Second Principle: God Has a Political Manifesto
The second principle arises from the first. God is in control of our world; but He is not like some mythical Greek god who amuses himself by tampering with our fate and who makes life difficult for us for no particular reason. Far from it! Instead, the Bible shows us very clearly that our God - the God of the Old Testament and of the New - has His own political agenda. He has planned the ultimate solution for all the problems of our world; and it is for that perfect remedy that every true Christian should pray, as Jesus taught his disciples to say:
"Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". - Matthew 6:9-10
The Bible tells us that God, the Creator of this earth, has had one specific purpose in mind for it from the beginning of time. The Bible tells us quite unequivocally what that purpose is. The time is coming when God's laws will be enforced throughout the whole earth. The Word of God contains this divine political manifesto for the earth's future. It is a manifesto full of promises which God Himself will deliver, and towards which He is constantly at work in our world. Moreover, He gives us an absolute guarantee that what He has promised, he will deliver. "But truly, as I live ... all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD." - Numbers 14:21
We shall now look at four Bible passages which summarize God's manifesto for the future of our world. The first takes us back again to king Nebuchadnezzar. This king had a dream of a giant statue of a man, made of five different metals. In his dream, the statue was knocked over by a stone and ground into powder by it. The stone then grew into a mountain which filled the whole earth. Perhaps not surprisingly, the king could not understand his dream and he needed the prophet Daniel to tell him its meaning (Daniel 2:36-45). The interpretation he gave is an intriguing and accurate political history of the nation of Israel and the nations which invade it, given in remarkable prophetic detail that can be mapped from Babylon to the present day. The precise identification of these various empires is a fascinating and rewarding subject. However the important point for us now to notice is that (in verses 44, 45) God declares His intention to set up His own kingdom, the establishment of which is foreshadowed by the work of the little stone in the dream:
"The God of heaven (shall) set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."
This, in a nutshell, is God's political manifesto.
Later in his life, Daniel had a dream about the fulfillment of this promise. He described it like this: "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." - Daniel 7:13-14
Although the language used in the book of Daniel is sometimes difficult to understand, there can be no misunderstanding of this passage. Here is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. He is given authority by his Father to return to the earth and to rule over it. All nations will serve him. What a picture of power and authority this is! When he comes, no-one will be able to resist him.
Matthew 26 contains the remarkable record of Jesus standing before the High Priest at his trial. Shortly afterwards he will be taken and crucified, but Matthew gives us a picture of him which clearly identifies him with the "stone" of Daniel 2 and the "Son of Man" of Daniel 7.
The significance of this particular occasion is underlined by the fact that Jesus is on oath, and on trial for his life, before the highest civil and spiritual authority of first century Israel. The Jewish leaders, who hated Jesus, were trying to catch him on a charge of blasphemy, and wanted him to repeat his earlier claim to be "the Christ, the Son of God" (Matthew 26:63). Jesus, who always spoke the truth, could hardly deny that this was true. "Thou hast said" was his reply. This is a Jewish idiom equivalent to saying: 'You're quite right'. Jesus did not leave it there, however, he went on to identify himself to the High Priest as the one like "the Son of Man" in Daniel 7; and he did this by quoting Daniel 7:13 and applying it to himself;
"...nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." - Matthew 26:64
Jesus could hardly have been more explicit. He was telling the Jews that he was indeed the one promised by Daniel who would come to set up an everlasting kingdom on the earth. This is confirmed by the violent response of the High Priest who knew his Old Testament scriptures and who recognized that Jesus was applying Daniel's prophecy to himself. He was appalled at what he considered to be these blasphemous claims by Jesus.
"Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?"
No further need al all! Jesus is the Son of Man and the stone of Daniel; and he will both destroy the kingdom of men at his coming and receive the eternal kingdom of his Father!
The fourth and final Bible passage picks up that important word used by Jesus in Matthew 26:64: "Hereafter". We know for certain that Jesus will be God's appointed ruler in His eternal kingdom. However it is not until the apostles commenced their preaching about Jesus (after his ascension to heaven) that we get some inkling as to when Jesus will finish God's work and fulfil all His manifesto pledges.
