God and Country

Where do God and country meet? How can we be good patriots and yet good Christians? Can we be both, or do we have to be one or the other? Well, I think we can be both a good patriot and a good Christian. I’m convinced it’s not only possible but that Christians have a holy obligation to be the best citizens possible. 

The issue of God and country and the church’s role in this area is much debated. There is an obvious culture war between people with a biblical worldview and those with the secular-humanist point of view who wish to drive anything God from the public circle. In their efforts to eliminate God, secularists attempt to rewrite history and abuse the idea of separation of church and state, which was designed to stop government from infiltrating churches, not the other way around. However, the historical truth is this country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.

President John Quincy Adams wrote, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was that it connected the principles of Christianity with the principles of government.” There also is no doubt this country has been blessed by God, and the reason is because those principles work.

It stands to reason that as we follow the blueprint for liberty and justice God has outlined in His word, a natural byproduct of that is a blessed nation. As we move away from those principles, those blessings move away. In the United State of America, there are two competing agendas. One believes we need to maintain or restore the moral values that our country was founded upon while the other claims there are no moral absolutes. Both cannot be correct.

The other challenge we face is Christians cannot agree the best way forward. Some say the church should never be involved in any political issue. They say it’s okay for individual Christians to be involved in political issues, but the church should stick only to its primary mission of saving the lost by preaching Jesus. If we just win people to Christ, then the moral values will take care of itself because people will be living out their faith and our culture will swing in the positive direction. In contrast, others feel that since our nation was founded on Christian principles, we need to get involved and not allow our nation to be turned over to secularists who have no respect for God.

Regardless of your opinion, I believe that where moral issues and political issues intersect, we should always speak out. Christian leaders in the Bible certainly did. When a political issue meets a moral absolute in Scripture, I take a stand. When I hear people say my Christianity should be separate from my politics, I disagree. My reasoning is simply that my relationship with Christ is the driving force behind every aspect of my life. Whether it be my career, my school, or my involvement with anything else, every aspect of my life is influenced by my relationship with Jesus Christ. My relationship with Jesus is personal, but it is never meant to be private.

What is our role as Christians in our society? We are not to make our life about fighting political battles and transforming our ministries into political action committees. Yet we are not to separate our biblical values from our public life either. Fortunately, we can find biblical guidance  in the words of the Apostle Paul. For example, Romans 13:1-7 says:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.[1]

From this passage, we see that, as Christians, we are to be the best citizens possible. Here is how we can do that.

Be Submissive to and Respectful of Authority

Simply stated, being submissive means compliant and humbly obedient. We must realize God is sovereign over government. As noted earlier, Paul wrote, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except…” Except what? “Except that which God has established.” God has allowed them to be there. Now that doesn’t mean God appointed Sadam Hussein or Hitler or Stalin and used them as puppets. It does mean God has established the principle that government is needed to oversee society. As Christians, we are to be in submission to the governing authorities even though we may not always agree with them. Paul says when we are not submissive to authority, we are sinning against God.

Now I want to be very clear. It is not disrespectful and wrong to work within the system to try to change things. We have been blessed to live within a representative democracy, a republic in which we are given the right to help shape government and policy. We are a government that has been set up to be led by the people, and we can use our voice to make a difference. There may be times we are obligated to disobey our leaders. Whenever the law of the land conflicts with the law of God we are to obey God and not man.

Pray and Support Our Leaders

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul writes:

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—

for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

No matter if it is the person I voted for in the office or the person I voted against, it is a directive of Scripture that I pray for that person. I want to challenge you to pray for governmental leaders, that God would lead them, protect them, and where necessary change their hearts. It shouldn’t matter which party, if any, you are a part of, prayer for our leaders is our Christian duty. I’m not a fan of certain members of our government and their policies, but I’m glad they are part of the longest standing democratic republic in history and that I can contact them with my questions and concerns.

Get involved

There’s any number of ways to be involved in the process of helping our country. Run for office. Our government was never meant to be only for the career politicians; it was meant to be for the regular guy who loved his community and the people he served as much as he loved his country.
The second way is to use the public forums to let your opinions be heard. Utilize your first amendment right of free speech in public places. Another way to get involved in the process is to vote! This is one of your most fundamental rights, and precious few people use it. Vote for issues that benefit more than your pocketbook. Vote to protect and promote life and morality. Vote to allow greater freedom of religious expression.

I love this country, and I am thankful to be a part of it. I think I should do all I can to make it better, but I must always remember it can be gone just like that. There is no kingdom or anything else on this earth that is eternal. The only things that are eternal are the souls of those in Christ’s Kingdom. Let’s be good citizens by living out our Christian values and make winning others to Christ our highest priority.