Faith First: Finding Our Place in a Politicized World
How should political division fit into Christian worldview?
The Problem
In our society today, we’re divided by identity — divided by race, gender, beliefs, and especially by political party.
And I’ll be honest — I love politics. When I was in my early teens, our state newspaper printed the full text of one of Dale Bumpers’ speeches in the Senate. And it was so moving and powerful, from that day I was hooked.
But Biblically, what role should politics play in our lives? And how do we properly place it to most fully obey God?
We live in a time when government is big. It seeks to have influence over every element of our lives. If you look back at the United States just 100 years ago, government had a much more limited role in our everyday. And if I look back just 30 years ago, when I first started paying attention to politics, it wasn’t the all encompassing diving line that it is now.
As a Christian, where do we put this? How can I serve God and be a good citizen?
Watch:
Follow the state up to the point it infringes on your directive from God.
So, in most searches for direction, the first place I look is Jesus. Did He say anything or did his life reveal anything? And he did.
So we’ll start there. In Matthew 22, we have the story of the Pharisees questioning Jesus on the payment of taxes.
To do this right, we need some context from that time period. The Jewish people were living under Roman rule, and resentment toward the Romans ran deep. Two major groups had formed among them: the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
Pharisees and Sadducees
The Pharisees were conservative religious leaders — not priests, but teachers deeply connected to common people. Think of them as your local pastors or Bible teachers. They longed for Israel to be free from Rome and wanted to protect their faith from foreign influence. They sat on the Jewish high court, the Sanhedrin, but were actually a minority there. Their real power came from their influence among the people.
Their rivals, the Sadducees, were the wealthy, priestly elite — powerful men tied to the Temple and to Rome. They controlled the Sanhedrin politically but weren’t popular with the people. So yes, even back then, there were political parties — and they didn’t get along.
But both groups agreed on one thing: Jesus was a threat.
Render Unto Caesar
So in Matthew 22, the Pharisees say to “Jesus, Tell us, then, what do you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
And here they thought they had him trapped in a political landmine. If he said yes, pay Caesar, the common people who were coming to love him would see him as a traitor and shill for Rome. If he said no, they could report him to the Roman authorities for rebellion.
But Jesus, unsurprisingly, was not fooled. He said, annoyed, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.”
And they brought him a denarius.
And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
They said, “Caesar’s.”
Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
That’s pretty cut and dried to me. Jesus recognized that earthly governments have their place — there are things we owe to society and to civil order. But He also drew a clear line: ultimate loyalty belongs to God. Caesar’s image might be on the coin, but God’s image is on us.
When an issue we face from our government that infringes upon our ability to serve God or it directly opposes God’s Word, we side with God. Now, how we do that, I think, will differ from person to person according to the gifts God has given us.
But what I hear Jesus saying is we don’t have to live in a state of heightened anger or fear about our political environment all the time.
Not of this world
In John 18, while Jesus is standing before Pilate, he says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He later told Pilate: “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.”
We need to be focused on God’s kingdom, not this one. Today’s politics are important to the extent that it impacts our ability to worship, to serve, and draw others into the ultimate kingdom – the one that really matters. But beyond that, it’s just noise.
Psalm 146 says:
“Put not your trust in princes,
In a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
On that very day his plans perish.”
Identity politics is moot. Our identity is our faith.
Man, it seems like everything these days is so focused on YOU, YOU, YOU. How do you identify: male, female, black, white, CIS gender, gay, bi, trans, left, right. This world is trying to force us into opposing buckets, then watch eat one another alive.
Believe me, there are few things more detrimental to bringing the kingdom of God to earth than division. That’s why the forces of this world are focused so heavily on it. And they’re winning.
But that’s not us. Galatians 3 says: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
And Philippians reminds us that “our citizenship is in heaven.” We, along with our brothers and sisters of faith, are our own nation– God’s nation.
We rely on our government and our state to solve our problems. And, sure, there are many places that the state is the right actor – building roads, picking up trash, water treatment, etc. But we should not cede to the state the spiritual health and wellbeing of our communities. That’s a job for us, as a faith community, to step in.
If the problem is one that Jesus talked about, that our Bibles teach on, if it’s one that God put on your heart – our faith communities are the starting place for those solutions.
There are many secular organizations through which we can example our faith. I’m not saying only work through the church. But whatever space you’re working in, let your faith shine bright.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Engage with Salt
And finally, this world is going to try to draw us into political disputes. It’s everywhere. It’s impossible not to be inundated with it. And some people do have to join the fray – some have gifts that are designed to engage in those areas where faith intersects with politics. But we can do it with grace.
Always remember that on the other end of the conversation is a person that God made and that God isn’t finished with.
Philippians 3 says many “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”
How do we live in a world where we’re confronted continually by people who, whether they are aware of it or not, walk as enemies to our faith?
Colossians shares this in Chapter 4: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Making the best use of the time is an important part of that verse. You don’t have to engage in every comment on Facebook. You don’t have to tell everyone that they’re wrong. Our first responsibility is to honor God. Don’t let yourself be pulled away from that.
Also, “seasoned with salt,” appeals to me. If you’ve ever gone on a salt-free diet, you know how bland it is. Salt has the ability to make things taste 100% better. There are some foods I don’t even want to eat without salt. Salt brings flavor. It makes things appealing. Our words should do the same — bringing truth in a way people can actually receive. Moral platitudes that have no appeal do no good to the person we’re saying it to. Speak truth with love, and let grace flavor every conversation.
Last, but perhaps most important, is the importance of prayer. We live in difficult and confusing times. Prayer can guide our steps, it can help our leaders, it can bless our nation.