Combating the Argument About the Church Staying Out of Politics
We’ve all heard it said, one way or another, that “the Church should stay out of politics.” Indeed, the perversion of the First Amendment is a perfect example of this idea growing legs and becoming a movement far from what the original framers of the Constitution intended.
So, how does the Great Commission dispel that notion, and how can we use this knowledge to lovingly and biblically correct those who don’t understand?
Matthew 28:18-20 (AMP) states (emphasis mine): “Jesus came up and said to them, ‘All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”
When Jesus spoke with His disciples and asked them who they thought He was, Peter declared “You are the Christ, the Messiah” (MSG) At that moment Jesus adopted a secular term—one very familiar in that day and time to make a profound statement. He (paraphrased) said, “and on that rock {testimony of who I am} you will build My Ekklesia.”
In Jesus’ time, the term ekklesia was commonly referred to as the public square: the place where the community gathered to establish laws for their governance, the place decisions were made and all peoples came together. So, according to Jesus’ words, a community’s governance and its very hub were to be built around the truth of who Jesus is and what He came to do.
However, the very unfortunate translation of ekklesia to church (a word not used until hundreds of years later) has profoundly altered the fundamental concept that the Word of God, who He is, is to be a central component of every aspect of our lives. This interpretation has enabled those opposed to the Word of God to relegate God’s Word and biblical living solely within the walls of the church.
So, for those of us who consider ourselves followers of Jesus, this understanding should help us see one example of how our role as believers is not only to share the good news of Christ and to encourage salvation. It is also to teach and to bring this Word of testimony into all aspects of community/society and government, and to use it as the stone/the building block of not only our churches and our families, but of our societies as a whole.