Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #39 Romans 15:1-2

 Romans 15:1-2 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.

How do Empires grow in human history?  There have been quite a few of them of various sizes and durations, but the common theme they share, which includes the British Empire from the map above, is that they imposed their will upon other peoples.  Some of these expansions were more bloody and ruthless than others, but none were happy affairs from the point-of-view of the victims.  The British were not the only empire builders to think that the "natives" ought to be grateful to join their empire, but the rose-colored glasses that empowered that sort of hubris aren't strong enough to blind us to the cost of empire born by the conquered or annexed peoples of the world.

How does this discussion of political empires connect to "Christian" Nationalism?  Directly, as it turns out.  "Christian" Nationalists think of the Church and the Gospel with the same expansionist mindset as those seeking to build political empires.  The tactics and methods of empire building, including the use of force or coercion fit neatly into what those behind the Spanish Inquisition, for example, chose to do to "protect" the Christian nature of the Spanish Empire.  We hear similar rhetoric from today's nationalist politicians and pundits as they propose law and regulations aimed at benefiting "Christian" institutions and individuals and placing obstacles and burdens on the backs of those outside the approved list.  We hear talk of banning the building of houses of worship by groups not on the approved list, talk of denying citizenship or basic human rights to those who worship differently (or not at all).

The insurmountable problem with these power plays is that the Kingdom of God, where all followers of Jesus Christ owe their highest allegiance and share equal citizenship, does NOT spread by violence, by maneuverings, by pacts or alliances, nor even by threats of punishment or inducements of reward.  The true Kingdom spreads only through the Fruit of the Spirit and the transforming power of the Gospel's message of salvation by grace through faith.  God's Kingdom grows when his people live in ways that exemplify the neighborly attitude of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  A weak neighbor is not an opportunity for gain, but an obligation to be a protector.  Likewise with strength, those who have it must put it to use in helping, not exploiting, others.

Mandatory prayer in public schools?  No thank you.  Denying building permits for a mosque, synagogue, or temple?  Not if we truly believe in the power of the Gospel.  Tipping the scales of justice, education, or business so as to favor self-proclaimed Christians and dis-favor everyone else?  Count me with the everyone else if you're going to do that.

We don't need an empire, especially not one that pretends to be Christian while exploiting its neighbors.

Sermon Video: The Dead in Christ Will Rise - 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

In answering the concerns of the 1st generation Christians at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul reassures the followers of Jesus that those who have died in Christ will be at no disadvantage when he returns.  In fact, the dead in Christ will be in line ahead of the living in Christ.

In the end, death has zero power to interfere with God's redemptive plan, all those who are in Christ (who have saving faith), whether they be living or dead, will be united with their Savior.

Sermon Video: We do not grieve like those without hope - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

Death and the grief that it causes are as real for followers of Jesus as they are for everyone else.  Because we have faith our grief is not eliminated, it is transformed, transformed by our hope.  Hope in what?  the resurrection of those who are in Jesus Christ.

Sermon Video: Love and a Quiet Life - 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

 The words of the Apostle Paul to the church at Thessalonica about how to please God in this text feel like they have a strong disconnect with life in the modern information age.  It is more difficult for us to make the genuine connections that lead to the type of fellowship he describes that embraces love, and it is much more difficult to lead a quiet life that avoids the turmoil of being involved in other people's business.

And yet, we need Paul's wisdom more than ever.  Our social media and smartphone fueled lives are causing emotional, psychological, and yes, spiritual harms, including to those who are part of the kingdom of God.

Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #38 Romans 13:1-4

 

Romans 13:1-4 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

You might be surprised to see Romans 13:1-4 in this series given that it is the passage most commonly cited by "Christian" Nationalists themselves to justify their subservience to whichever human authority (including those which commit great evil) they have hitched their wagon to.  

The thing is, Paul isn't advocating here for a union of Church and State, far from it.  What Paul is talking about is much more akin to Jesus', "give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s." (Matthew 22:21)  What Paul is teaching is that the idea of human authority, including governmental authority, ultimately comes from God.  We have not been called by the Gospel to become anarchists, it doesn't matter if that impulse comes from the Right or the Left, it is fundamentally contrary to God's design for human society.  Any Rand was wrong about this, along with much else. {The Philosophy of Ayn Rand: Hatred of the authority of God, a post I wrote, ironically, just as the COVID pandemic was starting and governmental authority would be a major worldwide topic}.

Nowhere in Paul's words does he envision a union between the governmental authority established by God with the Bride of Christ.  Given Paul's very negative history with the Sanhedrin, a group that had compromised its moral authority beyond recognition to wield power under both Herod and the Romans, and the Church's understanding of the Roman Empire as the greatest danger facing early believers, we would not expect Paul to be someone who would want to see religious and political authority working hand-in-glove.  Yet, it was not personal experience, or practical reasons, that held Paul back from proposing that the followers of Jesus Christ seek political power in his name, it was his respect for the providential design of God's will, a design in which God's people had all the power they would ever need to change the world in servanthood.

We can have a conversation about what Christian theology has to say about rebellion, revolutions, and non-violent resistance, and we should include Romans 13:1-4 in our study of God's Word with respect to these topics, but we would be dishonoring God's Word if we allowed these words of Paul to be used to justify turning our backs on the evil that governments do, especially when those governments wrap themselves in a Christian flag.