"Christian" Politics?
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Jesus say, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you..."? (Matt. 28:19-20)
He does not say, 'go, and be active in your nation's politics'.
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Summary
Many, if not most, christian religious leaders are saying that "the church" should spend it's time and resources doing things other than loving one another and making disciples of all nations. Their people are told we need to use political means to advance the Kingdom of God. Their people are told they are to fight against moral evil and to fight to preserve our 'rights'. Their people are told to keep their minds on the world's kingdoms (governments) and battles and to use the world's means (political power) to fight those battles.
This is another false gospel leading people away from God. Jesus says, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight...". (John 18:36) Many religious organization leaders say, "Jesus' kingdom is manifest in this world through political means, so get fighting."
Who do you believe, Jesus or the voices of those prominent religious leaders?
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Many christians today are very much involved in, or concerned about, this nation’s government and its legislation. Many christian leaders are teaching that from the federal to the local level, it is God’s will that "this nation" reflect His moral principles and that christians are to make this happen through political means. Many who take the label bible believing christians are claiming that it is God’s will that christians rule over the nation, and that christians should spend their time in political activity trying to combat the moral evils of our day. Organizations such as The Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, The Heritage Foundation, Concerned Women of America, and Coral Ridge Ministries - while they pay lip service to a religious or spiritual "gospel" - have as their primary public focus, something to the effect of the reclaiming of America back to its alleged glory days of moral purity. Their voices are loud (and sadly, oftentimes harsh) about abortion and homosexuality and pornography and school choice, etc. Their message is that if christians would just become involved (and by this they mean win powerful positions in political offices) in the politic of the United States of America, then America could become a much better place. It seems that almost every prominent person calling themselves a bible believing christian is among the voices supporting this agenda of the "christianization" or "re-moralization" of the united states culture by means of political power.
Surely true disciples of Jesus do not like being in a sinful world, since we hate our own sin and its effects and consequences on others. Surely the sight of lost people engaging in every from of sinful activity is disheartening to us. Surely the unrighteousness of the world's leaders (both political and religious) can bring discouragement to our hearts. Surely the rank injustice which is meted out every day on every front, from the legislative to the judicial, is tragic and frustrating. At times we can be overwhelmed at the sight of young children being dragged into this evil, and willfully perpetrating much of it. As disciples we should be grieved at Satan’s terrible reign in this world. Ah, but there is the problem. In this last sentence, I switched from a moral stand point to a spiritual standpoint, and it is here that those in the christian organizations are being totally deceived. The key question is this: are disciples of Jesus to fight Satan or his agents; and, how are we to be fighting this battle - what are the weapons and what is the goal?
Please examine the following contrast between two types of people with very different essential beliefs.
God Fearing christian
Follower of Jesus
Tries to pass legislation to force moral law on people The disciple spreads Jesus' teachings, which frees people from the bondage of sin, and helps the new disciples to go and do the same (Matt. 28:18-20)
The moralist boycotts "evil" people or organizations The disciple shares the Words of Jesus with the lost (Acts 1:8)
The moralist fights for his right to pray at school The disciple does not place their children in schools to be taught by the world (John 15:19).
The moralist is angry at sinners and their sin The disciple is grieved at sin, especially his own (Matt. 7:1-5; Luke 18:14)
The moralist is usually angry The disciple usually has his Lord's peace and joy (John 14:27; 16:22)
The moralist normally preaches judgment with fear as the prime motivator The disciple normally preaches salvation from the cost of sin by the mercy of God with God's love as the primary motivator (John 3:16-18)
As you read through this article - if you are seeking the truth with all your heart - you will begin to understand the difference between the christian or God fearing moralist and the follower of Messiah Jesus more clearly [link to Are God Fearer's Disciples of Jesus?].
Morality Versus the Spiritual Kingdoms:
Sodom versus Capernaum - Which is Worse?
As one studies the scripture and does a little research from an archeological standpoint, one will find out some interesting things regarding a small town in Israel named Capernaum. Geographically, it was a relatively small town nestled on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was a normal small town of its day with fishing as its primary industry. It contained normal people going about their typical lives. There was a significant synagogue there and as any typical small Jewish town, it was the center of social activity. What makes Capernaum noteworthy, however, is that Jesus of Nazareth spent a good bit of time ministering there. The gospel accounts record many instances when Jesus performed miracles there.
