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This article is part of a series.

In the previous articles in this series, I’ve covered how the New Testament cannot be taken at face value, and still justify the idea of a Christian nation; it does not conform to the idea of Christians improving politics. In this article I want to explore further along these same lines.

Let’s look first at Christ’s words in the Sermon on the Mount. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:38-45) These commands basically assume that Christians will not be involved in politics, because these commands can hardly produce an effective government, which is “a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” (Romans 13:4)

Some would say that being in the government exempts a person, in his dealings as the government, from having to follow these commands. But two things in this passage make it fairly clear that this is not the case. First, the quotation about “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” refers back to one or more of three passages in the Mosaic Law: Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21. All three are passages from the national law, referring to national justice, not personal vengeance. So the passage in Matthew basically prohibits a Christian taking the position of a magistrate or soldier.

Later, Christ again presents a command that doesn’t fit within the framework of national religion, when He tells us to love our enemies. Within the framework of the Old Testament national religion, Jews had to love their neighbors, but they could set themselves against those who were not part of the Jewish nation. Jesus changes this. He says that we have to love everyone. “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13) We are to abound in love to all men (although we are to have an even greater love to the brethren). So we aren’t allowed to hate and kill the enemies of our nation any more. A “Christian” nation that refused to take vengeance on criminals or raise a military would soon fail. God never intended for a nation to do that. Instead, He wants His Christian people to avoid politics. Jesus said, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) He doesn’t want His church taking vengeance on people, even if the people deserve it. We are to be harmless like doves. Yet the government has a job that involves violence. It’s not possible for us to do both jobs at once.

In II Timothy 3, Paul explains that perilous times would come, because men would have certain traits. One of the traits was fierce. God does not want anyone to be fierce, much less His own church. Yet it seems as if no one is heeding His call, as “Christian” people display their fierceness both in their political battles and in their call for the government to be more warlike. Yet we can separate ourselves, surrendering to God’s will, and working for His Kingdom. We can spread His gospel around the world until that great day shall come when we can meet Christ in the air.

Note: the discussion here about “Christian” politics has been basically replaced the more thorough, more recent article, New Testament Political Involvement. I recommend reading that article instead to learn more about that topic. Information here may be useful for other studies, however.