Can a believer get involved with politics? (Part 2).

[Leonardo Von]

Can a believer get involved with politics? (Part 2).

In virtue of some comments, I decided to do this message.

It is truth that, in the Old Testament, we had many servants of the Creator involved in politics (for instance: Joseph, Mordecai, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah). Nonetheless, none of them planned on getting involved in politics. All of them were slave (in Egypt, Babylon, Media-Persia). They had no choice.

It is also truth that, in the Old Testament, there were many judges, kings, high-priests which acted politically. Nonetheless, for us today, the order is:

•    Mat 20:25-28 -> “But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””.

Our role is to be great before the Creator (and not before the men – Mat 5:19; 18:1-4; Luke 16:15).

Perhaps you will ask: “but will we deliver the world to Ha-Satan”? Indeed, the world already was delivered to him when Adam sinned:

•    Luk 4:5,6 -> “And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.”.

Also, John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11 and 1John 5:19 corroborate it. Our way of fight against Ha-Satan is staying as pillar and buttress of the truth (1Tim 3:15) and reproving the works of the darkness as taught below:

•    Eph 5:11-14 -> “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 

We need to go out of all dirtiness that there are in the politic. Don’t mind how consecrated can be the person. The power misguides the person. Hence in Revelation is said that only Jesus is worthy of all power (Rev 4:11; 5:12; 7:12).

Furthermore, even though, in the Old Testament the Creator used people in the politics, now, in the New alliance, the order is:

•    2Co 6:14-18 -> “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”.

The world doesn’t need great politicians, but great men and women of the Creator who, in total meekness and humility before Him (1Peter 5:5-7), can manifest the power of His love, grace, holiness and purity. What people need is to be sure that Jesus is alive and is with us, even when the evil seems prosper (Heb 3:8).

For the time being, have a good day striving against Ha-Satan and its works of the lie, but not with its weapons (politics, for instance). After all Ha-Satan don’t fight against himself (Mat 12:25,26). Fight with as weapons of the Holy Spirit (Eph 6:14-18).

Tomorrow I will keep on answering the questionings.

[B-B]

Definition of politics

1a: the art or science of government

b: the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy

c: the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com

 

 

I believe that We are to be a light shining in the darkness @Leonardo Von no matter what century we are living in. Whether we are employed in Politics, Healthcare, Science, Education, Sport, Manual Labour, etc, etc. We can be used by the Lord as instruments of righteousness. Bringing light into places of darkness. Obviously, we are not to become yoked with unbelievers, but this speaks more about who we fellowship with and have intimacy with. We often have very little control over who we work with, or our work environment. We should be seeking the Spirits help to be a witness to our work colleagues. 

Edited June 10, 2022 by B-B

[Riverwalker]

If we do not get involved in politics, then it is left to those whio have no God, and our role as the salt of the earth loses it flavor, and society circles the toilet.

 

[Mike Mclees]

30 minutes ago, Riverwalker said:

If we do not get involved in politics, then it is left to those whio have no God, and our role as the salt of the earth loses it flavor, and society circles the toilet.

 

Not sure of your post here. Could you rephrase please

[Who me]

Matthew 25:

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

 

Is what will happen to those who love others so little tht they won't get their hands dirty with work or poltics.

[The_Patriot21]

Many of americas founding fathers actually considered it heresy for a christian NOT to be involved in politics.

You are absolutely right...christians not only can and should be involved in politics, they have a moral responsibility to be involved in politics.

People like to misinterpret the verse "be in this world and not of it" to mean we need to seclude ourselves in our churches like a cult. It means to rise above the world and be the light on the hill. We cannot be that light by refusing to take a stand.

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil, God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act"

Faithful christian hero and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

[Riverwalker]

11 hours ago, Mike Mclees said:

Not sure of your post here. Could you rephrase please

Simply that if the voice of God is silent, the voice of the devil will rule

 

[Mike Mclees]

13 hours ago, The_Patriot21 said:

Many of americas founding fathers actually considered it heresy for a christian NOT to be involved in politics.

You are absolutely right...christians not only can and should be involved in politics, they have a moral responsibility to be involved in politics.

People like to misinterpret the verse "be in this world and not of it" to mean we need to seclude ourselves in our churches like a cult. It means to rise above the world and be the light on the hill. We cannot be that light by refusing to take a stand.

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil, God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act"

Faithful christian hero and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

 

I strongly disagree with you 

What makes you think that by being politicly involved with the world that that now embraces homosexual marriage and LGBT.  will change and please God. Let me ask you a question. Where is your home, in the world or in heaven, and why does God despise the world several times in scripture. You quoted from John 17 and said believers have it twisted. Could you explain  to me verse 9 as Jesus prays for the disciples which also includes us. " I pray for them (the disciples) I pray not for the world."

Rev 18 says that Babylon has fallen. It says the church has molded with the word and its kings and has become the cage of every foul bird. It says "Come out of her my people or you will come to judgement with her" 

Everything Jesus said would happen is coming to fruit and judgment will soon be here.  