The main point relative to this discussion, however, is that Capernaum was a normal, relatively quiet small village. There is absolutely no historical record in either the scripture or otherwise, that would describe the village as being overtly given over to sin. In fact, I am sure that if you could go back in time and visit Capernaum, it would be much like I am told it is like today - regular people living out regular lives. To use the language of the contemporary God Fearers, it was a very nice, moral place to live where God was feared, the law was obeyed and therefore it was a quiet and physically peaceful place. I am equally certain that many towns and cities in our contemporary United States would make Capernaum look like a moral utopia in comparison.
Given all these facts, please listen to Jesus’ own words regarding Capernaum, "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you." (Matt. 11:23-24)
Now if you have some understanding of the Old Testament, I don’t have to go into detail about the city of Sodom and its demise. Sodom was given over to every type of perverted sin, much like many of the major urban areas of our day. The gross immorality of Sodom is recorded for all history in the bible (Gen. 18:20-21; 19:4-5, 24). Yet, Jesus pronounces a worse judgment on quiet, moral Capernaum than on the overtly wicked Sodom. If you understand the reason for this, you will understand the key truth of this article. And that key truth has everything to do with the question of should disciples be involved with the world’s political systems.
The reason Jesus placed the greater condemnation on Capernaum is because Jesus is not primarily concerned with morality, but rather with a person's heart. In fact, Jesus is not primarily concerned about a person's moral goodness because He knows that all mankind is evil (John 2:24-25; Matt. 7:11, 13-14; 19:17). What Jesus is primarily concerned with is who or what a person is trusting in as their God and who or what is their first love. Jesus is concerned about what kingdom you are in. AFTER an individual comes into His kingdom by being born again, then that individual reflects Jesus' righteousness (John 3:3-5; 15:5). A person's morality is secondary and is merely one potential evidence of which kingdom a person is a citizen of. The true evidence of what kingdom you are in is BOTH the words of your mouth (speaking Jesus' Words and teahcings), AND your obeying JESUS' commands (not other bible writers, but JESUS ONLY). Living one or the other alone means you are not his disciple. You can be the most moral, religious person on the planet, but if you don't openly speak the Real Jesus' Words and teachings, then you are merely a lost christian...a God fearing moralist [link to Are God Fearers Disciples of Jesus?]. On the other hand, you can talk a lot about "Christ", you can preach some of his more popular teachings in his name, you can even teach some of his words (the ones which don't contradict your christian religion), BUT if you don't obey His commands, then you are lost, without hope (Matt. 7:21; John 14:15). This is why the gate is narrow (Matt. 7:13-14).
You see friend, a person can be a very moral and religious person, and at the same time be lost and against Messiah. Surely the true disciple understands this. Look to the religious people of Jesus’ day. They were very law abiding people when viewed from the outside. They obeyed the law and were very active in charitable acts of giving. Yet Jesus excoriated them and instead spent time with the "sinners" (harlots and tax collectors) who saw a need for their salvation.
This critical truth is the hardest to convey to people since people are naturally so works or morality oriented. This is why the gospel of God's mercy is so rejected and misunderstood. We can't but help look at the moral, religious person and say, "oh my, what a good person, surely he is a christian or knows God and is destined for heaven". In contrast, we can't help but look at the person struggling with sin and say, "oh my, that poor sinner, I hope he repents before it's too late…". Yet Jesus looks at both person's hearts and he might very well see the moral, religious person as hopelessly lost (Matt. 23:33), and the person struggling with sin as his own! (Matt. 5:20; Luke 18:9-14). We are hopelessly creatures of judgment based on the works that we see - this is part of the core of our sinful nature.
The hard truth is that the wicked, immoral acts of those in Sodom were less sinful that the unbelief of those "good" moral people in Capernaum. Sadly, that is what we are talking about here - degrees of judgment. The grossly immoral people of Sodom will receive less of a punishment than the moral, upstanding, yet Messiah ignoring people of Capernaum. What does this clearly teach? That unbelief is worse than any other sin, since it is the one sin which damns people to hell. Therefore, should disciples spend their time fighting immoral people by trying to pass laws that force them to be moral, or should we spend our time and resources on preaching the gospel and making disciples of all nations? (Matt. 28:19-20) The answer is obvious to those who have ears to hear, and hearts seeking the truth.
Politics the Way?
A few critical questions need to be asked at this juncture to support the truth that disciples are not to fight moral evil but are to instead preach the gospel and make disciples.
