I hear many Christians, particularly pastors, say things like, “We need to turn America back into a Christian nation,” “we need to restore Christian values in America,” “America needs to return to its Judeo-Christian heritage,” “America needs to put God first,” and other similar statements. Is this really the biblical mandate of the church? I want to make the case that it is not. In fact, I want to go so far as to say that I believe that this focus, while well intentioned, is hurting the church and the nation more than it is helping it because it undercuts our witness. In a nutshell, I am advocating that the church is not called to make America a Christian nation but to make America a nation of Christians. I believe these are mutually exclusive positions because the first is based on moralism, and the second is based on the gospel. I am saying that the church is the missionary with the mandate of making disciples and advancing the Kingdom of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am going to proceed by clarifying some things I am not advocating, telling you why I believe this is true biblically, and giving some suggestions as to how we can make the right kind of difference in our nation.
Here are some things I am not advocating:
1. I am not advocating that America does not have a Judeo-Christian heritage. Historically speaking, at the beginning and moving forward, our nation has been significantly affected by this heritage. The reality of the influence of this heritage is not the same as us being a Christian nation though.
2. I am not advocating that government is unimportant or unbiblical. In fact, Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”
3. I am not advocating being unpatriotic. I believe the United States is the greatest nation in the world and we should be thankful for the blessings and freedoms of living here. I am not a pacifist. I believe that war is an unfortunate reality in a fallen world and a strong military is a necessity. I greatly appreciate all those who have and are serving and sacrificing to protect our freedoms. I believe in capital punishment (Romans 13:4) and the right to self-defense. Romans 13 teaches that the primary purpose of government is protecting its citizens from evildoers. However, I do believe that for a follower of Jesus that allegiance to Him and His Kingdom takes precedence over allegiance to any nation.
4. I am not advocating that Christians should not speak in the public square or not be involved in politics. I believe the opposite. We need to get as far upstream as possible to make as big of a difference as possible. However, I believe our goal is the advancement of the Kingdom of God instead of the restoring of a Christian nation. In addition, I am appalled by the partisan politics within the church where it seems like a lot of people believe that a party or candidate is in effect our functional savior. I am also appalled by the lack of love, anger, and negativity spewing forth from Christians. It’s like we think that the biblical commands about love and how we are to speak do not apply during election season.
5. I am not advocating that Christians should not vote and not vote their Christian conscience. There are political issues that are hills to die on for me. For example, I would never knowingly vote for a pro-abortion candidate. I am certainly not against Christians speaking out on biblical issues, but I do believe we are to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) instead of a derogatory type way.
6. I am not advocating either political party. While there is a party that I generally vote for because its platform better fits my convictions, I don’t think either one is the ultimate answer. There’s a great text in the Old Testament (Joshua 5:13-15) where Jesus appears to Joshua in pre-incarnate form to prepare him for the campaign to take the Promised Land. When Joshua saw him, he said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” Jesus replied, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” In other words, Jesus did not come to take sides but to take over.
7. I am not advocating compromising Scripture. In fact, I am basing my case on Scripture.
So, the preceding seven statements are some things I am not advocating. Let me repeat what I am advocating and then make a case for why. In a nutshell, I am advocating that the church is not called to make America a Christian nation but to make America a nation of Christians. I believe these are mutually exclusive positions because the first is based on moralism, and the second is based on the gospel. I am saying that the church is the missionary with the mandate of making disciples and advancing the Kingdom of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here are ten biblical (and there are other reasons, but I have decided to restrict my case to biblical reasons) reasons why:
1. The whole idea of the nation being a Christian nation is just simply contradicted by Scripture. 1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” This clearly is produced by the saving work of Jesus. Verses 4-5 say, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This is obviously talking about the church instead of the United States of America.
2. While the last point referred to the church spiritually being the people of God, I want to build on it by showing you in Scripture that Israel is the only nation that has ever truly belonged to God. I am not disputing that the United States has certainly been blessed by God, but look at what King David said in response to God making a covenant with him. As recorded in 2 Samuel 7:23-24, he said, “And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name-and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land-before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and you, Lord, have become their God.”
3. The church’s mandate is telling as many people as possible about Jesus and making disciples of all the nations. This is what Jesus told us to do. He said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). He also said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20).
4. We are commissioned to be missionaries. Jesus said, “As You [the Father] sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 18:36). “Sent” is the Greek word, “apostello,” and it means, “to send forth on a certain mission.” Therefore, Jesus was sent into the world by the Father as a missionary, and in the same way, He sends His followers into the world as missionaries. Jesus was known as the friend of sinners. Does the world see the church in America that way? Or does it see us as judgmental and condemning? Are we going to focus on lifting up Jesus or tearing down politicians? Missionaries have to meet people where they are instead of living with an us vs. them mentality.
5. We cannot expect non-Christians to think and live as Christians. This is moralism instead of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 says, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person’.” This is telling us to confront sins in the church instead of in the world. Our message is not live a new lifestyle but let God give you a new heart through Jesus so you can then live a new life.
