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Audio Transcript
Welcome again to the podcast. We recurrently take up questions on issues like church-state separation, on political activism, on Christians and patriotism, on US flags within the sanctuary — issues like that. Right here’s one other query on this theme from a listener named Matthew in Cincinnati.
“Pastor John, hey to you. Years again, you posted a tweet on-line that I printed out, saved, and would love you to increase on now. You posted the next on April 17, 2021, beginning with Mark 6:18: ‘For John had been saying to Herod, “It’s not lawful so that you can have your brother’s spouse.”’ A really daring textual content of John talking reality to energy to confront Herod’s adultery. Then you definately mentioned this: ‘By all means be prepared to lose your life to talk the reality to energy. However at all times be mindful the huge distinction between this and political flag-waving.’ Are you able to expound on this? What marks this huge distinction between talking the reality to energy and political flag-waving? What components distinguish the 2, in your thoughts? And is that this primarily an unseen coronary heart challenge we have to be warned about?”
Let me start by giving six descriptions of what I imply by “political flag-waving” that must be averted, after which flip and attempt to say one thing constructive about talking reality to energy.
Don’t Wave That Flag
So, within the tweet, I mentioned, “By all means be prepared to lose your life to talk the reality to energy. However at all times be mindful the huge distinction between this and political flag-waving.” And right here’s what I imply by “political flag-waving” in that assertion.
Remember that I’m treating political flag-waving right here as a foul factor, regardless that I do know that there’s a definition of political flag-waving that’s not a foul factor. I’m not speaking about that. So, to make that clear, I’m going to make use of the phrase unhealthy to designate the political flag-waving I’m speaking about. And I’ll describe good political flag-waving in only a minute. Right here’s what I imply by unhealthy political flag-waving.
1. Unhealthy political flag-waving means waving the flag of partisan loyalty — that’s, occasion loyalty — as a closing allegiance and supreme allegiance. That’s unhealthy.
2. Unhealthy political flag-waving means asserting an ethical or social place with out making a transparent distinction between standing for the place and standing for the occasion that will additionally stand for the place. Are you standing for the place, or are you standing for the occasion? Make the excellence.
3. Unhealthy political flag-waving means expressing an undue hope for the widespread good within the methods of partisan politics. Now, there are features of widespread good that may certainly come via partisan politics. Sure, there are. However there’s additionally an undue, unwarranted degree of hope that’s to be averted.
4. Unhealthy political flag-waving means grounding ethical stands in partisan platforms moderately than in a biblical worldview.
5. Unhealthy political flag-waving displays a mistaken conviction that ethical change will come to a inhabitants via political motion or partisan advocacy. It received’t.
6. Unhealthy political flag-waving means foregrounding partisan politics in settings the place they don’t belong — for instance, in Christian worship. Making the case for a celebration’s political platform belongs, for instance, on the nationwide conference of the occasion. That’s the place you’ll be able to wave your flag correctly, however not in Christian worship.
So, that’s a few of what I needed us to keep away from after I mentioned, “By all means be prepared to lose your life to talk the reality to energy. However at all times be mindful the huge distinction between this and political flag-waving.”
What Separation?
Now, what about reality to energy? At this level, it appears to me we actually have to make clear the phrase “separation of church and state.” Wherever you say, “Communicate reality to energy,” individuals marvel in case you’re attempting to ascertain your faith as one which the federal government ought to get behind with power and with the sword. Is that what you’re doing whenever you say, “Communicate reality to energy” — attempting to insert your individual faith as a faith that the federal government would use its sword to ascertain or defend?
“Talking reality to energy in a really Christian means is at all times a name to repent and belief the forgiving grace of Jesus.”
So, we have to make clear the phrase “separation of church and state.” And it appears to me that this phrase is surrounded by confusion right now. I believe it’s at all times been surrounded by confusion, and I don’t suppose it’s anyone’s fault specifically. It’s simply a type of American shibboleths that’s intrinsically ambiguous. So, when we’ve a phrase like that — and there are many them — those that use them (like me proper now) have an obligation to present some steerage as to what they imply by that phrase. You possibly can’t simply sling it about as if all people is aware of what you’re speaking about.
Final June, I revealed an article at Wanting God referred to as ‘My Kingdom Is Not of This World’, by which I attempted to present a cautious, biblically argued assertion of separation of presidency power and spiritual institution, which I believe is true on the coronary heart of the difficulty. Right here’s the thesis — I’ll simply learn it.
The thesis of this essay is that Jesus Christ, the completely supreme Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of the universe, intends to perform his saving functions on the planet with out reliance on the powers of civil authorities to show, defend, or unfold the Christian faith as such. Followers of Christ mustn’t use the sword of civil authorities to enact, implement, or unfold any thought or habits as explicitly Christian — as a part of the Christian faith as such. . . . It’s exactly our supreme allegiance to the lordship of Christ [not owing to any kind of secular neutrality] that obliges us not to make use of the God-given sword of civil authorities to threaten the punishment, or withhold the freedoms, of individuals who don’t confess Christ as Lord.
So, the implication of that’s this: no human authorities ought to ever use its biblical proper to wield the sword to implement a faith or to oppose a faith as such. And the rationale I used the phrase as such is to tell apart that unhealthy motion of forceful institution or forceful upkeep of faith from the great motion of making legal guidelines which may match the morality of a faith however by no means be a part of prescribing or proscribing a faith as such.
Fact to Energy — and Weak point
With that background in place, I say once more that it’s not solely a Christian’s proper however a Christian’s calling to talk reality to energy and to talk reality to weak spot and to all people in between.
We must always inform the president of the USA, and we should always inform the panhandler on the road, “‘Consider within the Lord Jesus, and you can be saved’ (Acts 16:31). Should you don’t consider, Mr. President, Mr. Panhandler, you might be beneath the wrath of God. Cease killing infants within the womb. Cease doing medication on the road. ‘Do justice . . . love kindness . . . stroll humbly along with your God’ (Micah 6:8).” We must always say that and 100 different issues. We’re the voice of Scripture after we faithfully learn and communicate what the Bible teaches.
Despite the fact that the sort of obedience that pleases God is simply potential within the energy of the Holy Spirit via religion in Christ, however, we name everybody — believer and unbeliever — to the best biblical normal of angle and habits, as a result of we name everybody to repent and belief Jesus and obtain the Holy Spirit. We don’t simply isolate habits and pray that presidents and panhandlers would do proper habits. We wish them to consider and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, after which act that habits in a means that pleases God via religion. Talking reality to energy in a really Christian means is at all times a name to repent and belief the forgiving grace of Jesus.
Christians know that the best drawback to be solved in each particular person’s life — from the president to the panhandler — is the issue of God’s wrath in opposition to them of their unforgiven sin. Subsequently, the primary factor that Christians communicate to energy is Romans 3:25: the propitiation of God’s wrath by the blood of Christ acquired via religion. So, I’ll say it once more, similar to I did within the tweet: By all means be prepared to lose your life to talk the reality to energy and weak spot. However at all times be mindful the huge distinction between this and political flag-waving.
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