First, why didn’t Jesus, when He was at Capernaum, seek to run for major or synagogue ruler, in order to make the people stop sinning? For that matter, why did Jesus come to earth the first time as a meek servant, rather than ruling monarch? Are we to be like Jesus as he is reveals himself in the gospels, or not? (Matt. 16:24)
Where in the New Testament can one find even one didactic teaching, or even an implication, that disciples are to try to force God's law on unbelievers through the world's government's legislation?
Why would a disciple want to force the law on a person - knowing that obeying law does not save, nor sanctify a person - except to make their own lives more comfortable in this world?
Where is one example of disciples engaging in political action or protest in the New Testament?
Jesus makes it quite clear that His kingdom "is not of this world" (John 18:36). Which kingdom are you fighting for? How then can the world's governments represent his kingdom?
Why does Jesus give as his disciple's "mission statement" the task of "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…"? Why does he not say, "Go, and enforce God's law on society to make it conform to the moral law"? Are all those religious organizations who spend a significant percent of their time and resources trying to enforce God's law on society obeying Jesus' command of "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..."?
Jesus answers these questions by teaching that his disciples are not to try to change the world through the world's political means.
The Way of American Politics
To win in the game of American politics, you must have voters. In general, the more support you have, the more likely you are to prevail in imposing your political agenda, including getting voted into an office or passing "morally correct" legislation. Can you see how this sets one up for compromise? This puts one in the position of saying, "well, as long as we agree that this moral evil is wrong, and we both believe in God, then we are united – let’s join together to fight this moral evil." In its broadest sense, this type of ecumenism would go beyond that which calls itself "christianity", to Judaism and Islam and Hinduism, etc. "After all", the ecumenists say, "we all serve the same God, we just use different names". Perhaps, but perhaps Jesus is right when he says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; and no man comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). If you are a faithful servant of Messiah Jesus and you are thereby regularly communicating this truth, above all other truths in your life, then you will not win a political office. Is this surprising? In fact, if you are a faithful servant of Messiah Jesus, then you will not want to be a part of the world's political organizations - whether it be President of the U.S. or 'serving' on some committee at your government controlled school - for Jesus says his Kingdom is not of this world and that his followers are to hate their lives in this world (John 12:25).
It is amazing to me that many labeling themselves under some "christian" label seem to believe that it would be possible for a follower of Jesus to be elected to a high office in government, even President of the United States. A person who believes this, is massively confused between the two kingdoms. Satan rules this world (John 14:30) and its political leaders (John 12:31). Jesus rules heaven and those on this earth who are His, through His called out ones (John18:36; Matt. 16:18). Those faithful men or women of God who still believe the true gospel which offends (John 15:19), would never entertain the thought of serving in the kingdom of darkness, nor would anyone vote for them if they spoke Jesus' Words consistently and unashamedly.
The person serving in Messiah Jesus' Kingdom "acknowledges the Lord in all their ways" (Matt. 10:32-33). This means what it says - you will talk about your King Jesus when you speak. There is no qualification on "when you speak", for that is what Jesus wants as we willingly serve Him. If a person chooses to run for some political office, then that is a choice of their free will, and something that they do not have to do with their time, like work to provide means to live. Thus, it is service to someone - service to some social cause or in reality, some kingdom. I say again, when a true disciple is freely choosing to serve someone, the Lord Jesus wants it to be Him and Him alone. And if the true disciple is serving the Lord, then they will speak for HIM by speaking HIS Words and HIS desires. And what are His desires for His people? To repeat Jesus' Words, to make disciples of all nations, and manifest God's Family as the answer to men's problems - nothing more, nothing less.
What do you speak about at the school board meeting, or whatever other political committee you serve on? When Jesus says, "Confess Me before men" He means whenever you speak, or all the time. I mean, if Jesus has saved you from hell and really is your Lord and Master, you can't help but speak about your first love and the precious salvation He has given you and offers to this perishing world, right? "Oh", some might say, "that's too extreme", or, "that is too narrow a focus". We'll, if you want extreme or narrow, how about the greatest commandment, "To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). Yes the sinful human heart may cringe at giving that kind of love and thereby submission to anybody but one's self, yet the command stands forever. Where do you stand? Have you given your heart completely to Messiah Jesus or are you just a christian, which is some one who knows some things about "christ"?
