This week, as we work our way through the New Testament, a chapter a day, we will hit Hebrews 11. This lengthy chapter is the culmination of the author's essay on the importance of following Christ and the patience required in being a citizen of Heaven. Although some describe the chapter as a list of heroes of faith, the chapter has a secondary undercurrent which surfaces in verses 13-16 of that chapter. The author insists that these past heroes of faith saw themselves as citizens of God's country and recognized that they were "aliens and strangers" on this planet.
This theme occurs in other places throughout the New Testament. Jesus, throughout his ministry, announced the beginning of the kingdom of God (or kingdom of Heaven) and in various ways (see Matthew 22:15-22 and Matthew 4:8-10) made it clear that the kingdom of God was much more serious than mere political power.
Paul, in II Corinthians 5: 17-21 , describes his role as that of an "ambassador", reaching out to people in this world to encourage them to be reconciled to God. The ambassador metaphor is a strong one; the ambassador lives in one country but represents another. We, as Christ's ambassadors, currently live in a strange country, one "not our own"; we live as ambassadors for another country.
This image is true throughout all time, since the day of Jesus. Christians are citizens of "another country", whether they live in the Roman Empire or the Holy Roman Empire, whether living in the German kingdoms of Luther's day or the Scotland of John Knox.
From time to time, Christians forget this. Christians are occasionally seduced by political power into believing they can create a "Holy empire" or a "Christian nation." This seduction first occurred in the Roman Empire when Constantine converted and decided to make his empire "Christian." Later Charlemagne called his empire "Holy". The Catholic Spanish Empire mixed Christian missions with imperialism and oppression throughout South America. Protestant England claimed to be a "Christian nation" and used that motive to build its global empire. In justification of this, there even arose the cult of British Israelism, in which many claimed that Britain was the new Israel. Some English Christians even claimed that the kings of England were descendants of King David.
A Christian does not have to read world history to see the problems with this "Christian Nation" philosophy. The New Testament says nothing about "Christian nations" or godly kingdoms! Indeed, the last book in the New Testament, the book of Revelation, assures Christians that the heavenly kingdom is waiting in the wings, for the final trumpet, after all the earthly kingdoms have undergone their violent tantrums against God.
The only references in the Bible to a "godly nation" are in the Old Testament. There the references are to the nation of Israel, set up as a theocracy, a nation ruled by God alone. As that ancient nation repudiated the theocracy, it replaced God with kings and kingdoms and it alternated (for centuries!) between obedience and disobedience to God. Yes, there are many passages in the Old Testament (such as II Chronicles 7:14) in which God made promises to the nation of Israel. But one should be careful within that context and not presume that those verses somehow apply to the Holy Roman Empire or the Spanish Empire or even countries or kingdoms in existence today.
Jesus told the Herodians and Pharisees "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." He also said, "No one can serve two masters." One cannot pledge allegiance to the future kingdom of God and to one's country at the same time, for they are in conflict; they both will seek to be the master.
Adolf Hitler, attempting to promote German nationalism among German Christians, created the Reich Church. The book Mein Kampf appeared on the altars of those churches (presumably next to the Bible) and the national symbol, the swastika, appeared in the front of the sanctuaries. We may laugh at this today -- it seems ludicrous to us -- but I have been in American churches where the national symbol was visible up front, near the cross.
The New Testament has a lot to say about Christians serving as good citizens within our communities and within our countries, wherever God places us. Yes, we may serve our country. But it does not allow us to make our country an idol. If we follow the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, then we are citizens of another country and we are aliens and strangers here.
(Update July 2, 2016: A similar blogpost is here.)
Yes, we've talked about this many times and been comrades in battle over this issue. I may have said this before, but when I read the descriptions of Babylon in Revelation I see the United States. And I believe that is what the apocalyptic imagery is intended to help us see, no matter where or when we live--worldly powers are ultimately demonic whether they're the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, the Russian Empire, the USSR, the Byzantine Empire, the Aztec Empire, or the United States. Jesus's kingdom is not of this world, and this world is not our home. In fact, it is engaged in a running battle with us to block our path to heaven by force, seduce us from it it by pleasure, or divert us by offers of power and influence.
ReplyDelete