‘I have determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified’ (1Cor 2:2). So, what does that have to do with politics, political activism, and MAGA?
I am going to tell you, so fair warning, if you don’t want to hear about Christianity and my faith, you should probably read another post!
What is a Christian, first of all. Is it someone who goes to a Christian church, or who reads the Christian Bible, or even prays to the Christian God? Is it the basis of being a true American? Perhaps it is a person who tries to live their life by the tenets of the Holy Bible. You know, ‘Do unto others’.
The term Christian first appears in the Bible in Acts 11:26, where it tells us that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. The word literally means ‘follower of Christ’. Some say, ‘little Christs’. It may have been derogatory at first, but later became a badge of honor.
What is that? A follower of Christ?
We can take a walk down Romans Road…this is an easy guide to what it means to be a Christian. First, the Bible teaches us that ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’(Rom 3.23) ‘The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom 6:23)…’ But, God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom 5:8)…If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’(Rom 10:9-10)…and finally, ‘Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Rom 5:1)
All have sinned. The word that is translated as ‘all’ from the original Greek is the word ‘pan’. It means, all, each, every, everyone, everything. Each and every human being alive has sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the wages of that sin is death. To be separated from God, eternally. (See John 17)
Well, then we should just make it illegal to sin. We should pass laws that reflect Christian principles so that God will bless this country. If we live according to those laws and become a Christian nation, then we will be okay.
Let’s look back at the Israelites, at the Old Testament. Genesis tells the story of the beginning of humanity through the beginning of the Israelite people. Exodus through Deuteronomy recounts the giving of the laws that God required His people to follow to be a holy people. The rest of the Old Testament literally testifies to the fact that they could not keep the law! They failed over and over again, including Moses, who actually met God face-to-face to receive the law from Him.
In Matthew 5, in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that He had not come to do away with the law, but to fulfill it. He said, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven…..For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Hated a neighbor lately? Road Rage? Gluttony? Lust? Greed? Thought, even fleetingly about killing someone? Beaten your wife? Your kid? Your dog? Taken a pen from work? Had an abortion? Come into the country illegally? Are you LGBTQ+? Living with boyfriend/girlfriend? Had an affair? Kept that extra change the cashier accidentally gave you?
All have sinned. You, me, ‘them’.
If our goal as Christians is to see others saved, to keep others from spending eternity without God, then it cannot be done through legislation. Christian Nationalism is not the answer. Jesus Christ and Him Crucified is the Way, and the only answer.
Now, as a Christian, one who has accepted the sacrifice that Jesus made for me, one who has been ‘born again’, how I live my life does make a difference. Being a follower of Christ, and one who has discovered the meaning of Love, means to try to walk in His way.
He left us with only two commandments. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.
When I see people being marginalized or abused, stripped of rights and dignity, maligned, jailed, even murdered for the crime of being…I am going to step up.
I am going to do whatever is in my power to see people loved. Institutionalized hate…I am going to yell loud and clear against it. Discrimination, when I see it, I am going to point it out. Masked men accosting people on the street, in ways that not only clearly go against the Constitution this country is built on, but also hurt, dehumanize, and humiliate them, I will speak up.
I like to think that I am a Christian, living the life that Christ would have me live, speaking His love to all my neighbors. I love you.
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