CHRISTSERVATIVE: PUBLIC POLICY UNDER THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST

1/9/2012

By core definition, I am not liberal or conservative. I am Christservative, and every Christian should be. This is not a political affiliation; it's a public-policy affiliation.

Now, please understand that I am not trying to sound super-sanctimonious here. I am not saying this with my head cocked back, straining my voice through my nose, with my hands on my lapels. I am not trying to get you to say, "Oooh, that sounds sooo spirituaaal." I am dealing with something very practical here, regarding our involvement in the public square, as we live for Christ.

Before I get to what I mean by Christservative, let me be crystal clear about what I mean by Christian. If I have turned away from a self-centered life to a Christ-centered life - put self to death to live with and for Christ - trusting in Him to make and keep me right with God for eternal life in His eternal kingdom, having been born again by His Spirit now living in me as I live by His Word in the Scripture of the Bible, then I am a Christian (see Luke 9:23-26; John 3:1-21; 31-36; John 14:6-7; Titus 2:11-3:7). Going to church/being moral/being nice/being spiritual does/do not make me a Christian - nor you. Now you know what I mean when I say "Christian" in this post, and we can move on to what being Christservative is all about.

On the one hand, being Christian deals with my personal identity (a new creature in Christ as a spiritually re-born child of God) - who I am as a human being. On the other hand, being Christservative deals with my public identity - who I am as a social being - a member of a society whose life affects the lives of other members of that society.

Everyone has personal and public standards they live by - standards for the kind of person he or she is internally and externally. As a Christian, Christ is my personal standard for my personal relationships with God, my family, and my friends. As a Christservative, Christ is my public standard for my public relations with other people in our community, our county, our state, our nation, and our world, as the policies I prescribe and promote affect their lives.

Why can't I just say I'm a Christian and let that cover everything? There are two reasons. First, in the public arena the label "Christian" is up for grabs, with liberals and conservatives playing tug of war with the term, with little regard for what the term actually means in regard to Christ Himself (this is why I clarified what I mean by it according to Scripture). We have more than one public type of "Christian", with people on opposite poles of public policy looking across the gulf at one another, saying, "I'm a Christian, and I'm just as much of a Christian as you are!" Second, true Christians are disagreeing on public policy, either on policies themselves, or, on what policies can be compromised. True Christians are going to the same churches, worshiping the same Lord, while wanting to take their country and society in different directions. Some issues are debatable for us. I am talking about differing on issues that are not debatable (the sanctity of human life, the sanctity of marriage, and the sanctity of private ownership, to name the most important three). There are Christians who have not made the connection between their devotion to Christ and their opinions on social issues. They do not know the mind of Christ, as revealed in His Word, regarding the principles on which they base their public policy. They do not know what Jesus' public policies are.

"Jesus is Lord" does not just go on the walls of our living rooms or over the baptistries of our churches. Jesus claims authority where no mere man or woman can (Matthew 28:18). Based on His authority, He commissions us to bring others to the Father through Him in the Spirit, knowing and teaching everything He wants in His authority (Matthew 28:19-20). Now, at first glance, public policy may not be evident in the Great Commission, but the Great Commission is an arrow pointing to everything else in Scripture, where we find everything He has commanded us. In Scripture, breathed out by the Spirit of Christ as He moved men along in penning it (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21), we clearly see public policy (Proverbs 24:10-12; 1 Kings 4:25; Micah 4:1-5; Matthew 19:1-12; 22:15-22; Mark 6:18; Romans 13:1-7 - just for a few examples).

While I believe in the two distinct institutions of the Church and government, with the identity of neither eclipsing the other - while I believe in the distinct and coming kingdom of God - I believe that the lordship of Jesus Christ is to be applied to the public arena of living, by the coercion of the will in some cases (e.g. preventing murder), and by the persuasion of the conscience in other cases (e.g. prescribing good will), under the life-and-liberty-preserving rule of law, as the Lord has revealed His good will for all of life, for His glory in the good of all people. That is what it means to be Christservative. Does my public policy serve Christ - His honor as my Lord and the Lord of all? The truth of what our Lord wants for public life and well-being is a core spiritual issue for all Christians.

The idea of being Christservative is not necessarily the idea of forming a Christian political party. Christservatives can be members of any party that will welcome and promote their public policies. However, if any political party deliberately adopts and promotes policies contrary to ours, then we must disassociate ourselves from that party. We must know from Christ what He expects us to not compromise, and stand firm, regardless of the consequences. Electability or popularity are not our concerns. This is about what is right and wrong, not what is most expedient for the current political climate. We do not shift with the shifting tides of public opinion.

We must also understand that public alliances are not necessarily formed around personal statements of faith. For example, I will publicly align myself with a pro-life atheist over a pro-abortion Christian every time. Just because the atheist is not Christservative does not mean his public policy isn't. If I can save the lives of babies with an atheist, then I will, while talking to Him about Christ, if he'll let me. I'll worship with the pro-abortion Christian while trying to lead him to see how he is not worshiping with his approval of killing babies. The pro-life atheist can have my public vote while the pro-abortion Christian can have my personal fellowship (to a point), not the other way around. If you are having a hard time with that, think about it this way: If I am on a battlefield of wounded soldiers, with an atheist whose willing to roll up his sleeves with me to try to save their lives and a Christian who thinks that we should just leave them to the will of God as to whether they live or die, I am going to get on my knees and get bloody with the atheist. Later on around the meal, I will talk to my Christian brother (so he is if he's really a Christian) about how wrong he is and why he needs to get out there with us.

For the Christian, being Christservative is about seeing and bringing every public policy in subjection to Christ. He is the One who raises nations up and brings nations down (Genesis 17:6 & 16; Isaiah 40:15-17, 23-24; Revelation 1:4-6; 12:5; 19:11-16). In whatever nation He has put us, we are to ask Him our personal parts in His public plans.

2 Comments

Mortal_Dreamer

4/18/2013 12:15:45 pm

From an interested human, why must we strive for eternal life? Is one lifetime not enough?

Bela link

4/22/2013 01:33:16 am

Mortal Dreamer, that's a good question. I'm glad to see you are thinking rationally about our mortality, because too many people choose to ignore it, thinking and living like they will never die. As for answering your question on why we should strive to live forever after having lived once, let me point you to a few things the Lord Jesus has to say about this.

First, the choice of whether to live forever or not is not a choice of immortality versus annihilation (not existing anymore). It is a choice between the eternal life of salvation and the eternal death of judgment. Everyone is actually going to live forever whether they want to or not. The question is what state - what destiny - we are going to live in:

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (John 5:24–29)

Second, the choice to strive for eternal life is the choice to strive for what will last forever in the abiding blessings of God versus what will perish in the passing pleasures and possessions of this world:

27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:27–29)

Third, eternal life is the purposeful and providential will of the Heavenly Father for all that will come to His Son. He does not want them to only live one passing, shriveling life, but an ongoing, persistent, thriving life. This is what He sent His Son, Jesus, to accomplish:

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:37–40)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

Fourth, eternal life is not merely about living forever, but about knowing and loving God forever as we live with Him:

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:1–3)

24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:24–26)

I hope this helps you. Please let me know if I can help you more. “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Peter 1:2)

CHRISTSERVATIVE: PUBLIC POLICY UNDER THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST

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