being committed to Christ means being fruitful... it means being a servant.   As Christians, our axiom is simple and succinct... “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).¨

How You See GOD... is the Way You See the CHURCH

God expects the Church, the Body of Christ, to be viewed with awe, and if we aren’t viewing it that way, then we aren’t seeing it properly. Among those who first saw the new born Church, there was a transition that took place in spirit and attitude. It was reported that those early believers "were filled with awe" when they saw the Church. Something very dramatic happened in their lives to the extent that they all abandoned their separate lives and were united together and had everything in common. It’s not just, "Yeah, yeah, I know. They loved Jesus and sometimes hung out together." They gave their life to the Messiah who they realized had come to save their souls. They repented of acts and attitudes that lead to division, strife and conflict. 

Something else happened, too. They were devoted to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to prayer, and to the breaking of bread—all these things have to do with other people and have to do with the Church. They instantly had a regard for the Household of God as something much more than a loose-knit affiliation of people who each believed in God. 

Fellowship... bearing with one another... was not just about praying for patience and strength to accept those you had a hard time accepting, it was about recognizing that even when hurt by others, this "Christian thing" is not about me, or you. or even us.  Its about living in the Spirit, being lead and influenced by the power of God, refusing to allow the standards of the world to permeate our views of one another.  These other people, those who hurt us... well, they are Christians, too and living under the same "grace" you are. So what do you do when faced with that uncomfortable reality?  Certainly you have choices... but the only right choice is to live for God, and not judge your fellow Christian, who is also living for God. 

True Love Expresses Itself among believers...

If there is someone you love desperately, such as your spouse and children, what does your mind and your heart want to do? You have to find some way to express that love. If you love someone, your mind is going to be creatively finding ways to express it by always thinking, “How could I do something special for them that would make them smile or take a load off their shoulders? How could I creatively find a way to get into their heart, into their life and to just do something special, with no need for anything in return? I just want to give.”  

When you really love someone, you just want to give. That's the way it is with God, and HIS Church. If you really love God, there is no way you can draw some line between loving Him and expressing a lesser love among fellow Christians. You must have the same love and zeal God has for the body of Christ. If you really want to serve Him, there aren't a lot of ways to do that with a God whom you can't touch, and whom no one has seen or can see. So how can you wash His feet, so to speak? What other ways do you have to love Him if you don't love and forgive your fellow Christians for being hurtful, ignorant and sometimes just plain stupid?  

Let's not kid ourselves, this is a very simple Biblical concept, a requirement actually.  We can't escape responsibility for loving and accepting one another unconditionally. It's not a deep, far-fetched concept, but Christians despise this reality in the Body of Christ. When conflict emerges among fellow Christians, we despise this idea of being joined one to another, of being members of one another. These are gruesome terms to people who want to live selfish lives. What does God see?  Its obvious, if we reject one another then we have no love for Him.  We are consumed by our own hurt feelings and we miss entirely our responsibility to one another and ultimately to God. 

It's easy to call oneself a "Christian" but NOT at all easy to live what it means. No one wants to be hurt and become a slave to others even to the point of death if necessary... especially for those  who have done hurtful and maybe even despicable things because of their station in the congregation.  God's answer is simple... just do it... forgive.  HE says... "Do it with a genuine heart and keep on doing it until the day you die and I will be sustain you and glorify you for your goodness shown to your fellow Christian brother or sister who hurt you."  What more could you desire?

This is when I usually say "get over yourself" and focus your eyes not on the one who offended you, but upward.  Wait!  That is what I am saying!  Whoever you are, its not about you, its about how you as a Christian allow God to use you to defeat the enemy Satan, who wants to ruin your walk with Christ over trivial things, especially disputes and grievances among brothers.  

And yes, whatever offense has been done to you, it is a trivial thing when compared to what God has set before us.  Focus upward on the coming of Jesus.  Being ready means bearing with one another, carrying one another, forgiving one another and ignoring most of what is said to us and done to us, in favor of reaching the prize that awaits each of us for a race well run.

God's forgiveness is conditional... ours is unconditional

God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins, so that we may be reconciled to Him, without spot or blemish.  That incredible “act of love” was His choice.  It opened the door to forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation with Him.   What does He expect of us?  He asks that we extend to others the same forgiveness that He paid for us at the cross.  

