Christian Principles and Christian Nations
The Heavenly Rule of Jesus our King in the Promotion of the Christian Religion
Howdy!
Last week I said we would take one more swipe at these questions about church and state by using the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church’s version of the Westminster Confession of Faith. I quoted from it and we’ll do so today, but we’ll narrow our focus to a few phrases that need expanding. In the ARP WCF Ch. 23.3 three particular ones modify themselves with the word Christian. They are: Christian Principles, Christian Country, and Christian Religion. We’ll take each in turn to better understand what we should be seeking, even in a world gone mad, for our nation and all nations under the heavenly rule of Jesus our King.
What is a principle? A principle is a fundamental truth that exists as a motivating proposition upon which the foundation is laid for all other matters. The simple principle of the Christian faith is that God is God and we are not. All things that are made owe their existence to Him and must then bow the knee in adoration and submission. Even nations were created and are sustained by the Lord of providence. The Chaldeans, the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and even the Jews exist merely for the pleasure of the goodwill of Jehovah. Being that this is the case the Christian Principle we are interested in when it comes to politics is the recognition that it would be wise of the leaders of such a place to ask the Lord what His will is for them. Some at this point get silly and say things like “The Bible doesn’t say anything about men owning orangutans so it is not really given for that purpose. It’s just a work about how to get men saved spiritually”. Yet, it seems like God is not too amused when men like Herod kill His apostles, or when the folks in charge of Lystra stand aside as the rocks come at the head of Paul. The question about what a Christian Principle is and why it should be the ground of a place like the USA is hard for us to answer partially for the same reason why it is difficult for a fish to explain wetness. We’ve lived in a Western culture built on a thousand years of Christian Principle and as we see it slip away we’re starting to realize, albeit a bit late, how true that is. The statement in the ARP WCF is recognizing what is and what should be for all nations under the heavenly rule of Jesus our King.
A little less clear to most is what does it mean to live and to be a Christian Nation. It could mean that everyone in a place is a Christian, like a Christian Church. Of course, we know how true that is. Or it could refer to a locale that has bound itself to Christ through covenant, like old Scotland. In other words, they are a political and cultural entity that has publicly declared that they are on Team Jesus. That’s cool and all, and as a Seceder/Covenanter merger denomination, our ARP WCF does mean that. Both sides of the A’s and R’s believed in the use and utility of what Alexander Moncrieff (a founder of the Associate Presbytery and whose picture is up in my study) called social covenanting. However, that’s not entirely what the phrase under question does for us. A Christian Nation is a place where it is safe and profitable to be a Christian. It is a place where the assumed principles at play promote the true Religion. It is a place where love of neighbor and service to others is enshrined in the constitution, where equal weights and measures, a man’s yes meaning yes, can both be counted on in making a deal. It is a place where the norm is normed by the Ten Commands and where even nonbelievers respect the college dean. At the end of the day it is a place where all are under the heavenly rule of Jesus our King.
However when we come to the Christian Religion we start getting a little less free and a little more poky about what we mean. Some try to get out of the implications of this by watering down what Religion is defined as. When we use it we are referring to a system of faith and worship where you guessed it, Jesus is King. The Holy Scriptures do not envision a place of neutrality where God shares His glory with another. To try and argue that nations cannot have a religion, or should not at the least, is to restrict Jehovah’s rule to one area of life, to the Church. Not only does that reduce the majesty of the Lord to being some kind of demi-god on the same level as the gods of the nations, but it means providence itself is a fool’s errand. For if the Religion of the realm is something other than the Christian one then history testifies to us in innumerable examples where a dust heap and history meet as one. The Christian Religion is a supremacist teaching. God will have supremacy over all. As the Psalmist declares, “Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods.” It is not only in the best eternal interest of mankind to believe and trust in the savior of sinners, but it is in their earthly benefit as well. The Christian Religion is means by which in accordance with Matthew 28:16-20 that the nations learn to serve Him who made all things and through the gift of baptism, discipleship, and the free gospel where all are at peace under the heavenly rule of Jesus our King.
In closing, these three terms work together not only for the good of the one who reigns but for His people as well, whether they be inward members of the covenant of grace or not. It should not be controversial in Christian circles that the wisdom and goodness of Christian Principles are greater than those devised by the fallen minds of morally compromised men. Hence also why any legislator or community organizer worth their salt should see the blessing of living and moving in a Christian Nation where the Christian Religion is praised, promoted, and peaceably allowed to preach its good news where all men are under the heavenly rule of Jesus our King.
One more word:
https://www.monergism.com/kingdom-expansion-advancing-crown-rights-jesus-through-gospel-proclamation
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Benjamin Glaser
Pastor, Bethany ARP Church