From Faith to Action: The Responsibilities of a Christian Citizen

Here’s the deal: we live in a completely different cultural context than the context in which the Scriptures were written. This can make it difficult to apply biblical truths today. This is extremely obvious when it comes to the political scene. Remember that the New Testament was written at a time when the Roman Empire was in power. Most “ordinary people” had no opportunity to take part in the operation of the government at all. But this is not the situation that we find ourselves in today. 

So, what should the Christian’s role in government be? What is our responsibility as a Christian citizen?

This is even more pressing when we think about the fact that our nation is holding a vote for its leaders within a week. Let me quickly address two things that I think are important as we consider the upcoming election. First, I want to think about what it means to be a Christian citizen and secondly what it means to use our vote for the good of our country.

Christian Citizenship

What does it mean to be a Christian citizen?

We have been commanded in Scripture to “be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Peter 2:13-14). And we are told to, “let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1-2). 

For those of us who live in the United States of America, I take that to mean that we should fulfill our roles as good citizens. We are submitting to the governing authorities by taking part in our civil duties, which at the very least means that we should be voting. And if we followed the logic of both Peter and Paul, then the stakes are a little higher than. It seems that our submission to the governing authorities is‌ part of our submission to the Lord. So what does this mean practically?

It is important that we, as Christians, be the best citizens, not because we love America, primarily, but because we love the Lord. The part where this gets confusing is that oftentimes‌ folks are trying to say that America equals Christianity, which just is not the case. Sure, many of our founders were committed Christians, and most of our laws have been based on biblical teaching, but being an American is not the same as being a Christian. The question that seems to be asked all over the place right now is, “Do we want America to be a Christian nation?”. 

To me, the answer is very clear: absolutely. 

I want‌ America to be filled with Christians who are living faithfully to the Lord. Now, this doesn’t happen with a political party. It happens with spiritual revival. At the end of the day, our chief commitment is to the Lord. It is only through His working in the hearts of our citizens that our nation will be saved. 

The Good of America

A text that has been on my heart and mind lately is Jeremiah 29:4-7, which says: 

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

This has really challenged me as to what my duty should be for the country that I’m living in. If you’re unfamiliar with this passage, these are God’s Word to his people when they were in an actual, physical exile. In the following verses, he even lets them know that this exile is only going to last 70 years and then they will be back in their homeland. The New Testament picks up on the idea of exile and makes the connection that, as Christians, we are exiles in this world. That is‌ a big part of the context of the 1 Peter passage from above. I think it is safe to say that just like God’s Old Covenant people needed to seek the welfare of the nation in which they were in exile, so we too need to seek the welfare of the nations that we are currently living in exile. 

The immediate application of this text this week is that we need to vote in such a way that we are voting for what’s best for America. There are 2 diametrically opposed agendas being promoted, and we should support the agenda that most closely lines up with Christian principles. 

On one side, you have a party platform that wants to make it possible to murder unborn babies without restriction, even to the point of not administering care to a child born as a result of an ineffective abortion. Do you understand that there are laws on the books in some states that force doctors to let a baby who survived a medically approved attempt on his or her life ‌just die on the table without receiving any life-saving medical treatments. 

They also promote a perverse view of gender and sexuality, and want to make it legal for institutions to cut off the sexual organs of healthy children because they are going through a period of confusion as to who they are. They want to do this in such a way that bypasses the God-ordained institution of marriage and carry this out without the approval of their parents. They want to let boys onto girls’ sports teams and into their locker rooms. And they want to let anybody who wants to into the country and fund them. 

On the other hand, you have a party that wants to fight to preserve life in the womb. Most of these politicians don’t go as far as I would want, but at least under their direction, more human beings would be saved. They also want to promote a biblical view of gender and want to keep our country safe. 

Who is America’s Savior?

Am I saying that voting for one presidential candidate is going to provide salvation for America? Absolutely not. There is only one Savior for America. And if we want America to be saved, we need to make ourselves busy sharing the Gospel and making disciples. But in the mean time, we need to do whatever we can to help promote the welfare of our nation. And this week that means we need to vote as Christians.