God's love is unconditional, but God's forgiveness is conditional. It's remarkable how stark the contrast is. God's love is for every person in all the world all the time, and he has extended himself in that act of love through Jesus Christ. But whether or not we receive forgiveness of sin is a conditional act based on how we respond to His love. We've done nothing to merit that love, but there is a response to it that determines whether or not that forgiveness will be ours.  

First John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." In Luke 24, Jesus' instructions to the newborn church are to preach the repentance and remission of sin. Repentance means confession, agreeing with God concerning that sin, and then turning from it. These sins are paid for by Jesus, but the appropriation of that forgiveness is conditional on confession and repentance.  

The forgiven recognize that forgiveness is dimensional. One of the conditions of forgiveness is to confess our sins. The second of the conditions is to forgive as surely as we have been forgiven, as it says in the Lord's Prayer: "And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us."  There is a linkage. When you realize your own personal debt, you have mercy on those who are indebted to you. "Forgive us" is not a mantra to be repeated; it's something to be experienced as a change in the way we think and live. The absence of forgiveness gums up the possibility of redemption being fully experienced. Failure to forgive brings bondage and despair.  

In Matthew 18, Jesus talks about the master who forgave a servant a massive debt. As soon as that servant was forgiven the debt, he began to wring the necks of those who owed him money. As a result, the master took that servant and threw him into jail. In the same way, Jesus says, if you do not forgive those who have sinned against you, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your sins. There's a conditional place of, "Lord, forgive us our sins and those who have sinned against us as well. Lord, let the experience of my forgiveness now be experienced by others who have become indebted to me." So it is that God's forgiveness is conditional. 

Think about this... the reason your life in Christian fellowship may not be working as well as you would like or hoped, could be because you are holding unforgiveness in such a way that it has gummed up your personal relationship with the Father.    

It isn't that God doesn't love you, but He's waiting for you to say, "I give up, and I forgive."  

The Greatest of Life’s Challenges.... Forgiving others

If people say that there's no time like the present , they believe that it is far better to do something now than to leave it for later, in which case it might never get done.  Oh ya?  I’ll show you!

Mark Twain said... "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow." 

Honey, weren't you going to put up the Christmas lights this weekend?’ ‘No‥Next weekend, Dear! Never put off till tomorrow what you can put off till next weekend!’

Human nature seems to dove-tail very nicely with these humorous expressions.  We delay decisions, avoid confronting difficult situations and postpone bad news as long as we can.  We procrastinate about most everything in our lives at one time or another.  Saving for retirement… we’ll start next year.  Planning for the kids college education… they’re young, let’s worry about that when they’re a bit older.  Next thing you know,,, time has run out and you find yourself between the proverbial rock and hard place.  

No single issue of human living is more delayed and procrastinated...than that of dealing with those we’ve offended or coming to peace with those who have hurt us.  The most challenging act of forgiveness.

During this Christmas season, when we focus on the greatest act of forgiveness that has even been, the birth, life and death of Jesus, we do well to contemplate why forgiveness is so hard to do.

Being unwilling to forgive, avoiding the situations that caused divisions between Christians becomes an obstacle to our fully embracing and being empowered to exhibit unconditional love for others.  Forgiving others frees us to experience God's full redemption and hope.   

There’s no time like the present to forgive.  Sometime the barriers that hobble us from dealing with our pain and hurt are deeply embedded in our souls.  

There could be things in your life, things you’ve done that you wish would never have happened.  At the time your choices seemed okay, maybe even right, but as time unfolded you see the consequences of those choices are not so good.  Maybe you went through a season of rebellion and struggled with sin. Rebellion is something many of us have walked our way through, but when you're done bashing your head against the wall, it feels good to stop. Even after you tire of rebelliousness behavior, you soon realize the issues that drove you to the rebellion are still present in your soul.  That almost always manifests as anger and frustration.  

Anger and frustration come from never being able to win something, overcome something, or aspire to a goal.  For many of us, it comes from not being insync with our Christians brothers and sisters.  What does that mean?  Simple said, we all grow in Christ differently at different paces.  We see things differently than our fellow Christians... more intensely, less intensely.  

We must recognize that our wounds and hurts caused by another Christian are not intended malice.  Hurts are unintentionally inflicted because the offending person didn't value the things in your spiritual life that were important to you.  Or, they valued them differently.   We are all growing in Christ at different paces and will therefore value Spiritual things differently. As a result of that reality we will find ourselves wounded from time to time.  It’s okay... that’s why God gave us the great power of love and forgiveness... to deal with the many relationship and perception gaps that will invariably exist in Christian community.

