"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom He has chosen as His heritage." (Psalm 33:12)
There is a growing pressure in our day to choose between two extremes. One says Christians should avoid politics altogether. Faith belongs in the church, while government belongs to the secular world. The Bible may guide personal morality, but it has little to say about public policy.
The other extreme wraps the cross in the flag until the two become nearly indistinguishable. Every political victory is celebrated as though the kingdom of God has advanced. Every election becomes a spiritual battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan. Patriotism slowly becomes a substitute religion. Neither position reflects the Scriptures.
The Christian need not choose between loving Christ and loving his country. He must simply love them in their proper order. Christ is King. And because He is King, every nation, every ruler, every court, every legislature, and every citizen stands accountable before Him.
There Is No Neutral Ground
One of the great myths of modern politics is that government can somehow remain morally or religiously neutral. It cannot. Every law reflects a moral standard. Laws against murder declare that human life has value. Laws against theft declare that property ought to be respected. Laws concerning marriage, education, commerce, and justice all answer one fundamental question: What is right?
Politics is nothing more than morality applied through civil government. The question is never whether morality will be legislated. The question is whose morality will govern. For the Christian, the answer is neither public opinion nor cultural consensus. It is God.
The Lord has not confined His authority to the church sanctuary. Scripture opens with the declaration that He created heaven and earth. The Psalms proclaim Him King over all the nations. The prophets continually summoned pagan rulers to humble themselves before Him. The New Testament announces that the risen Christ possesses "all authority in heaven and on earth."
There is not one square inch of creation over which Christ does not rightfully declare, "Mine." Civil rulers govern, but they govern under a higher King.
The Magistrate Is God's Servant
Romans 13 is often quoted to teach submission to governing authorities, and rightly so. But we often overlook the reason Paul gives. The magistrate is "God's servant." That title carries tremendous implications. Government is not autonomous.
Civil rulers are not free to redefine justice according to the spirit of the age. They are accountable to the God who established government in the first place. This does not mean the church becomes the state, nor does it mean the state becomes the church.
God has assigned distinct responsibilities to each. The church proclaims the gospel, administers the ordinances, and shepherds souls. The civil magistrate bears the sword to punish evil and commend what is good.Yet both answer to the same Lord. Neither sphere exists outside the authority of Christ.
A Love for Country Is a Good Gift
Because God establishes nations, Christians should not be ashamed to love their own. There is nothing sinful about gratitude for the land where God, in His providence, has placed us. We should thank Him for religious liberty. We should thank Him for constitutional protections that have allowed the gospel to be preached freely. We should honor those who have sacrificed to preserve peace and defend their neighbors. We should pray for our leaders, seek the welfare of our communities, and labor for just laws. Love of your country is not idolatry. It becomes idolatry only when it seeks the place that belongs to Christ alone.
The Presbyterian Revolt
American history offers a remarkable example of this balance. The American Revolution has often been remembered as a political struggle, but it also possessed an undeniable religious dimension.
Many of the strongest advocates for independence were Presbyterian pastors shaped by the theology of the Reformation. So influential were they that the conflict became known in British circles as the "Presbyterian Revolt." Whether every retelling of the phrase can be historically verified is less important than the reality it described: British officials recognized the profound influence of Presbyterian ministers upon the colonies.
These men believed Christ ruled over kings as surely as He ruled over churches. Their convictions were not born from nationalism but flowed from a rightly applied theology.
Having studied men like John Calvin, John Knox, and Samuel Rutherford, they understood that civil rulers derive their authority from God and therefore remain accountable to Him.
History remembers many of these ministers as the "Black Robed Regiment." On the Lord's Day they stood behind the pulpit clothed in Geneva robes, opening the Scriptures and calling men to repentance and faith in Christ. When the sermon ended, some would exchange the robe for a military coat, take up a musket, and join their neighbors in resisting what they believed to be unlawful tyranny.
This was not because they confused America with the kingdom of God. It was because they believed the King of heaven governs the kingdoms of earth. Their patriotism was not the source of their theology. Their theology was the source of their patriotism and that makes a world of difference.
Beware of Loving the Gift More Than the Giver
Every generation faces its own temptation. Some Christians today behave as though America occupies a unique place in God's redemptive plan. Every headline is interpreted as biblical prophecy. Every election determines whether God's kingdom will survive another four years. But Christ does not anxiously await election results.
His throne has never been threatened. His kingdom has never required the approval of Congress. His reign has never depended upon the success of a political party. At the same time, another error has become increasingly common.
Many believers have accepted the secular assumption that Christianity should remain private. We are told that pastors may speak about heaven but not legislation, about prayer but not justice, about the family but not public policy. Such thinking is foreign to Scripture.
If Christ is Lord, then He is Lord over legislators no less than pastors. The Bible has something to say about theft, murder, marriage, justice, honesty, partiality, oppression, the protection of children, the treatment of the poor, and the responsibilities of rulers. To insist that politics be divorced from biblical morality is not neutrality but rebellion.
One King Above Every Nation
America has been greatly blessed by God. For that we should be profoundly thankful. But America is not the New Jerusalem. The Constitution is not inspired Scripture. The Declaration of Independence is not the gospel. Our hope has never rested in a republic, however noble its founding. Empires rise and fall. Kingdoms appear with great power only to disappear into the pages of history.
The kingdoms of Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome all seemed immovable in their day. Today they exist only as reminders that no earthly nation is eternal. Only one kingdom cannot be shaken. Only one throne will never be vacant. Only one King wears many crowns. Therefore let Christians be the best citizens.
Let us vote thoughtfully. Let us labor for righteous laws. Let us defend the innocent. Let us oppose injustice. Let us honor those who faithfully serve our communities and our nation. Let us never surrender the public square to those who hate the law of God. But let us remember that our greatest allegiance is not pledged beneath the stars and stripes. It is pledged beneath the blood-stained banner of King Jesus Christ. For when every earthly flag has been folded, when every constitution has become a relic, when every parliament and congress have passed away, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. And He shall reign forever and ever.