Jesus is not American!
If you live in the US and are aware of events around you, you have noticed a number of people declaring their candidacy for President of the US. It is inevitable for those of us who follow the King and have American citizenship to think about these candidates, perhaps even deciding whether to support them or oppose them. But, before we go there (and if we have already gone there—perhaps backing up—we need to ask ourselves a question: What does being faithful to Jesus look like in American politics?
Too often we who follow Jesus in America make the assumption that Jesus is a Republican (or a Democrat, a progressive, a conservative, etc.)—or at least He supports that party. The fact is, Jesus isn’t American. And while those of us who know Him as King may be American citizens, our allegiance must first be to the King and the Kingdom! (Matthew 6:24)
So, how does a disciple of Jesus who happens to hold American citizenship live faithfully through an election cycle? First, we need to keep our eyes on Him, and not the world around us. We need to question everything by asking the King what He wants to have happen in different situations. We cannot simply assume He is good with us being faithful Republicans or Democrats or even Independents.
Jesus isn’t Republican, Democrat or a registered Independent!
Before we jump on one of these bandwagons, we need to remember that our priorities must be those of the King—not America or a group within America. What are the Kingdom priorities?
1) That everyone would hear the gospel. This means our actions and our support of candidates and/or causes must be based on whether they further the gospel (or oppose it). (Matthew 28:18-20)
2) That we provide for those who cannot provide for themselves (widows, orphans, the weak, the poor, the oppressed). This doesn’t mean we accept or support behaviors that scripture says are sin—but we cannot ignore that this is a scriptural priority! (James 1:27)
3) That love be shown—both in the words and actions of leaders, and in the policies they set. (1 Corinthians 13)
4) We cannot continue to repeat the error of supporting people who are known to be committed to sin—whether it be pride, anger, hatred, bigotry, greed, immorality or any other sin. Even if these people support other issues we believe in, we cannot justify handing them power, knowing they will use it to continue to practice sin! Those who are committed to such behaviors do not support the Kingdom! (Proverbs 31:4-5; Colossians 3:17)
Many of us find one or another political movement appeals to us because it supports a stance on an issue important to us. But all of these movements also have stances that support what scripture would consider to be sin. We cannot sin—or support sin—and believe we are faithful to the King. For example, we cannot support the killing of innocents or ignoring sexual morality. Most of us agree on these issues. But what about greed? What about the lack of integrity or loving our neighbors? What about a self-centered attitude that puts our prosperity and comfort above others? We have to be honest with ourselves and not support a party or a candidate whose actions and policies do this! (In my opinion this describes both major parties in modern America.)
I believe we who are followers of Jesus and have American citizenship need to disavow the political parties of this world and ask one simple question: How do I use this citizenship to further the Kingdom? (Paul gave us an example of this as he used his Roman citizenship for this purpose such as in Acts 22:25-29). It is possible this may not be what we think to be best for America. But our allegiance must first be to the Kingdom! We need to find ways to use the influence we have (not only our vote, but our voice and our actions) to further the goals of the Kingdom. And we need to do this openly, not deceptively!
The most obvious way for Christians who have American citizenship to serve the Kingdom is to personally obey the King. He told us to be servants of all—not to try to dominate others. He told us to love others—not to mock, belittle and attempt to humiliate them because they disagree with us. He told us we can’t serve Him and money—so we need to beware of those who try to influence us by promising us monetary gain or prosperity. And He told us to love those who disagree with us–not to adopt their behavior and become like them!
I don’t pretend that doing this is easy, or even that how to do it is always obvious. Brothers and sisters in the Lord can honestly disagree on what this looks like (though we are commanded to do so with love that others can see!) But in this political season we must remember that our priorities must be those of the King. Can we not join together and commit to love each other as we seek ways to serve the King?
Know Jesus and Be Faithful
Randy Christian
www.essentialfaithproject.org