Another really lame excuse justifying a "christian politician's" ignoring Jesus with 99.9% of all their words, is given as, 'oh, well, it is not their job to preach Jesus when they are speaking during their job...'. Well, there you have it - a plain confession of who their master is - and please note it is NOT Messiah Jesus. On the one hand, they say that as politicians, they are leaders of some group of people - the people who voted them into office. Yet when they are speaking about their ideas about how to lead the people, Messiah Jesus and his words are notably absent. Why? Doesn't Jesus possess all the wisdom needed for people to live a life pleasing to God? Yes, Jesus does, but the politician obviously doesn't believe that Jesus has any appropriate wisdom for the issues they try to govern. Besides, the politician would not be able to hold their position of power if they spoke Jesus' words to the people. So they say, 'well, I'm not a preacher', and go the way of christianity where only the "professional paid clergy" are to follow Jesus and allegedly speak His words. These christians only talk about their alleged Lord when it won't offend anyone. What a horrible ruse and deception. To these people, Jesus' words of, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you...", do not apply to them in "their jobs". Those words are only for the "professional paid clergy", or for their few hours on Sundays while they neatly compartmentalize their lives into the "religious" (few hours a week in religious buildings and settings) and real life (while they are doing what is really important on their political jobs, including ignoring Jesus and exalting themselves).
In the world system, you must be popular to win political office. People following the Real Jesus and faithfully repeating Jesus' Words shall never be popular in this world, nor will they ever garner the world’s support regarding spiritual truth (John 15:19). However, there are many christians who are fighting for moral causes and gathering significant numbers of people behind them – other people who don’t like the immoral people and the effects that immorality has on their lifestyles or pocket books. The Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, Alliance Defense Fund, Concerned Women of America, Coral Ridge Ministries et al are fighting the moral war, but in so doing, they have utterly abandoned fighting the battle the Lord wants us to fight, which battle is spiritual and whose purpose is point people to Jesus. We are not called to fight against immoral people or for our "rights" for a more comfortable environment while here in the world (John 12:25).
What About Voting?
Clearly, as we have seen, a disciple of Messiah Jesus would not want to run for a political office since that would be serving some other master other than Messiah Jesus. Therefore, anyone who claims to be a disciple and yet who runs for a political office, is at best badly confused, or at worst, a deceived counterfeit. So what about the disciple who lives in a democracy and has the privilege of voting for some political candidate? Should disciples vote for political candidates?
Jesus plainly states the disciples relationship to the world's governments in two places: John 18:36, which says "Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."; and "And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21) Therefore, we are to obey "Caesar" unless his laws cause us to break the commands of the Lord (Acts 4:19-20). A "law", by definition, is a prescribed "do" or "do not". For example, we are to pay taxes (do), and we are not to steal (do not).
Voting, in contrast, is a privilege and not a law or a positive prescription. Thus, the true disciple should look elsewhere in Jesus' teachings for guidance on the issue of voting. Jesus plainly teaches that the disciple should not participate in the world's unrighteousness - John 15:19, 18:36. To vote for an unbeliever is to SUPPORT unrighteousness, which the disciple of Jesus should not do. When a person is voting, they are saying, "I will support this person and his or her actions". Can you imagine Jesus voting for a better Caesar? Can you imagine Jesus telling His disciples to cast a vote of support for the world's leaders? Can you find Jesus teaching the principle of "choose the lesser of two evils"? If you can, then you are believing in a different jesus other than the One who is revealed by his own Words in the gospels.
To support the lesser of two or more evils is not a principle taught by Jesus. If the disciple is forced or coerced into making a choice between two bad ethical choices, then the Lord will guide in those situations. However, voting is NOT coercive, and thus the lesser of two evils argument does not apply. The moralist or god fearer would also argue that if the disciple does not vote, then "evil will reign". Here again the confusion of these people is evident. EVIL ALREADY REIGNS! (John 14:30; 1 John 5:19). What the god fearer means is that overt acts of sin will increase. This may or may not be true, but the issue for the god fearer is that they will be less and less comfortable in this world. Neither of these arguments has any logical bearing on the fact that Jesus tells us not to server two Masters. The Lord does not ask us to practice what-if scenarios - rather and in contrast, He simply asks us to obey. The "evil will reign" argument is one that is built upon the rejection of Jesus teachings that God wants His people to impact this world through His Kingdom and Family alone.