6. Christianity is about heart change from the inside out through the gospel while religious moralism focuses on the outside in. Jesus said to the religious leaders of his day, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). 2 Corinthians 3 is clear that the Law condemns instead of giving life. The chapter concludes with verses 17 and 18 saying, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Transformation comes from looking to Jesus by faith. People often say that we cannot legislate morality. I concur with Adrian Rogers who stated in a sermon his agreement with that statement but added that we make laws to legislate against immorality because we cannot make people act in moral ways. He said that only God can make people good. The way God makes people righteous, both positionally (justification) and practically (sanctification) is through the gospel. We obviously need good laws, and Christian citizens need to have a voice in the law-making process so, once again, get as far upstream as possible to have as much influence as possible. However, I believe the church’s primary focus must be on proclaiming the gospel so people can be saved and receive the righteousness of Christ. If we expect people who don’t believe in Jesus or the Bible to agree with and practice biblical morality, we are acting like religious moralists instead of gospel-believing Christians (Ephesians 2:1-10). If the message that our society constantly hears from the church is act right, how can we expect them to believe when we proclaim the gospel and tell them they are not right with God, cannot get right with God by their own efforts, and cannot live righteously apart from the grace of God?
7. We need to get our own house in order. Judgment begins at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). Of course, this is not judgment in a punitive sense because Jesus absorbed all the wrath of God on the cross but discipline for beloved children. Jesus told us to get the plank out of our eyes before we try to get a splinter out of somebody else’s eye or we are a hypocrite (Matthew 7:5). Don’t you see that the world sees us as hypocrites when we condemn people who don’t yet believe in Jesus for not acting, believing, or maybe even voting like Christians and then excuse or sweep under the rug sin within the church? Don’t you see that the world sees us as hypocrites when we condemn character flaws in the candidate of the party we don’t like and excuse them in the candidate we are for by saying things like it’s about the platform instead of the person? The world needs to see a holy church (1 Peter 1:15).
8. The idea of a Christian nation is based on Old Covenant thinking instead of New Covenant thinking. I think this is true in two ways. Let me say in the way of background information so there is no confusion on this point that I believe the church and Israel are distinct in the plan of God and replacement theology is a heresy. The first way this represents Old Covenant thinking is because it applies things said to God’s people, Israel, to our nation instead of to God’s people, the church. Second and primarily, it is Old Covenant thinking because it emphasizes the conditional promises of the Old Covenant based on our obedience instead of the unconditional promises of the New Covenant based on the grace of Jesus (Hebrews 8:7-13) because those who talk about turning America back to God consistently talk about God blessing us if we do certain things and don’t do other things.
9. God raises up and brings down leaders. This includes Him raising up ungodly leaders for purposes that we sometimes do not understand. Here are three biblical examples of this fact: Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:37), Pharaoh (Romans 9:17), and Pilate (John 19:11).
10. We can make the greatest impact by loving and serving people instead of arguing with people. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves (Luke 10:25-37). We show our faith by our works (James 2:18). Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). As we love people, meet human needs, and share the gospel; people’s lives will be eternally impacted. Our society will be changed one life at a time as people are saved, marriages are repaired, families are restored, and addicts are delivered. The gospel can accomplish this!
A Christian world view teaches that God ordained the spheres of the family, government, and the church. Each have vital roles to play within their sphere. We need Christians within the sphere of government living out their faith and making a difference, but the church needs to primarily focus on its calling to be gospel-centered missionaries making disciples. This is how we can make the greatest impact. How can we accomplish this? Here are ten suggestions:
1. Be a city within the city that is here for the good of our communities (Jeremiah 29:4-7).
2. Equip Christians, especially young people, to get as far upstream as possible to make a difference for the Kingdom of God in every sphere of life for the good of all people. Biblical examples of this principle include Joseph, Nehemiah, and Daniel.
3. Stay focused on lifting up Jesus, proclaiming the gospel, and living as missionaries. The early church turned the world upside down by doing this (Acts 17:6), and the gospel is still “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
4. Abandon our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:24) and live with radical boldness (Acts 4).
5. Pray fervently and in faith for God to transform lives, families, communities, and ultimately our nation. Acts 4:31 says, “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” I think we all want to see this kind of transformation take place. I am just saying that it will come through the gospel and not moralism.
6. Christians must individually and corporately repent of sin and consistently live lives that are marked by repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10).
7. Churches must lovingly and consistently practice biblical church discipline with the purposes of restoring sinners and protecting the church (Galatians 6:1, Matthew 18:15-18, 1 Corinthians 5, Romans 16:17-18, Titus 3:9-11) instead of condemning sinners for acting like sinners if we are going to have any credibility.
8. Follow the example of Jesus by serving each other and serving the world. Jesus said, “You know that the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant….just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-26, 28).
9. We have to do everything we can to reach, disciple, and equip men to fulfill their God-given roles. In my opinion, this is how we can make the greatest impact on our nation because large amounts of research show that fatherlessness is the primary root of the social pathologies in America.
10. The universal church must unite around the essentials of the gospel and stop fighting and dividing over secondary matters, including politics. The more hostile the world is to Jesus, the more we have to be united and love each other. Maybe something Benjamin Franklin said about the American Revolution applies to the church today. He said, “If we don’t hang together, we shall all hang separately.”
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you will prayerfully consider whether or not it is true and how it applies to your life and church.
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