Christianity and Governance

By Joseph Michael Shucraft

Christianity and Governance

An omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God does not bow to or submit to secular governance; as such, I will be defending Christian Ethics. I would like to expound upon the issue of Church and State. I will draw from the conclusion that the governance of God is superior and inescapable.

Christian Ethics provides for absolutes in a world full of insecurities, rage, and ultimately evil. "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."[1] All secular philosophy focuses solely on finding a way to replace God satisfactorily. A fallible world filled with nothing but fallible people cannot afford to put their hope in usurping the authority of God. "All this discussion of assisted suicide really bothers me. You see, for me it all boils down to the fact that I am the patient, and what I want should be the thing that counts."[2] This is not only egoist, but the truth about what motivates us as people separate from God. The truth is that operating in the flesh is abhorrent because the flesh is dead. We are all destined to die in this flesh. The result of sin, which is rebellion, are a depraved mind and, ultimately, death. Because of this depraved mind, we cannot hope to achieve a proper society.

Christ's sacrifice at the cross allows us to access our Christian Ethics. Without the Holy Spirit, we are incapable of accessing a Christ-filled morality. The Christian Ethic is infallible not because of practicing Christians but because of the God of the Ethic. No other ethic can claim an infallible source, nor to my knowledge, does it. Though followers of the ways of Christ may stumble and fall, the Holy Spirit presses forward within us. "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies." [3]

The Bible has moral absolutes in addition to a sound foundation. Other theories are born of speculation and a dying mind. The ten commandments provide for a moral absolute. However, they are not the ending of the Law. The Spirit of the Law is also written on each believer's heart. As such, the Spirit revives us and allows us to operate in that ability. Given this responsibility, we are to cooperate in love. "And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." [4] It is this unity that the true Church stands upon. Although there are many denominations, when faithful Christians operate in the Holy Spirit, they can come together and have the ability to build upon one another. There is a system of accountability within Christianity that Christ sanctifies. Though we may stumble, we can be reconciled under the appropriate biblical responsibility.

The most essential part of Christianity and the Christian Ethic is the character of God. "Morality is ultimately grounded in the character of God—that is, the ultimate source for morality is not God's commands but God's character. The virtues, or character traits, made clear by God's character and further clarified by Jesus' character, are the ultimate foundation for morality from a Christian worldview."[5] As such, a Christian lifestyle is Christ-focused.

Another substantial part of the Christian Ethic is discipleship. This is a process where a Spiritually mature person raises another in the faith and helps them mature in Christ. As Christ disciples others, we, too, are raised to disciple others. This process is supposed to be based on the life of Christ. The absence of this is one of the problems within society. Instead of following the Bible's commands, we are playing the world's games and thinking of Christ second.

The denigration of the faith has been instrumental in the decay of our country. We can see that we are a country that flies in the face of moral absolutes. The problem with Christianity is not Christ, but rather people giving up the faith, as when Israel would forsake God and be delivered to their enemies, so too will our country. It is already happening, and we can see it throughout the government, schools, workplaces, and homes. That is why we cannot keep our faith separate from anything. Where there is no faith, there is no God; to be separated from God is to be present in the world's decay.

For this reason, Christians cannot forsake the faith in any aspect of their lives. "While Christians are to have an influence as salt and light in a society (Mt. 5:13-16), they may be in grave danger of idolatry by putting trust in the horses and chariots of majoritarianism rather than in God himself."[6] The problem with our government is that fallible men and women run it. When they fall and are given to the world's ways, they consume the world around them. Darkness delights in the dark, and the light in the light. The secularization of society is a result of progressivism. Those in the world are content to play the long game. They think about the future as well as capitalizing on now. They begin by presenting an absurd argument or challenging a prescript of societal fabric. The goal is not to get what they want today, but to run their opponent out of town.

Since the world's politics are not of God, they are beholden to the Devil. Men and women are brought under the seduction of worldly delights. Therefore, we must not separate our faith from ourselves for anyone, even unto death. This is not the time for compromise. The worse the world gets, the stronger we must become. In other countries, suffering intense physical persecution for their faith, Christians face two options forsake the truth, or being beaten, possibly even to death. In America, we seem to believe that there is another option, to compromise.