To vote for an unbeliever, no matter how moral, is to cast your approval for a son of Belial. Once again, can you imagine Jesus casting his approval/voting for a world's political leader? Messiah Jesus is our King, and we submit to, and "cast our vote" for, Him and His agenda only.
As a lesser point, the disciple will not be apprised of what is happening in the world's politics, since the disciple is separate and apart from the world, and is not absorbing the world's unbelief through its mass media [link to What is in the World Box?]. The Lord has His people laboring where he has them - helping those people around them. Jesus' disciples are not to be partaking in today's Satanic mass media delusion via its "news" and "entertainment". [link to What is in the World Box?]
The Heart of Ecumenism
Sadly, the false beliefs that ensnare those folks wanting to get involved with christian political activities, are the same beliefs that are at the heart of the ecumenical movement. If your pre-eminent concern is with making the world (or society or culture or other subset of the world) a better, more moral place for your children to live, then you will embrace the ecumenical movement. Why? Because the unifying theme and foundational belief of the ecumenical movement is to be making sure God’s law is obeyed in this world. In other words, that our purpose in "serving God" is to help people obey His law – the ten commandments and so forth – through whatever legal means available. If this is your primary and motivating belief for how you are to live out your faith, then anything that gets in the way of that prime directive will have to be destroyed or made subservient. And what is the one thing that hinders the ecumenical movement? It is nothing less than Truth...that of course is Jesus himself! Thus, the ecumenical movement says, "fighting moral evil is more important than our differences about the beliefs which separate us" (as theists or whatever).
"We Have Our Rights, and We Want them Now"
A related belief that ties into the whole moralistic, god fearing, ecumenical agenda is the concept of "rights". There are many in the christian organizations calling us to fight for our rights. They are exhorting us to speak out against some political evil lest we lose our rights. What rights? The right to pray in school, or the right to protest abortion, or the right to exercise my religious practices or the right not to pay taxes to the government or to choose what the government does with my tax money. Where in the scripture do those, who go along with the whole "rights" philosophy, justify their belief? They will need to turn to the Old Testament and take things out of context. Let me suggest a few places in the New Testament they avoid.
Jesus' teaches that the disciple is not "free" in the sense that he can do whatever he wills. Rather, he is "free" by obeying His Master, Jesus (John 8:31-32, 36). The only way a person can become a disciple is by allowing himself to be redeemed by the Redeemer, Messiah Jesus. The price paid is nothing less than Messiah giving his Life for you - the greatest price ever paid for a slave. Thus you, your body and spirit "are God's". You are to be a willing slave of Messiah Jesus. And the truth is a servant has no rights! However, as servants of Messiah Jesus, the disciple has the greatest privilege of all - to serve the true and the living God and His Son!
A disciple has no rights, only obligations owed to, and blessings and privileges graciously granted by, their Master. Jesus showed us the Way by giving His life - what a great debt is owed by the disciple, a debt he can never repay. Jesus teaches this very point in Luke 17:7-10. Jesus says, "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do'". So what "right" does the disciple have? Jesus says humble ourselves and confess that, "We are unprofitable servants". The unprofitable servant has no rights, only blessings and privileges graciously granted by the Master. Which king and kingdom are you looking to for your "rights" disciple? Are you looking to Caesar or Messiah Jesus?
I'm afraid the real issue is that people don't want to suffer persecution for Messiah's, or even righteousness, sake. The whole "rights" belief has as it basis, a selfish desire to have one's way, and to avoid discomfort in a world hostile to Messiah Jesus. A child might cry, "If I pray in school, they'll make fun of me or worse, tell me to stop". The God fearing parent then replies, "Oh, we must stop the world from persecuting you my child, I'll call the christian Coalition. I'm sure Pat Robertson or his attorneys will be able to force the school to let you pray or read your bible". All this well intentioned people are operating on the principle of loving their life in this world, the very opposite of what Jesus says his followers are to do. And of course, Jesus teaches his followers to pray in a manner that is not public so no one knows they are praying! If the christian parents were teaching their children Jesus' Way (which sadly they are not), no problem would arise about their children talking to Jesus.
