Politics, politics, politics.
I find the constant focus on politics to be somewhat pedestrian. In reality, politics are a smokescreen. Politicians are not the problem; they are merely a symptom of the problem. Let me explain.
The real problem is the people who elect the politicians. It is all of us. It lies within our hearts. The real problem is a heart problem. The real problem is the heart of mankind.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" -Jeremiah 17:9, NKJV
Mankind is depraved from birth. We are sinners by our very nature. How can we expect the leaders we choose to represent and lead us to be different?
"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." -Psalm 51:5, NKJV
"But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away." -Isaiah 64:6, NKJV
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," -Romans 3:23, NKJV
Political battles are a
distraction to keep us from focusing on the true battles: those of spiritual
warfare. The true war is raging behind the scenes, and it's not for social or
economic issues, but rather for the hearts and souls of men and women. Much
more is at stake than healthcare and retirement; the eternal destiny of human
beings are on the line every moment of every day.
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." -Ephesians 6:12, NKJV
"Then he [heavenly being/ angel] said, “Do you know why I have come to you [Daniel]? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia [spiritual being]; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece [spiritual being] will come." -Daniel 10:20, NKJV
There are heavenly and fallen beings who are fighting in hyper (extra) dimensional realms beyond our current limited perception. They are fighting for individuals and people groups (nations). They are assigned orders, and ranks, and missions to fulfill. We should be aware and act accordingly. In order to detect deception, we must be proficient at knowing and understanding truth. We should become experts on God's truth so that we can recognize the enemy's deceptions, and engage in these battles through prayer and obedience, and to be relevant in relationships with people through acting on the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Despite the impression I may have given here, I do believe that politics are important. However, I believe the importance of politics pales in comparison to the importance of spirituality. But it isn't just a matter of general spirituality; love, peace, kindness, centeredness, the universe, etc. It is a matter of true, intentional, holy spirituality as revealed to us by our Creator. He calls us into a right relationship with Him through His completed work on the cross. YHWH God, the Great I AM, the Creator of all things physical and beyond, is triune in nature; one God in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--all existing before the creation of time and space; all present and active in the work of creation. (Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:2, John 1:3, Colossians 1:16) YHWH God became a man at the incarnation in the person of Jesus. (John 1:1, John 1:14, Colossians 2:9, Philippians 2:6-8) The true spirituality that saves the hearts and souls of men and women, and destines them for an eternity of peace and joy with each other and their creator, and regenerates and transforms their hearts and minds from the inside out, is only found in surrendering to the Savior and asking for His salvation by God's grace through faith in the finished work of Christ at the cross, and no longer relying on one's own work which is insufficient anyway. (John 1:12, Romans 10:13, Romans 11:6, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9)
Knowing that this is true, why are so many Christians so caught up in temporal politics? And I'm not talking about exercising one's right to be active in the political sphere for the betterment of our nation and world. Rather, I am talking about a consuming preoccupation with fixing things that are a symptom of the problem, rather than focusing on fixing the problem itself. If human hearts are changed, then human politics will change by default. So why are so many Christians willing to talk about politics and engage people in the political sphere, but so unwilling to talk about their faith and engage people in the spiritual sphere? Is it a lack of knowledge? Do they truly not understand that the true war is waged in the spiritual realm? Or is it fear? As taboo a subject as politics can be, is it a fear that the subject of faith is even more taboo? Oddly enough, this seems to be a greater problem in the minds of Believers in the "post-Christian western world" than in other parts of the world where discussions of faith can be commonplace.
Now I know that some theological detractors, while agreeing on some of my points, may asset that Biblical prophecy predicts that Christians will not succeed in bringing the world to faith, and that only the second coming of Christ will fully establish the Kingdom of God on earth. (At least Premillennial and some Amillennial proponents will assert this in opposition to Postmillennial views.) While I would agree with such an assertion, I would argue that such facts have no impact on the statements I've made herein. Using that same rationale would only further my belief that an overemphasis on politics by Believers is futile because the same prophecies demonstrate that the Church will not save the world through political methods either.
So as not to get lost in the theological weeds here, let me wrap this up with a call to examine what you believe and practice. Certainly, there is always the call to belief and repentance for those who don't have a relationship with the Lord. But for those that do, I exhort you to consider your focus. Are you focused on the symptom or the true problem?
As always, grace and peace.
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." -Ephesians 6:12, NKJV
"Then he [heavenly being/ angel] said, “Do you know why I have come to you [Daniel]? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia [spiritual being]; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece [spiritual being] will come." -Daniel 10:20, NKJV
There are heavenly and fallen beings who are fighting in hyper (extra) dimensional realms beyond our current limited perception. They are fighting for individuals and people groups (nations). They are assigned orders, and ranks, and missions to fulfill. We should be aware and act accordingly. In order to detect deception, we must be proficient at knowing and understanding truth. We should become experts on God's truth so that we can recognize the enemy's deceptions, and engage in these battles through prayer and obedience, and to be relevant in relationships with people through acting on the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Despite the impression I may have given here, I do believe that politics are important. However, I believe the importance of politics pales in comparison to the importance of spirituality. But it isn't just a matter of general spirituality; love, peace, kindness, centeredness, the universe, etc. It is a matter of true, intentional, holy spirituality as revealed to us by our Creator. He calls us into a right relationship with Him through His completed work on the cross. YHWH God, the Great I AM, the Creator of all things physical and beyond, is triune in nature; one God in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--all existing before the creation of time and space; all present and active in the work of creation. (Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:2, John 1:3, Colossians 1:16) YHWH God became a man at the incarnation in the person of Jesus. (John 1:1, John 1:14, Colossians 2:9, Philippians 2:6-8) The true spirituality that saves the hearts and souls of men and women, and destines them for an eternity of peace and joy with each other and their creator, and regenerates and transforms their hearts and minds from the inside out, is only found in surrendering to the Savior and asking for His salvation by God's grace through faith in the finished work of Christ at the cross, and no longer relying on one's own work which is insufficient anyway. (John 1:12, Romans 10:13, Romans 11:6, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9)
Knowing that this is true, why are so many Christians so caught up in temporal politics? And I'm not talking about exercising one's right to be active in the political sphere for the betterment of our nation and world. Rather, I am talking about a consuming preoccupation with fixing things that are a symptom of the problem, rather than focusing on fixing the problem itself. If human hearts are changed, then human politics will change by default. So why are so many Christians willing to talk about politics and engage people in the political sphere, but so unwilling to talk about their faith and engage people in the spiritual sphere? Is it a lack of knowledge? Do they truly not understand that the true war is waged in the spiritual realm? Or is it fear? As taboo a subject as politics can be, is it a fear that the subject of faith is even more taboo? Oddly enough, this seems to be a greater problem in the minds of Believers in the "post-Christian western world" than in other parts of the world where discussions of faith can be commonplace.
Now I know that some theological detractors, while agreeing on some of my points, may asset that Biblical prophecy predicts that Christians will not succeed in bringing the world to faith, and that only the second coming of Christ will fully establish the Kingdom of God on earth. (At least Premillennial and some Amillennial proponents will assert this in opposition to Postmillennial views.) While I would agree with such an assertion, I would argue that such facts have no impact on the statements I've made herein. Using that same rationale would only further my belief that an overemphasis on politics by Believers is futile because the same prophecies demonstrate that the Church will not save the world through political methods either.
So as not to get lost in the theological weeds here, let me wrap this up with a call to examine what you believe and practice. Certainly, there is always the call to belief and repentance for those who don't have a relationship with the Lord. But for those that do, I exhort you to consider your focus. Are you focused on the symptom or the true problem?
As always, grace and peace.
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