The reason we cannot compromise is for the same reason God cannot compromise with Satan. The Devil and God are not equals. The Devil is the father of lies and has perverted the world, leading to sin and death. God, on the other hand, is all that is good and the sustainer of life. As everlasting life and death cannot coexist, we cannot coexist with the world. To coexist would not simply be tolerating differences, but blending and corrupting truth.

The Bible speaks on this great perversion of truth. In the end times, even the very elect, if possible, will be deceived. This is because of a weakened church. Now is not the time to debate with evil and compromise with the devil. Instead, we need a restoration of faith. In a world filled with sin, the kingdoms of the world or political vices are not to be overlooked. We cannot put our trust and faith in man's governance, but instead in God's governance. His Kingdom will arrive with him, but we need to exercise the faith that His Grace has given us. Though these times are trying, we must unite with those who remain in the faith.

If we do not come together, God will bring us together, and we will likely go through a trial by fire. We can see that our forsaking the faith is the reason for many ills. Though we cannot blame it for all, we can blame it for the discord and separation we have caused between each other. If we cannot unite and govern ourselves, how can we expect a secular government to act in our place? We have abdicated our thrones and cast aside our crowns, failing the poor and weak by giving their care to the government of secularism.

There are now state programs for everything from food, financial needs, housing, and much more. The Church should be providing as much care as possible in these areas. The previous point on discipleship points out these fundamental issues. This is because it exposed that we are no longer communal but rather scattered and drawn apart. If we would stick together, many of our problems within the Church would be solvable. Including but not limited to everything from marriage and being equally yoked to education and teaching of children. While we blame the government for its faults, we forget we are not following our calling. We have forsaken our first love.

The way to go forward is to understand that we must return to being communally minded. We must take care of one another first. Many of the Church's problems come from putting those in the world before our brothers and sisters. We are called to be one body. The body is not effective if it isn't working together. "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."[7]

Some arguments against Christianity in politics may include the differences in Religion and beliefs and all people having equal rights. The problem with recognizing these rights as equal is that rights inherently come from God. As those of faith in God, we must realize biblical rights above those of worldly rights. Others may argue against our faith, but we must hold it firm. They also may say that you cannot force them to conform to the faith. This is true; we can only warn them of God's consequences.

In conclusion, Jesus Christ is the God of all, and none can escape his authority. Therefore, church and state cannot be separate because allowing this would enable the devil to rule. The rule of God is superior to that of the world and should be respected.

References

Bible Gateway. n.d. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%203:10-12&version=KJV (accessed December 2022, 2022).

Bible Gateway. n.d. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%206&version=NIV (accessed December 12, 2022).

Bible Gateway. n.d. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%202&version=KJV (accessed December 12, 2022).

Bible Gateway. n.d. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012:9-21&version=KJV (accessed December 13, 2022).

Rae, Scott. Moral Choices. Available From: Liberty University Online Bookshelf: Harper Collins Christian, 2018.

Robertson Mcquilkin, and Paul Copan. An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Ways of Wisdom. InterVarsity Press, 2014.

[1]Bible Gateway. n.d. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%203:10-12&version=KJV (accessed December 2022, 2022). [2]Rae, Scott. Moral Choices. Available From: Liberty University Online Bookshelf: Harper Collins Christian, 2018. [3]Bible Gateway. n.d. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%206&version=NIV (accessed December 12, 2022). [4]Bible Gateway. n.d. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%202&version=KJV (accessed December 12, 2022). [5]Rae, Scott. Moral Choices. Available From: Liberty University Online Bookshelf: Harper Collins Christian, 2018. [6]Robertson Mcquilkin, and Paul Copan. An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Ways of Wisdom. InterVarsity Press, 2014. [7]Bible Gateway. n.d. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012:9-21&version=KJV (accessed December 13, 2022).