Acts 3 gives us a helpful clue about when the "hereafter" might be. This is only the second time the Christian gospel was preached after the ascension of Jesus, and therefore the message is all the more significant. The preacher is the apostle Peter, who declares:
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ ... whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." - Acts 3:19-21
Peter confirms the good news of the great promises made by God. His was not a new message but a continuation of those things which God had spoken of from the beginning of the world! What greater assurance could there be that God's plan for the world was still on course? This is what true Christians should be preaching about and praying for today - the kingdom of God on earth ruled over by His Son Jesus. This is the only political manifesto with which true Christians should get involved. This is the only solution to all the world's problems which God Himself will bring about, whatever men may say or do either to help or hinder Him. "For who hath resisted His will?" - Romans 9:19
The personal example and teaching of Jesus Christ is of great importance to those who think about this subject. How did Jesus act and speak when faced with the political issues of his day? What were his responses and what did he expect of his disciples as they followed him? Perhaps most important of all, what does Jesus expect of us today?
Thankfully we are not left in doubt about how Jesus behaved when faced with political questions. There are many occasions recorded in the gospels when his contemporaries asked for his opinions about such matters, or wanted to embroil him (often for their own ends) in political issues. And yet, on every one of these occasions, Jesus steadfastly refused to be drawn into the arguments, or to commit himself to one party or another in the contemporary political scene. His attitude towards the state was based on conscientiously obeying the laws of the land and no more - and even then only if that did not conflict with his duty towards God.
Luke 20 contains one particularly important incident of this kind. The enemies of Jesus were keen to draw him into declaring his political allegiance. Was it right or wrong for a Jew to pay taxes to Rome? Here was the perfect opportunity for Jesus to show his solidarity with his people, downtrodden as they were by the cruel power of Rome and the rapacity of their greedy tax-gatherers. Yet the answer of Jesus rose right above the political issues, avoided the minefield of controversy, and placed the answer firmly back on the individual conscience.
"Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." - Luke 20:25
What a wonderfully balanced response this is for every disciple of Jesus Christ! His answer holds true for every generation - not just for oppressed Jews in his day. If we truly gave to God everything we should, then we should have very little time, energy, or resource to devote to anyone or anything else. So while the reply of Jesus may seem to be just a brilliant piece of verbal diplomacy to get him out of a tricky situation, it is actually a searching challenge to every would-be Christian. Where is our true allegiance, and whose claims upon us take precedence? If we are really committed to God, then it is impossible for us to balance an interest in this world with our discipleship. God wants whole hearted believers whose political interests lie solely in the coming Kingdom of God for:
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." - Matthew 6:24
The Example of Jesus Again: "Art thou a king then?"
There was an occasion during his ministry when Jesus became so popular with the crowds that they wanted to take him by force and make him their king there and then (John 6:15). So how did Jesus respond to this public acclaim? Did he seize it as an opportunity to make his world a better place, by using his influence and power for the common good? Did he listen to the voice of the people? For here, surely, was a wonderful opportunity for this great leader, with such gifts of oratory and personal charisma, to use his God-given talents to help his nation in their difficulties under the yoke of Rome. How did he behave in such circumstances, and why?
There was an occasion during his ministry when Jesus became so popular with the crowds that they wanted to take him by force and make him their king there and then (John 6:15). So how did Jesus respond to this public acclaim? Did he seize it as an opportunity to make his world a better place, by using his influence and power for the common good? Did he listen to the voice of the people? For here, surely, was a wonderful opportunity for this great leader, with such gifts of oratory and personal charisma, to use his God-given talents to help his nation in their difficulties under the yoke of Rome. How did he behave in such circumstances, and why?
It is worth remembering that the preparation that Jesus underwent in the wilderness, prior to his public ministry, included this very same challenge. One of the temptations he faced was to use his power to reign over the whole earth there and then (Matthew 4:8-10). He knew that God's Kingdom on earth would one day be his. Many Old Testament prophets had promised this (including Daniel, as we have seen). The angel Gabriel had confirmed this to his mother (Luke 1:32-33). "All power in heaven and earth" had been promised to him by God (Matthew 28:18). But this would only happen in God's good time - it was God's timetable for these things which was important, not that which Jesus was tempted to implement. He had the power ofGod's Holy Spirit: he could do great good in the world, he could influence world politics more than any other man before or since. Yet he resisted this temptation because it was not part of God's plan. It was not for Jesus to try to seize the initiative from God, or to force his Father's hand.
