What does God require of a nation that declares itself to be a Christian nation? Will it be understood that God has entered into covenant with a self-identified Christian nation, and that that nation has entered into covenant with God?

Civic life for Christians, particularly in a highly partisan political environment, was in ancient times and is now a high stakes drama. Seeking to live peaceful, quiet, godly, and dignified lives under earthly government means living as God’s servants, free from sin’s bondage but never free to do wrong (1 Pet 2:16).

The New Testament shows us that Christ and His Apostles taught that there is no authority higher than His in heaven or on earth. His authority transcends all others. Consequently, the loyalties of Christ’s disciples transcend, and may challenge and influence, the loyalties of non-Christians (see Acts 19 for a case in point). When people embrace the Christian gospel and its moral vision, there is political and even cultural change, not least in civic life. Christ and His Apostles certainly knew that human government is always administered by sinners. They knew what it was like to live under earthly rulers who were non-Christians, God-fearers, or anti-Christians but God-fearers. They even knew what it was like to live under atheistic tyrants and barbarians. Nevertheless, against that backdrop, Christ declared His own universal authority and issued His Great Commission to the Apostles and, through them, to His church.  By establishing His church, Christ also established His holy nation. Of the church, the Apostle Peter declared, “you are … a holy nation … so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9). United to Christ by faith, then, God has already constituted Christ’s church as His holy nation, and it is to that nation that Christ has given His Commission.

Well aware of their larger cultural context, Christ and His Apostles instructed the church that it is God Himself who raises up and brings down earthly magistrates, from higher to lower, for His glory and for the public good. Peter commands the church to take its place under human government to commend to others the ultimate authority of Christ and, with that, their accountability to Him. In no way did this command affirm that human authorities get to rule absolutely or lawlessly. Quite the contrary. Human rulers are not God, despite the claims of ancient or modern emperors; nor are they outside of His control. As sinful creatures, they are capable of contradicting God. If rulers command citizens to sin, they are to be resisted (cf. Acts 5:29) or replaced by rulers who do not command citizens to sin. The Christian’s voluntary subjection to earthly rulers, then, is to abide by magistrates’ commands when, but only when they are lawful and not in conflict with God’s laws. Such law-keeping is prescribed to shut up those who falsely accused Christians of unpatriotic insubordination or worse (1 Pet 2:15).

Read More