The entire "rights" philosophy is based on the United States Constitution and its Bill of Rights, both of which contradict Jesus' teachings. As has been shown, the disciple is never to seek his "rights" since His Master owns him and is in control of his situation. Why look to the world to protect you, disciple? Are you going to look to wicked man and his perverse laws to protect you? Shame on you! Rather, trust in the Lord and do right! Some trust in chariots (political/legal system) and some trust in horses (elected officials and lawyers or legislators), but the disciple is to trust in the Lord our God! (Psalm 20:7)
I hope the reader can see the distinction. The first God fearing parent wants something they consider essential - their child to have a high school diploma, and they'll use whatever worldly legal means to get their will done [link to Education-olotry]. The believing parent, however, knows that a high school diploma is not a greater priority than loving and obeying Jesus [link to Education-olotry]. An immature disciple would hopefully see this circumstance as the Lord speaking to him about not having his child in public school.
Tragically, in fighting for their rights the God fearing moralists, in the name of "christianity", are no different from the homosexuals fighting for their rights. The only difference is that the moralists are sometimes fighting for rights that happen to mirror Biblical principles, whereas the homosexuals are oftentimes fighting for rights that are against Biblical principles. Both groups are as a little child, jumping up and down in a temper tantrum, screaming, "I want…I want…I want", and both are looking to the world to solve their problems. How sad indeed. What the Lord wants is for His people to trust in the Giver of the law so that He can change their hearts by His Spirit.
Some might ask, but what about Paul in Acts 25:11, where he appeals to Caesar in order to avoid being handed over to the Jews who would most certainly have killed him. Some point to that verse and say, "see, Paul had rights as a Roman citizen and he exercised those rights". However, to view the verse in this way is to view it from the world's standpoint, and not the Kingdom of God's. Was Paul's decision the Lord's will, or Paul's? The scripture records many examples of men of faith sinning by not trusting in the Lord (Gen. 12:13; 27:18; Luke 22:60). The scripture records that Paul would have been released from custody (Acts 26:32). In this author's opinion, Paul sinned here by not trusting in the Lord to deliver him from Festus' hand.
In contemporary times, a disciple who happens to be a citizen of the United States, could certainly use the privilege of his citizenship to protect his life against the wicked or to preach the gospel, but is not required by the Lord to do so. A disciple is called to be shrewd, and using the privileges granted him by the Lord to advance the gospel or to righteously avoid injustice that he might deem as hindering his effort to preach the gospel, might well be in God's will.
However, to use privileges to fight for "my rights" and the things of the world is never allowed for by Jesus. There is no teaching of Jesus nor example in the New Testament, to support a selfish fighting for "my rights".
What About Fighting To Stop Abortion?
The killing of young children is certainly a great sin, and it is certainly is an affront to an all Holy and Righteous God. Of this there is no question. To think that mothers would kill their own babies so as not to have to live with the responsibilities brought about by their own behavior, is a tragic circumstance indeed. Jesus did say, "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matt. 24:12-13).
However, some important distinctions must be made before we consider this issue. First, abortion is a sin like any other sin, not above every other sin. It is a sin perpetrated by a mother against her own child. Certainly the second greatest privilege the Lord grants to anyone is existence! The greatest privilege is redemption and an eternity with Him, but that cannot take place unless He first creates a person. Please note, life is not a right, it is a privilege, just like anything else the Lord grants to a person. I do not have a 'right to life', just like I don't have a right to exist or a right to heaven. If I want to start to talk about "my rights", then we are in the realm of justice, and the greatest truth I must face is that my sin demands punishment, and my former unbelief demands an eternity in hell. It is only by God's mercy that I receive anything good in this life.
God was not required to create me, for I am not a necessary being. The Lord also is not required to continue to provide me with physical life. The same can be said of any person, including the infant in his mother's womb. The Lord was under no obligation to create the child, and He is under no obligation to continue to sustain the child's physical existence. Yes, God's nature is such that He seeks to protect the weak and helpless, yet the Lord does allow evil to continue on this earth for His purposes, and we would be foolish to question His sovereignty due to the existence of evil. He allowed the holocaust against the Jews by Hitler, and He allows the slaughter against the unborn. And yes, he does want us to do something about it - pray, help those wanting help, preach the gospel, and to make disciples of those who would kill their own baby or the men who enable and encourage it.
Perhaps the greatest truth that is scorned by those folks caught up in fighting against abortion, is the fact that each infant that is killed in their mother's womb immediately goes to heaven to be with the Father. This does not excuse the evil of the act of murdering infants, but it is a truth none-the-less. The problem, as with most issues, is the materialistic and temporal view of life instead of the spiritual and eternal. The anti-abortion protesters often make an analogy between the Nazi holocaust and the abortion holocaust, but there is a major distinction. Probably many of the six million plus killed in the Nazi holocaust went to hell because they were adults who rejected Messiah Jesus (John 14:6). All of the thirty five million plus babies killed in the abortion holocaust will spend an eternity in heaven with the LORD. This is an awesome truth that needs to be pondered, especially by the zealous anti-abortion protester. Having said all this, where is the disciple to stand in regards to "fighting against abortion"?
