Politics, Activism,
and the Gospel
(By John MacArthur, October 19th, 2008)
With the nation focused on
the November elections, we thought a post on politics might be
appropriate. The point of this article is not that we should
abstain from any participation in the political process, but
rather that we must keep our priorities straight as Christians.
After all, the gospel, not politics, is the only true solution
to our nation’s moral crisis.
We can’t protect or expand the cause of Christ by human
political and social activism, no matter how great or sincere
the efforts. Ours is a spiritual battle waged against worldly
ideologies and dogmas arrayed against God, and we achieve
victory over them only with the weapon of Scripture. The apostle
Paul writes: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting
down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against
the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to
the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
We must reject all that is ungodly and false and never
compromise God’s standards of righteousness. We can do that in
part by desiring the improvement of society’s moral standards
and by approving of measures that would conform government more
toward righteousness. We do grieve over the rampant indecency,
vulgarity, lack of courtesy and respect for others,
deceitfulness, self-indulgent materialism, and violence that is
corroding society. But in our efforts to support what is good
and wholesome, reject what is evil and corrupt, and make a
profoundly positive impact on our culture, we must use God’s
methods and maintain scriptural priorities.
God is not calling us to wage a culture war that would seek to
transform our countries into “Christian nations.” To devote all,
or even most, of our time, energy, money, and strategy to
putting a facade of morality on the world or over our
governmental and political institutions is to badly
misunderstand our roles as Christians in a spiritually lost
world.
God has above all else called the church to bring sinful people
to salvation through Jesus Christ. Even as the apostle Paul
described his mission to unbelievers, so it is the primary task
of all Christians to reach out to the lost “to open their eyes,
in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power
of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and
an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me
[Christ]” (Acts 26:18; cf. Ex. 19:6; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9).
If we do not evangelize the lost and make disciples of new
converts, nothing else we do for people--no matter how
beneficial it seems--is of any eternal consequence. Whether a
person is an atheist or a theist, a criminal or a model citizen,
sexually promiscuous and perverse or strictly moral and
virtuous, a greedy materialist or a gracious philanthropist--if
he does not have a saving relationship to Christ, he is going to
hell. It makes no difference if an unsaved person is for or
against abortion, a political liberal or a conservative, a
prostitute or a police officer, he will spend eternity apart
from God unless he repents and believes the gospel.
When the church takes a stance that emphasizes political
activism and social moralizing, it always diverts energy and
resources away from evangelization. Such an antagonistic
position toward the established secular culture invariably leads
believers to feel hostile not only to unsaved government leaders
with whom they disagree, but also antagonistic toward the
unsaved residents of that culture--neighbors and fellow citizens
they ought to love, pray for, and share the gospel with. To me
it is unthinkable that we become enemies of the very people we
seek to win to Christ, our potential brothers and sisters in the
Lord.
Author John Seel pens words that apply in principle to
Christians everywhere and summarize well the believer’s
perspective on political involvement:
A politicized faith not
only blurs our priorities, but weakens our loyalties. Our
primary citizenship is not on earth but in heaven. … Though
few evangelicals would deny this truth in theory, the
language of our spiritual citizenship frequently gets
wrapped in the red, white and blue. Rather than acting as
resident aliens of a heavenly kingdom, too often we sound
[and act] like resident apologists for a Christian America.
… Unless we reject the false reliance on the illusion of
Christian America, evangelicalism will continue to distort
the gospel and thwart a genuine biblical identity…..
American evangelicalism
is now covered by layers and layers of historically shaped
attitudes that obscure our original biblical core. (The
Evangelical Pulpit [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993], 106-7)
By means of faithful
preaching and godly living, believers are to be the conscience
of whatever nation they reside in. You can confront the culture
not with the political and social activism of man’s wisdom, but
with the spiritual power of God’s Word. Using temporal methods
to promote legislative and judicial change, and resorting to
external efforts of lobbying and intimidation to achieve some
sort of “Christian morality” in society is not our calling--and
has no eternal value. Only the gospel rescues sinners from sin,
death, and hell.
