The Church And Politics
America is in serious trouble, there is no doubt. Trouble from within and without. The public and private lives of Americans reflect this on a daily basis. The troubles that we face as a nation
are approaching staggering proportions, which are beyond any of our abilities to find answers for. There doesn't seem to be one area of our people's lives, public or private, that hasn't been affected by all of this. Everyday we find out more and more
that we have unprincipled, unethical and ungodly leaders of our national and state and local governments. Are all of them like this? No, there are elected representatives who still are trying to conduct themselves as principled, ethical and even, godly
individuals. Then, too, Americans in general, not all, have become, or are becoming like their leaders who have given themselves over to unprincipled, unethical and ungodly conduct.
But, there are individuals and groups of Americans
who are trying to roll back the tide of change that has almost completely turned our nation into a humanistic society which espouses situation ethics and self satisfaction and promotion of the individual, who deny God and his power to save, saying that
man is the highest form of life and that "no deity will save us; we must save ourselves." (Humanist Manifesto I&II, "Religion", page 16). Therefore, certainly every God-fearing American should get involved in trying to save our freedoms that we have held
dear as a people who at one time "claimed" that we were a "Christian Nation" and wants to return us to those ideals that made us a great people, and away from such ideologies that "Humanism" has seduced America to believe.
But there
are questions that must be answered in all of this attempt to "restore America to it's pristine qualities and values." Is the CHURCH OF CHRIST a tool to be used in our attempt to regain our nation? It is a fact that the "other churches in America" have
resorted to such strategies. Daily across America there are radio and TV programs sponsored by "churches" who produce politically oriented programming under the guise of "preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Can the CHURCH OF CHRIST become involved in
politics? (Perhaps for the sake of proper understanding of the intent of this last question, I need to clarify that I recognize the vast difference between these "churches" and "The Church of Christ.") Should we "rethink" our mission in this world? Are
we authorized by the Word of God to make the "pulpits" of the churches of Christ into political soap-boxes?
We can answer all of these questions, and any other questions that may arise by simply looking to God's Word for authorization
in everything that we, the church of Christ, undertake to accomplish. The mission of the church is succinctly stated by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, which says: -- Matt. 28:18, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth." Matt.28:19-20, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Teach, baptize, teach (v.19-20) is what Jesus told His disciples in this passage. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." is what he told them to teach. Nowhere in any of
Matthew's, Mark's, Luke's or John's inspired accounts of Jesus's life did they reveal that He preached a politically oriented Gospel, or that H
e taught His apostles to do so. Nowhere in the rest of the New Testament do we find one
single command, example, or inference to the brethren being taught or led into the political arena of that first century. And yet the Message of God that "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6), changed men. They were "translated into the kingdom of
His dear Son," translated "from the power of darkness" (Col. 1:13).
What therefore was the process that was taking place by the preaching of the Gospel? Was it a political change? No, men's hearts were changed. Upon belief that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and obedience to the commands of the Gospel, men's sins were forgiven, and they "had fellowship with Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:7). This change took place individual by individual, and the church continued to
fulfill it's directive to "preach the Gospel to every creature," so that people and nations were affected by the action of the Truth working in people, and never once did those inspired Apostles teach the church to become engaged in politics in order to
save their nation. If their respective nations would "be saved," it would be the resultant fact that men's hearts had been changed -- and that is where the church would have done it's work, not by being engaged in political action.
Jesus was murdered by cruel and unjust men who resorted to using political pressures to accomplish their purpose. But never did He resort to preaching anything other than the will of the
Father. "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34). Rightly so did He preach against sin, which no doubt in that respect, saw Him speaking against sin that involved political corruption, but He never directed His
Gospel toward that end alone. His primary mission was to "save that which was lost" (Matthew 18:11). "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8b).
The Apostles were
victims of the same sinful kind of political mind-set that put Jesus to death, but they never lost sight of their responsibility to "preach the Gospel" to all who would listen. They taught that Christians should live "soberly, righteously, and godly, in
this present world." (Titus 2:12), and to be "subject unto the higher powers (government). For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." (Romans 13:1). Paul taught that "we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ
(even governors must appear (nh)); that every one may receive the things done in this body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10). Not once was the church collectively taught to become involved in politics as we see
men doing today. The whole purpose of the church in this world is to save men spiritually, not politically. The "pulpits" of the church are there to preach "Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). That is all that we are "to know" or hear from
t
he "pulpits" of the church of Christ. The kingdoms of men are kingdoms of this world, including the political activity within them. The kingdom of Christ is "not of this world" (John 18:36). Worldly people fight for worldly kingdoms,
but godly people stand up for the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. The two are not the same. We can speak out against all kinds of sin, even political sins, but it must be within the framework of the teachings of the Gospel which says that men must
believe in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, confess their faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, be baptized for the remission of their sins, and live faithful obedience to Christ until death takes them. (Acts 2:38; Matt. 10:32; Rom. 10:9-10; Acts
8:3-38; Rev. 2:10b). Departure from the Gospel in respect to involving the church in the work of political activity does not find any Bible authority.
America can still be saved, but the
only instrument of that salvation must come by means of preaching the pure and unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ. For when all men "obey from the heart" (principle of Romans 6:17 (nh), the Word of God, then not only will individuals be "transformed by
the renewing of (their) mind" (Rom. 12:2); but in turn, nations of men will be transformed, because of the conversion of men to Christ; nations may or may not be rescued from political corruption. But whether or not men and nations hear the call of the
Gospel (2 Thess. 2:14), the church's duty to God and man is to "preach the Gospel to every creature."
Niles Hissom
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