The Gospel and the Citizen

Essay on the Christian and the Church in Politics

Florent Varak, Philippe Viguier

• Publisher: BMH Books
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9780884693185
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion, Politics & State

Should the church get involved in politics or influence their voting members? What is the church mandate on this issue? How should Christians project themselves? Many Christians are wondering how to respond to the confusion generated by the variety of candidates for public office and the differing perspectives of church leaders who are trying to evaluate the political picture. This book, first offered in French, offers guidelines to assist Christians in determining how best to participate in the political arena as citizens who have a dual citizenship: in heaven and in the country of their residence.

Being a Witness by Our Example

(1 Peter 2:11-12)

WHEN WE HAVE FRIENDS OVER, WE DO OUR BEST TO ENSURE THAT they have a good time at our house. We take into account their personal preferences; we try to avoid foods that they don’t like or to which they have allergies. At the same time, it’s impossible to make sure that every last detail is perfect. We can roll out the red carpet, knowing they’d do the same for us, but that carpet rolls only so far. We don’t completely change the way we live for our guests; we don’t redo the decorations just because our mothers-in-law prefer blue over yellow!

What is true of an individual family home is also true for most countries. The rules of state are not the same from one country to another. In Singapore, for example, you risk a public beating for not flushing the toilet after you’ve used it. It is also forbidden to bring chewing gum into the country. In the state of Virginia, if you act like any good self-respecting Frenchman (that is to say, you don’t hesitate to “relieve yourself” off the side of the road), you can be arrested for public nudity and find yourself on the national list of pedophiles.

We could talk about these differing laws all day long. They exist and they apply to all who live in or who visit the country. They are a reflection of the history and the priorities of any given nation. When we visit, those strange laws may surprise and confuse us, but it’s not up to tourists to change a country’s legislation! When we spend time in a foreign country, we submit to its laws, even when we don’t agree with them. We realize that we are not at home, and it may make us miss our native country just a little bit more.

SOJOURNERS (1 PETER 2:11)

[Florent]

Christians are sojourners on the earth. That is exactly how Peter encourages us to consider ourselves during our time here. That is the attitude he wants Christians to adopt in relation to civil authorities.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles…

Peter’s writing is full of tenderness. The term “beloved” conveys gentleness and lovingkindness. It speaks of one who is esteemed, highly considered. Those who are in Christ are beloved, “the beloved of God” (Romans 1:7; cf. Romans 11:28; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; Colossians 3:12). Peter warns believers what it is like to be exiles (1 Peter 2:11; 4:12; 2 Peter 1:7; 3:1, 8, 14-15, 17).

As Peter was writing his epistle, Christians were being confronted with increasing pressure from the state. The apostle Paul had recently been executed and soon after, Nero would accuse the Christians of burning Rome. This resulted in a wave of violence which would also take Peter’s life. For several centuries the Emperors Trajan (98-117), Hadrian (117-138) and Diocletian (284-305) continued to forbid the practice of Christianity and to persecute Christians, bringing about the death of thousands of men and women.

How is one to live as a Christian, knowing the likely risk of imprisonment, beatings, or even martyrdom? Peter’s first epistle seeks to encourage Christians who are exposed to this type of pressure. They first need to realize that they are “beloved.” This is a true solace for believers who find themselves in distressful situations. Peter exhorts them tenderly. Whatever the circumstances, whatever the difficulties, the person who has placed his trust in Christ is the object of God’s love.

But Peter does more than encourage them by reminding them of the advantages of being a disciple. He calls them to adopt the attitude of a traveler or an immigrant. A traveler is simply a tourist, someone who is just passing through. An immigrant is someone who comes from another country but lives in the host nation without having the rights of a citizen.

As citizens, we have certain rights. But we must remember that we are citizens of heaven, living on this planet for just a while. We need to keep a proper perspective regarding the world around us. In a certain manner of speaking, we’re just exiles on the earth.

Although Christians’ rights were being trampled, Peter never exhorted them to make any demands of the government. He reminded them that their true and permanent citizenship was in the future new earth. This point of view is also underlined in other Bible passages. Paul wrote to the Philippians: But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20). The author of the book of Hebrews speaks of the hope of those who are ready to lose everything, For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God […] But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city (Hebrews 11:10, 16). Then, later, in Hebrews 13:14, we read: For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t enjoy our rights as citizens. Paul exercised his rights as a Roman citizen when he was detained and beaten illegally in Philippi (Acts 16:36ff) and in Jerusalem (Acts 22:29). He even exhorted slaves to free themselves from their difficult situation when possible (1 Corinthians 7:21).