Three Key Principles for the Abortion Issue
First, a disciple is not to seek legislative means to force mothers to stop killing their babies. To do this is for a disciple of Jesus to use the world's means to attempt to enforce the kingdom of God, both of which are wrong - we are not to use the world means, and we are not to force the kingdom of God on anyone.
Second, if the Lord puts on someone's heart to share the gospel where pregnant mothers seek abortions, this would not necessarily be out of God's will. One important qualification to the sharing or preaching of the gospel, is that it is assumed the preaching will be done with compassion for the deluded and deceived mothers who are blinded by Satan in seeking to kill their babies. I have heard harshly condemning language under the guise of "preaching the gospel" in front of abortion clinics. A person standing in front of an abortion clinic yelling, "mommy, mommy, why did you kill me" is not preaching the gospel, and it is not coming from the Lord. Yes, call sin sin, but make sure and give the solution - God's wonderful mercy and love which is available to those mothers who turn to Him.
Third, "fighting against abortion" should not be the focus of any ekklesia community. An individual can sense God's leading to preach the gospel in front of abortion clinics, and the ekklesia should support those individuals. However, "fighting abortion" is not to be a "ministry" of any given believing community, nor should it be any individual's "ministry". Instead, preaching the gospel and making disciples of all nations is to be the entire and singular focus of all true disciples. The ekklesia should encourage one another to preach the gospel, whether in front of abortion clinics or in known drug dealing areas, or in areas of prostitution, or in front of psychology clinics or in front of malls or at train stations, etc.
Beware of Self-Righteousness
Unfortunately, it seems many times that those called to truly minister to pregnant women considering abortion (by trying to lead them to repentance and a relationship with Jesus), develop an attitude of "aren't' you also going to be an abortion activist?". It is a self-righteous attitude that implies that they are doing something really important whereas those who minister in different ways are ignoring the "really important issue". They will typically evoke some emotionally charged language, and might say something like, "Aren't you concerned about innocent babies being led to the slaughter". Of course the implication is that if you don't protest abortion clinics, then you don't care about babies being slaughtered. If someone has this attitude, then they are guilty of several sins:
First and foremost, they are not trusting the Lord on this issue. Isn't the Lord aware of abortions taking place, and if so, why is He not doing anything about it? Remember, abortion is another sin in this sin ridden world, so why does the Lord allow any sin to exist? He has His reasons, AND He has given the true disciple the means to deal with sin. Don't forget the main issue, that the solution to SIN is submission to JESUS, not political protests of any form.
Second, they are being puffed up in pride, thinking God is only speaking to them in terms of a calling for ministry.
Third, they are focusing primarily on the temporal rather than the eternal.
Here are a few questions that you could ask a person who implies that you don't care about babies being slaughtered. First you could ask, "Isn't the Lord in sovereign control, or do you believe He has forsaken those babies?" Next you could ask, "where do those babies go who are murdered"? The answer is obviously to heaven. Again, this usually will get the person with the self-righteous attitude angry, because it cuts to the heart of the issue - that he or she has their eyes not on the spiritual or eternal things, but rather on the moral or temporal. Finally, you could ask, "Are pregnant mother's seeking an abortion the only people who might be heading for hell", or "does God only want us reaching out to pregnant mothers, or is He concerned with other people as well?" After all, there is only so much time in a day. The zealous abortion protester oftentimes put themselves in the position of suggesting that disciples should be doing nothing else except "trying to rescue those babies". Well, I guess Jesus was deceived about the importance of abortion protest, because He told His ekklesia to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20). Where is a single political or moral 'protest' in the New Testament? There were nations around Israel at the time of Jesus' first visit that practiced infanticide in some form or another. Why didn't Jesus go there and stop that evil? He certainly could have, or at least He could have told His disciples to do that. If the pregnant woman doesn't repent, then you're not making disciples, only preaching at lost people who don't want to hear. Trust the unborn into the Lord's hands, and just obey the Lord.