If you will read Luke 7:40-50, you will see that forgiveness is central to our capacity to love and ultimately forgive unconditionally. Jesus is speaking to one of the Pharisees, who has invited him to his house for dinner. A woman has come to anoint Jesus. This is the conversation that follows:  

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’  So he said, ‘Teacher, say it.’  

‘There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii, and the other 50. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered and said, ‘I suppose the one whom he forgave more.’   And he said to him, ‘You have rightly judged.’ Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many …’” 

You can feel the compassion. Jesus says, "her sins, which are many"— which are bringing about the flow of tears you see here, the sense of devastation over what's taken place in her life, her sense of hopelessness that she finds herself completely guilty and without excuse, washing his feet with her tears—"are forgiven."  What an awesome, gentle, loving statement by Jesus, her Savior. He continues:  "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."  

Why don’t we more easily forgive?  Simple answer... because we want to retain control.  Forgiveness can be about big issues and little issues, things of central value to our lives and little things that happen to get in the way. In fact, those little things can lead to big things, because the presence of personal pain that requires forgiveness sometimes can go undetected for years, partly because of the way we learn to compensate for it.   

Little things have the potential of knocking big things off course. When we pray about forgiveness, it is appropriate to say, "Lord, not only deal with the core issues of my being but also with the things that accumulate, the little things that get in the way."  ALWAYS, always make it about you not the other person.  It’s you, your capacity to love and forgive that is central in your relationship withy God.  Focus on yourself and your attitude.

Notice what Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  And those who sat at the table with him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Who can forgive sins except God? Who is this guy? Who does he think he is? Only God can forgive sin.  That's exactly right. The Pharisees got it right. Only God can forgive sins. And that's who's talking to the woman, pronouncing forgiveness of sin... God! 

You would think these leaders would have said.... "What a marvelous statement. Sins can be forgiven. Isn't that wonderful? If her sins can be forgiven, mine can be forgiven." You would think they would be excited about it, but they're not. They presume Jesus is moving outside his place to pronounce forgiveness.  They also exhibit an outrage related to forgiveness, because, after all, forgiveness is dangerous stuff: If Jesus starts forgiving people, we'll lose our place as the leaders of Israel to determine who and when and how forgiveness will be extended. We want to have the power to determine who gets forgiven and how and where and when. We can't have people getting forgiven simply by going to God on their own.  

The issue of unforgiveness in many personal experiences is directly related to this. We want to retain our control.   There is power and a sense of security in control, albeit a false sense.  If people get forgiven for the horrible things they've done to us, we wonder if they'll do it again. Or maybe we'll lose the right to manipulate and control them by reminding them: "You really did hurt me. You made my life a mess, and you need to continue to compensate for that the rest of your natural life."  The power of unforgiveness controls the situation. 

Jesus has broken the power of unforgiveness, because he has demonstrated God’s willingness a and desire to forgive our sins. Sins are forgiven for a reason. Our sins have been purchased. Luke 23:34 says, "Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.'"  Jesus, who is God in the flesh, has made a statement that the authority to forgive sin is based on what the Son of God has done on the cross. The forgiveness that is extended in the Gospels looks forward to the day that all sins would be forgiven, when Jesus would mount the cross of his own volition and his blood would flow for the sacrifice for our sins. It's a reflection of God's justice.  

This isn't a matter of Jesus saying, "By the way, you're forgiven. God's got a year-end clearance sale on forgiveness.... it's a two-for-one special. Two of your sins for one of God's forgivenesses tokens.  Make your purchase before New Years Day. That's when the sale ends." God said that the wages of sin is death, and all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And as a result of that, a death sentence has been placed against each one of us—for big sins and little sins, many sins and few sins. The price is still the same. The wages of sin is death.  Jesus paid that price for all of us. He was born into this world to die for our sins... to teach us to love and to forgive one another.  He went to the cross willingly, took our place, yours and mine, and said, "Father, forgive them."  

God's love and justice together on the cross—the justice that says, "this needs to be paid for"; the love that says, "I'm making it available free of charge to all those who will believe." So it is that this is a matter of grace. Jesus has done everything we need. Forgiveness has been purchased on our behalf. It is a matter of love. All we need to do is receive it on the terms in which it was given. God so loved us that we should love him.  