For this reason Jesus refused to use his popularity with the crowds to try to make his Father accelerate His manifesto programme. So the record tells us that:
"Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself." - John 6:15
He had the wisdom to recognize that it was not yet the time for him to intervene in world affairs.
Within a short time, however, the fickle crowds who wanted Jesus as their king had turned against him. Small wonder then that Pontius Pilate, when Jesus was brought before him on the charge of claiming to be "the King of the Jews", should ask him point blank: "So you are a king?" (John 18:37). Pilate was used to rebels and zealots rising up against the power of Rome. However, he recognized that Jesus was different, and that the last thing he was guilty of was political resistance to the Roman power. Jesus had never agitated against Rome, and he was not guilty of the trumped-up charge. "I find no crime in him", was Pilate's conclusion after examining his case.
"So are you a king?" was Pilate's somewhat puzzled question to Jesus; and the reply that Jesus gave explains his steadfast refusal to participate in the politics of his day.
"Jesus answered, My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight but my kingship is not from the world (or, my kingdom is from another place)." - John 18:36 (NIV)
From Foundations
From the above, we are constrained in participating as Christians in politics according to Christ but many school of thought has come to the notion that without the participation of Christians in the political affairs of man, it would be a comatose world to live in. Evil will be the order of the day, even though it is agreed that God ruleth in the affairs of men, He will certainly use someone.
It is shown that God called men, gods in their own right (Psalm 82:6) and non was suppose to rule over the other because God was to be the ruler of men (Psalm 86:8), but at the fall of man, God caused the woman who was made out of man; “Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shall bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” – (Gen 3:16)
Here the unintended nature of God became evident as a result of man’s sin, the original concept of God that man should rule and have dominion over all creations (Gen 1:28) was altered by sin.
According to the Pastor Williams in one of his sermon; Christianity & Politics teaching on Rulership, he observed that Christians don’t like discussing issues on politics because it is a dirty terrain not meant for the saint.
Man had decided to walk along the wide way that leads to destruction in their actions and words towards Almighty God, examples abound in the bible where men revolt against the leadership of God. 1 Sam 8:4-9; Acts 6:1-4; Matt 20:20-24, the Lord is the one that promotes one and demotes another (case of King David & King Saul), He is the Lamb of God as well as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, a two edged sword rightly dividing between the truth.
The Hebrew Bible contains a complex chronicle of the Kings of Israel and Judah, written over the course of many generations by authors whose relationships and intimacy with the rulers of the several kingdoms fluctuated widely in both intimacy and respect. Some historical passages of the Hebrew Bible contain intimate portrayals of the inner workings of the royal households of Saul, David, and Solomon; the accounts of subsequent monarchs are frequently more distanced and less detailed, and frequently begin with the judgment that the monarch "did evil in the sight of the Lord."
The Christian New Testament, instead, begins with the story of Jesus, crucified as a criminal who had offended both the Jewish priesthood and the Roman imperial authorities. At least to outward appearances, Jesus was at the periphery of political life and power in the Roman province of Judea. Nevertheless, a number of political currents appear in New Testament writings
It is therefore expedient that Christians need to play an active but godly roles in the political life of every nation around, Christians in politics is not a taboo neither ungodly. They are not immune to the rulings of the wicked in power, it is written; “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” – (Prov. 29:2)
“I cannot think of a moment in our history when it was more important for Christians to be asking themselves - and more critically God - whether they were called to play a part in politics.” - Steve Clifford, General Director, Evangelical Alliance
I therefore leave you with this quote from Andrew Selous MP, “I have always believed that Christians should be involved in party politics. Joining the Christian group within the Conservative party, the Conservative Christian Fellowship was vital in my journey to becoming an MP. The support and prayers of CCF members were so important and we really need more Christians involved in the all the parties and their respective Christian groups.”
References:
Christianity and Politics ….Wikipedia.org
Christian In Politics…http://www.christiansinpolitics.org.uk/home/
http://www.bibleed.com/bibleteachings/pamphlets/politics.htm
Pastor Williams, Pastor-In-charge, RCCG Edo Province 3
http://christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g005.html
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