Hopefully these questions, if asked in concerned compassion, will help the person to see that they are zealous, but without knowledge and perhaps in self-righteousness. If the Lord calls them to minister the gospel outside an abortion clinic, then praise the Lord. But if He calls another person to minister the gospel at the homeless shelter or outside the local psychologist's clinic [link to Can 'christian' Psychology Help Me] and not at the abortion clinic, then praise the Lord as well!
A Word About the New Testament and the Old Testament
Much of what identifies itself and the "christian right", or the moral majority, et al, if they use the scripture to justify their activities, use the Old Testament almost exclusively. Why do they so infrequently use Jesus' Words to try to justify their political activities and their mission to make the U.S.A. a more moral country? They don't because Jesus contradicts their agenda.
Many have done a good job at exposing the poor interpretations of the God Fearers as they try to justify their moral and political activity, and I will not go into an in depth analysis here [link to How to Know God by Reading the scripture]. The main error of the God Fearers is their seeing the Old Testament principles as applying to any nation, and not just Israel. In particular, they see the United States as kind of the new Israel. However, the United States, nor any other nation, is Israel! This should be obvious, but it is not to the many moralists seeking some transcendent justification for their attempts to force the moral law on unbelievers. Almost every time I see a political activist claiming to be a disciple use the scripture to try and justify their actions, it is always the Old Testament improperly interpreted, or an Old Testament principle inappropriately applied.
The ekklesia is not Israel (John 10:16). The United States is not Israel (Matt. 15:24; Gen. 15:18; Deut. 1:8). The United States is not filled with disciples of Messiah Jesus (Read Jesus' Words...and this web site!). It seems these basic truths elude many moralists who attempt to use the scripture to justify their agenda. The ekklesia is not to use coercive means to accomplish it's goal, which is to win souls to Messiah Jesus, and to disciple those souls. Of course, the problem with the moralist agenda is that it does not serve the purpose of the true ekklesia.
The God fearing moralists use the world's political means to accomplish their agenda. Protest marches, voting drives, mailing campaigns, usually with a little prayer thrown in. Possibly one of the most foolish methods of their warfare is the call to boycott companies or organizations who "support planned parenthood", or some other "evil" organization. Surely the boycott strategy proves that the God Fearers do not see spiritual truth, but see only in the realm of the flesh.
You see, the moralist sees a company supporting Planned Parenthood as "evil", but a company that supports the local zoo as "good". There is no discernment of the spiritual, only of the flesh. Jesus says no one is "good" (Matt. 19:17). Is planned parenthood more evil than the zoo? Not necessarily, for what if the zoo's main purpose is to indoctrinate school children into unbelief against Jesus? [link to What About Evolution?] Remember the beginning of this article where Jesus pronounced a greater condemnation on Capernaum than on Sodom? In fact, most of the leadership of both organizations are probably lost, and therefore both organization's beliefs are contradictory to Jesus' teachings. People in both organizations need to hear Jesus' Words. If you want to do something, do something the Lord would want you to do like preach outside of the buildings or hand out Jesus' Words and engage in witnessing conversations as people go in and out of the facilities.
Conclusion
I will close with the contrast between the God fearing moralist and the true disciple in Messiah Jesus that I placed at the beginning of this article. At this point, it should be clearer to the reader the reasons why the contrast exists.
God Fearing christian
Follower of Jesus
Tries to pass legislation to force moral law on people The disciple spreads Jesus' teachings, which frees people from the bondage of sin, and helps the new disciples to go and do the same (Matt. 28:18-20)
The moralist boycotts "evil" people or organizations The disciple shares the Words of Jesus with the lost (Acts 1:8)
The moralist fights for his right to pray at school The disciple does not place their children in schools to be taught by the world (John 15:19).
The moralist is angry at sinners and their sin The disciple is grieved at sin, especially his own (Matt. 7:1-5; Luke 18:14)
The moralist is usually angry The disciple usually has his Lord's peace and joy (John 14:27; 16:22)
The moralist normally preaches judgment with fear as the prime motivator The disciple normally preaches salvation from the cost of sin by the mercy of God with God's love as the primary motivator (John 3:16-18)
God Fearers do a few of the things true disciples do, and confused disciples do a few of the things God Fearers do, as listed above. But the fruit that will be present from true faith is an all consuming love for Messiah Jesus and a desire to follow him. And he teaches that to follow him means to love all those around you, speak his Words to all those around you, and so love other disciples that the world will look at them and say, 'wow, what love...'