Okay, I’m sure you’ve heard all this umpteen times.  So, how do we not forgive one another?  Forgiving... is loving one another, accepting one another for who we are, valuing the things that are important to the other person,and accepting each other’s pace of growth in Christ.  It’s growing together harmoniously in Christian Community.

NEXT TIME:  God’s Forgiveness is Conditional

Christmas... the Wisdom of God

What a comfort to know God is all-wise, choosing the absolute best in every single decision. This attribute is particularly evident in His careful execution of the details surrounding the birth of Jesus. At the beginning of time, God the Father was already preparing to send His Son into the world at exactly the right moment and under perfect circumstances.  

An Angelic Announcement—The declaration of the Messiah’s arrival came from the lips of an angel rather than a common man. Therefore, the shepherds who heard had no reason to disbelieve the truth or to keep it to themselves. They did not stand around, debating and philosophizing about the news; they spread the word among friends and family, as God knew they would.

The Virgin Birth—In order to be perfectly sinless so that He could die for our wrongdoing, the Savior could not be the product of a human union. Instead, the Father used a miracle to wrap the Son in flesh but still preserve His divinity.

His Manger Bed—A palace is a fitting birthplace for a king, but a stable is the perfect spot for the arrival of the sacrificial Lamb of God.  Jesus’ humble beginnings make Him more accessible to every man, rich or poor.

A Perfect Name—The name Jesus was frequently used in those days, which fit the Lord’s desire to be associated with the common man. Even more fitting is the name’s meaning: Jehovah’s deliverer. Jesus’ name stated the reason for His coming— His purpose was to deliver mankind from the penalty of sin. 

If personal faith plays a major role in a family’s life, then observance of Jesus’ birthday will reflect the depth of their beliefs. But all too often, we see people drifting away from celebrating Christmas for its true meaning. Whether through indifference, ignorance, or deception, culture is heading down the path of least resistance—away from God and all that is sacred.

The prevailing attitude today, even in some churches, is that Christmas is secular rather than religious. There is frequently more interest in exchanging gifts than in sharing the Good News of this special day. Many people prefer the more “tolerant” word holiday as a substitute for Christmas. But believers should not think this way. As Christ-followers who realize that our eternal future is in the Savior’s hand, we need to know and demonstrate the difference between a holiday and a holy day.

Christmas is a commemoration of the historic moment when God became man in order to live among us. The creator and sustainer of life died on a cross so that we could live sinless in a sin-filled world before the Father. If we have experienced the amazing grace of Jesus Christ, we certainly have cause to celebrate. And we have reason to share our faith with as many people as possible—in that way, their joy on this day can be as full and rich as our own.

We cannot allow ourselves to drift into a materialistic view of Christmas along with the rest of the world. In a month of colored lights and glowing candles, we should be burning brighter than ever as His “light” to the world. 

The True Meaning of Christmas, won't be found at a Shopping Mall

The 2012 Christmas shopping season is off to a very fast start this year.   Retail stores opened late on Thanksgiving eve for the first time with enticing deals too good to pass up.  Then there’s the traditional onslaught of shoppers hitting the stores before dawn on Black Friday, and now the day after has been dubbed small Business Saturday, lest we forget the bargains offered at the independent stores outside the big malls and then there’s the pinnacle of frenetic shopping... Cyber Monday when everyone goes online and buys and buys and buys until carpel tunnel syndrome cripples the mouse hand.

Shopping, buying stuff for family and friends, has become the defining characteristic of the Holiday season. It’s not Christmas anymore... it’s a secular shopping frenzy.  The true meaning of December 25th is waning in the hearts and minds and many.  Jesus, the Christ?  Who’s that?  What’s he got to do with a 52” flat screen TV at the unbelievable price of $299?

The evidence is all around us... the growing use of “Season’s Greetings!” or “Happy Holidays!” rather than “Merry Christmas!” Businesses and individuals who prefer not to mention Christmas claim they don’t want to offend anyone who is not a Christian.  I say that if the traditional words containing Christ’s name offend, then so be it. People who understand the authentic meaning of Christmas will not worry about displeasing others; they will simply be thankful that they have a Savior to honor, proclaim and share with the world.  

Christmas is a celebration of the historic moment when God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ for the purpose of redeeming sinful man. This story begins not in a manger, but rather in Adam and Eve’s garden. There, the Lord initiated a plan that included a genealogical line that would remain unbroken throughout centuries of human suffering, slavery, famine, and turbulence, ultimately leading to the arrival of the long promised Messiah.