[missmuffet]

How should a Christian view politics?

https://www.gotquestions.org

ANSWER

If there is anything that will spark a spontaneous debate, if not an outright argument, it is a discussion involving politics—even among believers. As followers of Christ, what should be our attitude and our involvement with politics? It has been said that “religion and politics don’t mix.” But is that really true? Can we have political views outside the considerations of our Christian faith? The answer is no, we cannot. The Bible gives us two truths regarding our stance towards politics and government.
 

 

The first truth is that the will of God permeates and supersedes every aspect of life. It is God’s will that takes precedence over everything and everyone (Matthew 6:33). God’s plans and purposes are fixed, and His will is inviolable. What He has purposed, He will bring to pass, and no government can thwart His will (Daniel 4:34-35). In fact, it is God who “sets up kings and deposes them” (Daniel 2:21) because “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes” (Daniel 4:17). A clear understanding of this truth will help us to see that politics is merely a method God uses to accomplish His will. Even though evil men abuse their political power, meaning it for evil, God means it for good, working “all things together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Second, we must grasp the fact that our government cannot save us! Only God can. We never read in the New Testament of Jesus or any of the apostles expending any time or energy schooling believers on how to reform the pagan world of its idolatrous, immoral, and corrupt practices via the government. The apostles never called for believers to demonstrate civil disobedience to protest the Roman Empire’s unjust laws or brutal schemes. Instead, the apostles commanded the first-century Christians, as well as us today, to proclaim the gospel and live lives that give clear evidence to the gospel’s transforming power.

There is no doubt that our responsibility to government is to obey the laws and be good citizens (Romans 13:1–2). God has established all authority, and He does so for our benefit, “to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13–15). Paul tells us in Romans 13:1–8 that it is the government’s responsibility to rule in authority over us—hopefully for our good—to collect taxes, and to keep the peace. Where we have a voice and can elect our leaders, we should exercise that right by voting for those who best demonstrate Christian principles.

One of Satan’s grandest deceptions is that we can rest our hope for cultural morality and godly living in politicians and governmental officials. A nation’s hope for change is not to be found in any country’s ruling class. The church has made a mistake if it thinks that it is the job of politicians to defend, to advance, and to guard biblical truths and Christian values.

The church’s unique, God-given purpose does not lie in political activism. Nowhere in Scripture do we have the directive to spend our energy, our time, or our money in governmental affairs. Our mission lies not in changing the nation through political reform, but in changing hearts through the Word of God. When believers think the growth and influence of Christ can somehow be allied with government policy, they corrupt the mission of the church. Our Christian mandate is to spread the gospel of Christ and to preach against the sins of our time. Only as the hearts of individuals in a culture are changed by Christ will the culture begin to reflect that change.

Believers throughout the ages have lived, and even flourished, under antagonistic, repressive, pagan governments. This was especially true of the first-century believers who, under merciless political regimes, sustained their faith under immense cultural stress. They understood that it was they, not their governments, who were the light of the world and the salt of the earth. They adhered to Paul’s teaching to obey their governing authorities, even to honor, respect, and pray for them (Romans 13:1-8). More importantly, they understood that, as believers, their hope resided in the protection that only God supplies. The same holds true for us today. When we follow the teachings of the Scriptures, we become the light of the world as God has intended for us to be (Matthew 5:16).

Political entities are not the savior of the world. The salvation for all mankind has been manifested in Jesus Christ. God knew that our world needed saving long before any national government was ever founded. He demonstrated to the world that redemption could not be accomplished through the power of man, economic strength, military might, or politics. Peace of mind, contentment, hope, and joy—and the salvation of mankind—are provided only through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Edited June 11, 2022 by missmuffet

[The_Patriot21]

2 hours ago, Mike Mclees said:

 

I strongly disagree with you 

What makes you think that by being politicly involved with the world that that now embraces homosexual marriage and LGBT.  will change and please God. Let me ask you a question. Where is your home, in the world or in heaven, and why does God despise the world several times in scripture. You quoted from John 17 and said believers have it twisted. Could you explain  to me verse 9 as Jesus prays for the disciples which also includes us. " I pray for them (the disciples) I pray not for the world."

Rev 18 says that Babylon has fallen. It says the church has molded with the word and its kings and has become the cage of every foul bird. It says "Come out of her my people or you will come to judgement with her" 

Everything Jesus said would happen is coming to fruit and judgment will soon be here.  

Because our job isnt to change the world....our job is to be a light unto the world, let God do the changing.

Think about it...look at the OT. What would have happenned to the Israelites had Joseph not held a position of power? 

Or moses hadnt stepped forward.

Better yet lets skip forward to Elijah-a man who was very politically active and wasnt afraid to call out an evil king. Or Daniel. Or Esther and malachi.

How about Nehemiah, who thanks to being politically active was able to rebuild Jerusalems wall.

Gods prophets and judges were all politically active. Even the apostle Paul didnt shy away from politics.

You can strongly disagree all you want...but your ignoring scripture. On our own we can do nothing, but with God we can do all things. Our job isnt to win the war on sin, Gods already done that. Our job is to stand for truth and be the light on the hill. We cant do that hiding alone in our churches because "this isnt our world"

And its not our world. But we should be doing everything we can to bring as many people as we can with us.