It is my conviction that Christians should enjoy the rights and the laws of the country in which they live, without seeking to abolish or transform them. We will discuss this point more specifically later in the book.

As a new Christian, I loved reading biographies about God’s servants. One biography that affected me greatly was Richard Wurmbrand’s. He was a Romanian pastor during the worst years of the Communist dictatorship, when Christians were undergoing terrible persecution. One of the stories he told really surprised me. Soldiers were going from farm to farm, seizing the Christians’ property. As they did so, the believers would tell them, “Don’t put this sin upon yourself, I give you my property. You aren’t taking it from me; I’m giving it to you. That way, at the last judgment, this sin will not be on your head.” I am amazed at the spiritual depth of those people, when I know how I react when the least little thing is taken from me.

We need to cultivate a certain distance from the world. We love our country and we appreciate its culture—at least most of it! We are thankful to live in a land where freedom, justice, and education are the norm. But we are only passing through; we are sojourners.

So what is the Christian’s role in civil society? Peter suggests that we need to put things in perspective, to live with a certain degree of detachment. The church is made up of men and women who are just passing through a country and a system to which they don’t belong. That is the first indicator.

BELIEVABLE (1 PETER 2:11b)

[Philippe]

…to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

“The world needs to see Christians burning, not with self-righteous fury at the sliding morals in our country, but with passion for God.”¹

From my childhood on, I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of changing the world. How wonderful it would be to harness all of our human potential in order to solve the world’s problems! But as a teen, I wasn’t the easiest person to live with. My brother often told me: “Philippe, if you want to change the world, why don’t you go lock yourself in the closet? The world will be a better place for at least five minutes.” And he was right!

If we want to make a difference, we need to start with ourselves, with a changed heart and a true fight against sin in our own personal lives. God is seeking true, believable Christians who live according to their convictions. As someone once said, “What we do shows what we really believe. The rest is just religious jargon.”

A Christian is primarily characterized by a genuine love for God and his holiness. A true Christian is not someone who holds the cross up as an example, judging those who refuse to conform their lives to it. Rather, it is someone who runs daily to the cross, in humility and repentance, thirsting for God’s grace.

THE SPECK AND THE LOG

Peter’s message is clear and simple: when faced with corruption, persecution, or government mismanagement, we must recognize that the problem lies in the human heart. But before we judge others’ mistakes or ineptitudes, we must first look at our own lives. Christians must live out the message they preach.

Peter urges Christians to be morally impeccable. Why? Because Christians must first and foremost be an example to the world. Our first responsibility is to examine ourselves.

The Golden Rule of apologetics is found in 1 Peter 3:15-16:

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

In the passage we’ve been looking into, Peter speaks of abstaining from fleshly passions. In other words, we are to stay away from them, to keep ourselves distant from them. The word “desire” in Greek is a strong word, which can have a positive connotation, but here, Peter speaks of negative passions, lusts, and unhealthy pursuits.

These desires can lead us, according to the parable of the sower, to reject the Word (Mark 4:19) and to follow the devil in his murderous desires (John 8:44). They can result in the works of the flesh. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions… (Galatians 5:19-20). It is this kind of desire that tempts some men to go from house to house, seeking out women who are “led astray by various passions” (2 Timothy 3:6).

I don’t need to continue my list; you get the idea. But it’s surprising that Peter, as he speaks to believers who are downcast, persecuted, even despairing, would tell them that their main duty as Christians is to be morally excellent.

YONA

Yona was the son of a holocaust survivor. His father, a minesweeper, lived through it all—Jewish ghettos, Israel’s war of independence, and Nazi torture chambers.² Yona wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, to defend the country where he and his family found refuge. He decided to sign up for military school. But he was a Christian in a country where anti-proselytizing laws are the norm.

Yona’s testimony was far reaching in the army. His behavior and his reactions became well-known to the other officers. “What a shame he isn’t a Jew!” one of his friends said. This really surprised Yona. He was a Jew, but a Jew who believed that Jesus is the Messiah.

As time passed, his fellow officers were more and more interested in his faith and his love for the Bible. One day, his superiors asked him to do a series of presentations on Christianity. Because of the authenticity of Yona’s faith, his convic...

Table of contents

• Cover
• What Others are Saying About The Gospel and the Citizen
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Forewords
• The Church and Power
• Being a Witness by Our Example (1 Peter 2:11-12)
• Being a Witness Through Our Respect (1 Peter 2:13-14)
• Being a Witness Through Our Freedom (1 Peter 2:15-16)
• Being a Witness Through Our Kindness (1 Peter 2:17)
• A Final Thought