Come Out of Her, My People!

Disclaimer: The following is not a partisan claim, but a simple reminder of the teachings of Jesus and his apostles.

Martin Luther, “the father of Protestantism,” wrote regarding governmental authority:

“You ask whether a Christian, too, may bear the temporal sword and punish the wicked, since Christ’s words, ‘Do not resist evil,’ are so clear and definite. This is why some say that you cannot bear it among Christians or hold it over them, for they do not need it. The question, therefore, must be referred to the other group—the non-Christians—and whether you may bear it there in a Christian manner.”

Luther then argues that such roles are beneficial and necessary for society and for one’s neighbor. Therefore, if there is a lack of executioners, police, judges, or politicians, and you, as a Christian, are qualified, you should offer your services so that governmental authority may not be despised, weakened, or disappear altogether.

This view lies behind much “Kingdom Now” theology, which argues that the church—and therefore Christians—should participate in the political, military, and judicial systems of this world in order to exercise Christian influence over the present evil age.

Kingdom Now theology treats the present world as somehow entwined with God’s future Kingdom. The preservation of life in this age becomes a bridge toward the renewal of the world when Jesus returns. In this framework, the Kingdom of God is treated as something Christians are spreading, creating, or building now through institutions such as government, the military, and the courts.

Evangelical Christians in the United States often appeal to the so-called “founding fathers” as examples of this revised Kingdom vision. Yet one of them, John Jay, said:

“It is true that even just war is attended with evils, and so likewise is the administration of government and justice. But is that a good reason for abolishing either of them? They are means by which greater evils are averted. To prevent the incursion or continuance of evils, we must submit to the use of those means, whether agreeable or otherwise.”

This is a remarkably honest statement. If Christians enter the political and military machinery of nation-building, they will eventually be required, as John Jay admitted, to use evil in order to overcome greater evils. But the so-called “lesser of two evils” still requires evil.

This way of thinking produces a kind of civil religion. Christians are pressured to choose between natural law—the law of the world, as it were—and divine law as revealed in Scripture.

American psychologist Jonathan Haidt summarized this well when he described the U.S. president as the high priest of what sociologist Robert Bellah called “the American civil religion.” The president must invoke the name of God, though not Jesus; glorify America’s political and military heroes; quote its sacred texts, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; and perform the transubstantiation of E pluribus unum—turning many different citizens into one obedient citizenry.

This is the logical product of Luther’s political theology.

By contrast, the Bible identifies this age as “the present evil age.” For Christians, Satan is presently “the prince of the power of the air” and “the god of this world.” Therefore, Christians do not fight against human beings, but “against the authorities, against the powers, against the cosmic rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

Note the plural Greek word kosmokratores—evil demonic “kosmocrats,” forces headed by the Devil himself. This aligns with Revelation, where Satan is depicted as deceiving the nations.

Yet even within this evil age, God remains sovereign. Paul’s command in Romans 13 to submit to governing authorities follows the Old Testament principle that God removes and sets up kings, as seen in Daniel 2 and Proverbs 8.

But Christian submission is not absolute, because the state often stands opposed to the church. There is a time to submit, and there is also a time to refuse, as Daniel’s three companions did when commanded to bow. Yet such refusal must never contradict the clear nonviolent teachings of Jesus and his apostles.

John MacArthur, in his aptly titled Why Government Can’t Save You: An Alternative to Political Activism, rightly noted:

“Over the past several centuries, people have mistakenly linked democracy and political freedom to Christianity. That’s why many contemporary evangelicals believe the American Revolution was completely justified, both politically and scripturally. They follow the argumentation of the Declaration of Independence, which declares that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are divinely endowed rights. Therefore those believers say such rights are part of a Christian worldview, worth attaining and defending at all costs, including military insurrection at times. But such a position is contrary to the clear teachings and commands of Romans 13:1–7. So the United States was actually born out of a violation of New Testament principles, and any blessings that God has bestowed on America have come in spite of that disobedience by the Founding Fathers.”

Christians, then, are “in the world but not of it.” The present age is evil, the gods of the nations are ultimately demonized (Ps. 95:5 LXX), and yet God remains sovereign over all nations.

This is why Christians are called to live as foreigners, exiles, and strangers, as Jesus and his apostles teach. Some governments may rule justly and enact “good laws,” but all nations must finally submit to the Messiah at his parousia. That is the great Christian hope: the gospel of the coming Kingdom, as seen in Daniel 7, Psalm 2, Isaiah 19, and elsewhere.

Therefore, the idea of a “Christian nation” today is a myth, as Greg Boyd argues in The Myth of a Christian Nation and in his article “Satan, Government, and Christian Anarchy”:

“Just to be clear, this obviously doesn’t mean that all leaders in earthly governments are under Satan’s rule. Many leaders are God-loving people who are sincerely trying to serve their society and the world. But these passages suggest that the whole power-over system that constitutes human government is under Satan’s oppressive influence. I see no way around this conclusion.”

Given the New Testament witness, followers of Jesus must seriously question their view of government and any allegiance—direct or indirect—to the political-military-industrial complex.

Bible-believing Christians must obey the divine command to “come out of her, my people,” (Rev. 18:4) so that when Jesus comes, he does not find them sharing in her sins.