A Christian Approach to Politics
by Richard Nelson
I’ve given several talks lately on a Christian approach to politics. If you’ve read any of my writings or heard me speak, you know that I view current events and politics through the grid of the Bible, which teaches that there’s a great spiritual battle behind the headlines. This idea may be foreign to many in our increasingly secular society, but how do you account for the reality of evil which rears its ugly head on a daily basis? How do you account for good and an otherworldly response to such evil?
Ephesians 6:12 says that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The Apostle Paul, one of the greatest enemies of Christianity prior to his conversion, wrote those words to remind the church in Ephesus of what they up against and how they needed to prepare for the battle they were entering. The same ancient words are just as timely for us.
According to a RealClear Opinion Research poll (conducted between Dec. 19 and 21, 2023) 80 percent of Americans believe that Jesus is the Son of God; 85 percent believe in heaven. Only 70 percent believe in the devil and hell. If there is no devil, where does the evil come from? I’m reminded of the scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy returns to the Emerald City to ask the Great Oz to take her back to Kansas. His voice booms and flames shoot from the stage as he tells her to come back tomorrow, while her dog Toto runs toward the curtain and pulls it away only to expose a man speaking into a microphone. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” as Dorothy and her friends look directly at him. The Great Oz is exposed as a fraud.
Satan would like us to disregard the truth claims of Jesus Christ and disregard the biblical record as a fairy tale. He’d like us to believe that he’s a mythical creature unfitting for educated people in the 21st century to believe. But truth is, Satan is real and he’s been exposed as a fraud. Colossians 2:15 says “He (Jesus) disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Jesus did this through his sacrifice on the cross, bearing our sins, and offering resurrection through repentance and faith in him.
Those who are in Christ are called to be his ambassadors, key people who represent a leader and their country. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”
Do you see yourself as an ambassador for Christ? That God is making his appeal through you? Consider a few attributes of an ambassador. They know who they represent and their high leader’s priorities. They know something of the culture and language of the people they’re trying to reach. They conduct themselves with wisdom in a way that’s honorable to their leader and nation.
Ambassadors of Christ have high moral character and are told in Ephesians 4:31 to “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Any of these character traits would disqualify an ambassador. Ambassadors must clothe themselves properly. In the context of spiritual war, Ephesians 6:11 tells Jesus’ followers to put on the “armor of God” so that they can stand against “the schemes of the devil”.
Finally, followers of Christ walk in the Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” There is no downside to any of these traits in any context.
Ambassadors of Christ prioritize faithfulness to Him. They do life His way. Consider that the ancient Israelites longed for Israel to be restored to its former glory. But when Jesus came during the time of Roman occupation not as a general with a conquering army, they rejected him. They failed to see that Christ’s restoration extended to all the nations, not just theirs. They missed their need of a Savior who would save their souls from Satan’s grip, much more potent than Roman force.
Today, Christians are called to faithful presence in all of life, including the public arena. It may be difficult. We may appear to be losing. The enemy may seem to triumph at the moment, Remember the story of Daniel thrown into the lions’ den? Or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego thrown into Nebuchannezer’s fiery furnace? They all appeared to be doomed. But they were not. God was with them and delivered them from harm. We remember these heroes of the faith for their faithfulness to God. We remember them for their integrity because they wouldn’t bow to idols.
The enemy of our souls would like us to focus on the lions and fiery furnaces. But the devil is deceptive. He’s also a defeated enemy. As Christian ambassadors, we must remember that what appears daunting may be accomplished through Jesus. And what appears to be loss will be gain if done for His glory. This is how we approach the public arena to a watching world. |
