Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #37 Romans 12:17-21

 

Romans 12:17-21 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

On April 7, 2026, the President of the United States wrote on Truth Social, "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again." He was speaking of the 90 million people of Iran.  Much to the relief of the world, the genocide threatened by President Trump did not happen.  That it might have is yet another reason why the Church and the Gospel cannot possibly make alliance with any kingdom of this world.  This grandiose vision of death and destruction is not what we have been called to as followers of Jesus Christ.  In fact, our calling is very nearly the opposite of this: turn the other cheek.

The efforts of Pope Leo, among others, to advocate for the Christian interest in peace were loudly mocked by those in the political realm, with some proclaiming that politicians know better about what the Bible teaches about war.

The kingdoms of this world, whether in this current moment or in generations past, operate using tools and methods, even when they stop well short of the mass slaughter of genocide, that are not permissible to followers of Jesus.  Their ways are not our ways.  The kingdoms of this world make moral compromises for their own benefit, those are choices that are not permissible for followers of Jesus Christ.  Their priorities are not our priorities.  The kingdoms of this world view other nations on a spectrum from ally to enemy, a self-interested scale that often shifts {Consider America's history with our first foe England who later after another war in 1812 shifted to become our staunchest ally}.  By contrast, those who are in Christ have been called to look at humanity without these labels, to view all people as either those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ to whom we owe loving fellowship, or as those with whom we have been called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Enemies?  Only if they choose to be, we'd rather they accept God's grace and join us in fellowship.

Are the Iranian people the enemy of Jesus Christ?  No.  Are they the enemy of Christianity?  No.  Are they the enemy of the Gospel?  No.  Our response as followers of Jesus Christ in all three cases is to do what is noble, just, and good with respect to the Iranian people.  'Christian' Nationalism stands ready to choose sides in conflicts great and small and, "root, root, root for the home team," but they are wrong, our calling is much higher and much nobler than the whims of geopolitics. 

Sermon Video: A Prayer for a Church that is already Standing Firm- 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Having learned from Timothy that his worst fears (see previous sermon in this series) had not come about because the church at Thessalonica was actually doing well in his absence, the Apostle Paul shifts to thanksgiving and prayer.  

When a church is already standing firm, what prayer need does it have?

Paul offers three possible needs: (1) outside support and encouragement, (2) overflowing love, and (3) blameless devotion to God.

Sermon Video: Labor Not in Vain - Paul's concern for a church, 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5

In sharing his own anxiety over their well-being with them, the Apostle Paul opens up to the church at Thessalonica by telling them that his prolonged (unwanted) absence from them has caused him turmoil.  His reasons?  (1) The relationship that they have will be celebrated when Christ returns. (2) They needed his assistance, which meant sending them Timothy in Paul's stead. (3) Paul knew that they would be facing persecution. (4) He feared that temptation might have caused them to be unfruitful.  

Paul's openness demonstrates the importance to us of our relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ, the need that every local church has for its own version of Timothy to support and encourage it, and our collective reliance upon faith to overcome temptation.

Sermon Video: Receiving God's word in a hostile environment - 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

 

We know the stories of the missionary martyrs, those who risked their lives and gave them to share the Gospel.  Less well known are the persecutions of those who chose to accept Jesus in those dangerous settings.  The persecution that Paul endured is familiar to us, but what about the ordinary men and women of Thessalonica, what was it like for them?

In our text today Paul doesn't detail the hostility they faced, rather he focuses on what they did in response: they accepted the Gospel as the very words of God.  This remarkable faith is encouraging to us, reminding us of the power of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit.  Persecution didn't stop the redeeming power of God's grace in Paul's day, it won't in ours either.

Sermon Video: The spiritual parents of a new church - 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12

The Apostle Paul tells the young church at Thessalonica that he and his team  were related to this congregation as its spiritual mother and father.  Both the tenderness of a mother and the encouragement of a father were needed by the community of new Christians as they grew in maturity.

This same principle applies to individual new Christians within an established Christian congregation, a reminder to mature disciples of Jesus that we are called to serve as mentors of the discipleship of others.