Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matt 28:18-20
Arguments from silence are typically weak; they’re best to be avoided when possible. To move from the Great Commission to a conclusion that the Church’s mission does not include politics borders on such an argument, which is to say that because Jesus did not teach his disciples to be involved in politics, then He must have been against it.
On closer inspection, however, I think something approximating this conclusion may be maintained. Christ gives three instructions here for his disciples:
- Go and make disciples of all nations
- Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
- Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you
This appears to be the Church’s mission. Presumably, political involvement is not entailed in discipling and baptism. That leaves point three: teaching them to obey everything that Jesus commanded. The underlying Greek supports the everything of everything here. Thus, the Great Commission would include everything Jesus commanded. Is political involvement something Jesus commanded? If so, it’s not a verse or passage I’m aware of. In fact, the Gospels, and the remainder of the New Testament contain the commands of Jesus, and nowhere is political involvement endorsed.
Quite opposite is actually the case. “But our citizenship is in heaven,” “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs” “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” The NT is stuffed with proscriptions against the Christian’s entanglement with the world. Even the Jews were confused in this regard as they expected the Messiah to come as a great military and political champion. A simple, cursory reading of the NT text suggests that politics were not part of the will of the Father Jesus came to perform, nor did He or His apostles give any indication that political activity was part of the command.
I’m open to suggestions if I’ve missed something, but it seems apparent to me that a prima facie case exists for politics not being a part of the Great Commission. And if not a part of the Great Commission, then not part of the Church’s mission.
Very true. I recommend the ministry of Lance Wallnau. He is committed to teaching Christians about influencing culture in all spheres in a fashion that conforms to the Kingdom and not to legalism. He’s an excellent speaker.
In light of this, what’s your opinion regarding the Christian’s involvement in the abortion debate?
Hey thanks, Karla. I’ll check him out.
Hey Shema,
Christians and the church should always proclaim and argue for what is right, and, of course, against what is wrong. My stand is against the church involving itself in politics: lobbying Congress to pass laws restricting or prohibiting abortion, campaigning or otherwise abetting political candidates, or even believing that electing a President to appoint the proper Supreme Court is somehow God’s will for his Church.
To use a biblical example, it was appropriate for John the Baptist to preach against Herod the tetrarch and Herodias, but for him to organize rallies and foment political opposition against Herod seems contrary to biblical teaching. Jesus’s subsequent reaction to John’s imprisonment is worth noting in this regard.
Political involvement by the church is nothing more than a lack of faith in the sovereign of the universe,who clearly tells us in his Word that he appoints and dethrones kings, and holds the nations of the world in his palm. When we as Christians entangle ourselves in the world, the church ends up impotent and unable to influence society, which, ironically, is what is was attempting in its misguided political efforts. Thus, when we pursue sinful means, we end up with God’s judgment–often in the form of the political leaders we deserve.