NATIONAL UNITY 2

I wrote last week that I am alarmed over the seriousness of our national disunity in America. In that blog I pointed out that Jesus did not come to bring unity but a sword. Believers are called to certain convictions that we can never compromise and that the world may never accept. 

But I believe it is more important that I write to you about how to interface with a society that differs from us at such crucial points.

Some years ago I read about some of the people involved in the Chinese church's Back to Jerusalem Movement being amazed that they were not praying for the fall of the communist government. They were instead praying for God to work in it.

1 Peter 2:13-15 reads

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every Authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men."

Paul wrote something nearly identical in Romans 13. These men lived in a world where Christians were already being persecuted. Paul appealed to Caesar when he was arrested in Jerusalem. But he stood up to the authorities who wanted to quietly release him and Silas in Ephesus.

How does that speak to us today? Could King George have been as wicked as Nero who burned Christians alive on poles to light his garden parties? How do we know which to do in the circumstances that we face today?

We need to begin by saying we will have to struggle with the issues that we face. There are no simple answers to modern questions.

We will have to struggle with right and wrong. It will not always be simple or obvious.

And we will need to struggle over our witness and the glory of God. This will include decency, integrity, humility, and honesty.

And most importantly, we must struggle to discern the will of God.

I basically agree with Francis Schaefer's statement in The Christian Manifesto that a government that becomes breeches its calling by God should be overthrown. But I believe he missed a point in his argument. That is the issue of God's timing. When God told Abraham he was going to give his descendants the land of Canaan, He said they had not filled up their sins. Four hundred years would pass before God said it was time.

I don't know where we are in America. But I know it is the will of God to pray for our country and for our leaders by name and by need. And I will struggle in prayer and God's word over the issues of politics and voting and our country.

NATIONAL UNITY 1

I have been alarmed of late over the bitterness and seriousness of our national disunity in America. A few elections back I thought I was being funny by asking people who they were going to vote against for president. I stopped asking that because no one thought it was a joke.  Of course this is not restricted to America. Much of the world suffers from similar or worse political divisiveness. This is a dangerous fact about our world.

I have longed for a president who wanted to use the bully pulpit to bring us nearer to national unity. But for those of us who are serious about the Bible and faith in Jesus, I need to admit to a different perspective. In Matthew 10:34 Jesus warned us that He did not come to bring peace but a sword. If we follow Jesus, many things about us will offend others.

Many today will find our morals offensive. I want to say it lovingly and wisely, but I will have to stand against the murder of over a million innocents a year by the practice of abortion. I am going to have to tell people that I love that homosexual behavior is sinful and homosexual marriage unnatural.

Some will find our thinking offensive no matter how gently and respectfully we express it. 

Ideas have conclusions. And our thinking will go counter to worldly thinking. That is why we see some of the thinking of our founding fathers being rejected by society and ignored by bodies like the Supreme Court.

Some will even be offended by the gospel. It will offend some people that their own righteousness will never save them. Others will be offended that a wicked person can be forgiven.

What are we to do? We should pray for unity in our country. I believe we would be foolish and disobedient if we did not. But there are issues in America where we will have to stand with our Lord even against unity in our country.

I have more to say on this subject. There are things we can do to work for unity. But lest I take away from what I have written here, I need to wait until next week to deal with them. In the meantime, I encourage you to think about what Jesus said.