We’ve laid the foundation from Christ’s life, Part 1, and from the Tanak (Old Testament), Part 2, for why I believe it would be wise for Christians to avoid using political means to impose Christ’s kingdom. My view is that it is clear from the Old Testament texts and the life of Christ that we’re ushering in something non-worldly.
Christ’s kingdom is built on the work of the Holy Spirit through a consensual call. His kingdom isn’t build on force or political power. Now we can transition to what the New Testament authors had to say on the topic of Christianity and political means.
Case from the New Testament
I want to start the New Testament by first closing out national Israel. When presented with God’s king, Jesus Christ, they chose the world’s king. Samuel’s promise would ring true as the nation was wiped out in 70AD.
Pilate put Jesus before them and declared Him their king. How did they respond?
“So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate *said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.””
-John [19:15] NASB 95
The nation of Israel doubled-down on their commitment to political power. They chose Caesar as their king. They eventually rebelled against and were eviscerated by Caesar, all within a generation, just as Jesus had promised.
But, remember what I said about Deuteronomy 32:9. God’s nation is the one that enthrones His king, not the political entity we know as Israel. God’s people are His nation under the kingship of Jesus Christ.
“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”
-1 Peter 2:8-9 NASB 95
If we are in Christ, we are in God’s nation. We are His people, His possession, without regard to where we were born or where we currently live. God’s nation isn’t known by a national boundary. His people are His nation. His people are the ones who are blessed with His presence.
His people are within every national boundary on the planet.
We are a nation hidden away in every nation.
However, as His people, we have an important decision to make. All the nations belong to something other than God. He has but one nation and it isn’t the United States of America.
Where should our allegiance and obedience belong?
I believe we surrender our place of prominence and true power when we choose to use political means to establish our goals. I believe the nations are under the sway of the wrong power. Paul demonstrated this reality.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
-Ephesians [6:12] NASB 95
The rulers and powers in this world are driven by spiritual forces of wickedness. Samuel pointed out what the “holy” kings of Israel would do in oppression of people. The same is still true today regardless of the spirituality or Christianity of the people working in government and holding office.
Why?
Governments belong to those wicked spiritual powers, those forces of darkness in the heavenly places. Governments are always sources of oppression, confiscation, and the denial of human rights. Always. Every single one. No exceptions.
If our struggle is against these spiritual forces of wickedness, how do we expect to fight them using the systems that are empowered BY them. We can’t. We have a different power to live by that Jesus Christ demonstrated in His life.
But, like political Israel, we don’t like His methods.
We’re just not that into the Sermon on the Mount. Forgive our enemies? Get real Jesus! That stuff doesn’t work in modern society. We NEED government to protect us from the litany of bad guys that are out to get us.
We ignore texts that call us only to pray for (1 Timothy 2:1-4) and submit to government (Romans 13:1-10) all for the sake of government not being a barrier to living out our faith. We believe we can take over an apparatus of oppression and wield it to impose our faith that, by nature, must be willingly chosen.
Christ already conquered those authorities, why are we trying to resurrect them into relevance?
“When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
-Colossians [2:15]
Christ’s death showed us the power to victory over these powers. If we are His, we will use His methods to obtain victory over the evil powers behind government. We overcome because He died, He gave us His story to tell as His Holy Spirit-empowered witnesses (Acts 1:8), and we’re willing to be slain by them.
Did you catch that last part?
We’re not fans of carrying crosses if those crosses mean that we could lose our life, literally. We’re ok with the concept of losing our life figuratively, so long as the cost isn’t death at the hands of government.
We will only overcome those evil powers when we operate in the Way of Jesus.
“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”
-Revelation [12:11]
We are inappropriately appropriating our energy.
We ignore Christ’s treatment of political means (detailed earlier) and seek to tame the beast. Which brings me to my last New Testament text.
The Beasts in the book of Revelation. You find them in chapter 13. They exemplify how God views government and religion.
Together, the two combine to subjugate and oppress human beings.
Should anyone be surprised that the last book in the bible symbolizes government as beasts? Didn’t Daniel do the same in his visions as well. You can read it in Daniel 7.
In this world we have a simple choice, serve the Lamb, or serve a beast.
We should have said of us what our first century brethren had spoken of them.
“they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
-Acts 17:7 NASB 95
We should be known by our uncompromising service to the Lamb, our King, and His kingdom.
Conclusion: Can’t Serve Two Masters
Which finally brings me to my conclusion. Jesus actually, quite literally, gave us this choice in symbolic terms.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
-Matthew [6:24] NASB 95
What did Jesus say?
We can’t serve two masters.
One is a Lamb, the other is a beast.
Many modern readers miss the subtle thing that Jesus did here by mistranslating the last word as “wealth”. The word is “Mammon”, which was a false god credited with providing wealth and prosperity.
Lamb or beast?
As I’ve demonstrated from scripture, Jesus refused on seven separate occasions to use political power to achieve any of His purposes. I’ve also shown that the Old and New Testament witness is to God’s kingdom being a separate spiritual, non-political entity as opposed to the kingdoms and governments of this world being ruled by evil, spiritual powers.
We simply can’t serve two masters.
Additionally, government is always force and violence. Don’t believe me. Stop paying taxes, fines, and fees and see if armed government agents don’t eventually arrive at your doorstep to take your liberty or your life should you choose to resist.
Hence, I cannot use government force. I personally see voting as a violent act against people with whom I disagree. So I choose not to vote, or if I do, I will write in NOTA (None Of The Above) or Yeshua, our true king.
Jesus modeled a lifestyle of allowing government to oppress, abuse, and kill Him rather than use the government to oppress, abuse, and kill those opposed to Him.
I plan to do the same.
I can’t serve the Lamb and the beast at the same time. So I choose the Lamb who happens to also be the Way, the Truth and the Life … the Resurrection … full of grace and truth.
I say the opposite of the first century Israelites. They claimed to have no king but Caesar. I claim to have no King but Christ.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t speak out and work in my community or in non-political networks to promote what is true, noble, just, and righteous. It does mean that I don’t empower the evil, spiritual forces of darkness in this world through government against my neighbor, even if that neighbor is my enemy.
Thanks so much for taking your time in reading through this three-part set on what I believe the Christian response to using political means should be. I’m humbled that so many of you have taken the time to consider an alternative view that isn’t quite “mainstream”.
Grace and peace!
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The Case Against Political Means, Part 3 was written by Mark West
Mark West is the author of the book What He Said: Living the Sermon on the Mount, Transforming American Culture that is available to purchase online at www.markwest-author.com
That’s Me in the Corner: Politics “Trump”-ed My Faith, Part 3 of 3 was originally published here
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