From the beginning of time, God prepared the world for Christ’s arrival and the impact his presence would have on humanity then, now and forevermore. Roman conquests placed men like Caesar Augustus in charge—his call for a census served God’s purposes by leading Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, where the prophesied Messiah was to be born. (Micah 5:2) And Rome’s influence also led to a network of roads, which years later would enable the Apostle Paul and many others to spread the Good News of the risen Jesus Christ to the known world.

God arranged all of this so that at just the right time, Jesus Christ could arrive on earth as a human baby who would grow up to be our Savior, dying for mankind’s sins. We should be truly thankful for Christmas!   God’s gift to humanity lasts forever, has eternal benefits and keeps on giving.

The Message of Christmas (Luke 2:1-20)

The message of Christmas isn’t just embodied in familiar nativity images... that of a baby born, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger and surrounded by strange characters and animals. We must remember the reason this baby was born.  There has never been, nor will there ever be again, a child born like the Christ-child.

The true message of Christmas is that the Eternal God came to earth, born of a human woman, in the form of man, in order to save His own creation. It was a necessity, because fallen man was trapped by the ravages of sin. There is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood, so God’s perfect plan meant He had to provide a substitutionary sacrifice to atone for man’s sin. That tiny baby in swaddling clothes came for a purpose. He came to die so that humanity might live!

Those infant hands that reached for mommy as a child, were the very same hands that would later be nailed to a rugged, wooden cross. They were the same hands that, though scarred, carefully folded his burial wrappings (John 20:7).  When He rose from the dead, He defeated sin and death and opened the way for humanity to embrace the promise of eternal life.  

This Christmas season, when everything seems so frantic, don’t let yourself get caught up in the materialism and busyness and miss the best deal that’s even been.  When you come across a manger scene, notice the baby, but think beyond Christ’s infancy to the real reason for His coming. Make an effort to remember the real message of Christmas. 

Remember His hands. Remember His heart. Remember His undying love for you. 

How should a Christian view politics?

One week after the election and the divisive rhetoric goes on.  The politically divided people of America are already preparing for the next battle.  At times like these, after a bitter and hard-fought election, it's customary to at least attempt to talk about burying the hatchet, reaching across the aisle, working together for the good of the country... pick your metaphor.  Don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

If there is anything that will spark a spontaneous debate, if not an outright argument, it is a discussion involving politics—even among believers.  As followers of Christ, what should our attitude and our involvement with politics be?  It has been said that “religion and politics don’t mix.”  But is that really true? Can we have political views outside the foundations of our Christian faith? The answer is no, we cannot. The Bible gives us two unassailable truths regarding our stance towards politics and government.

The first truth is that 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). In fact, it is God who “sets up kings and deposes them” (Daniel 2:21) because “the Most High 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).

Second, we must grasp 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 expending any time or energy schooling 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 would give clear evidence to its transforming power.

There is no doubt that 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” (1 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—hopefully for our good—to collect taxes, and to keep the peace. Where we have a voice and can elect our leaders, Christians should exercise that right by supporting those whose views most closely parallel our own... which must always be aligned with Godly principles and values.

Having said that, it should be noted that one of the grandest deceptions of Satan placed within the mind of man is to believe that we can rest our hope for cultural morality and godly living in politicians and governmental officials. This nation’s hope for change, for a better life, is not to be found in the halls of Congress or in the White House or in any country’s ruling class. The church has made a huge mistake in thinking that it is the job of our politicians to defend, to advance, and to guard biblical truths and Christian values.

The church’s unique, God-given purpose does not lie in political activism. Nowhere in Scripture do we have the directive to spend our energy, our time, or our money in governmental affairs. 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.

Believers throughout the ages have lived, and even flourished, under antagonistic, repressive, pagan governments. This was especially true of the first-century believers who, under merciless political regimes, sustained their faith under immense cultural stress. They understood that it was they, not their governments, who were the light of the world, the salt of the earth. They adhered to Paul’s teaching to obey their governing authorities, even to honor, respect, and pray for them (Romans 13:1-8). More importantly, 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 in the first place (Matthew 5:16).

The bottom line is this: political entities are not the savior of the world. The salvation for all mankind has been manifested through Jesus Christ. God knew that our world needed saving long before any national government was ever founded. 

God demonstrated to the world that redemption could not be accomplished through the power of man, his economic strength, his military might, or his politics. Peace of mind, contentment, hope and joy—and the salvation of mankind—is accomplished only through His work of faith, love, and grace.