La participación del creyente en el proceso político, parte III

By David L. Rogers

Part I: A Book, an Illustration of Governments.

Part II: The Christian and the World.

God and the three institutions:

Founded on the belief that the Bible possesses total authority as the Word of God, being inspired by His Holy Spirit, it is important to recognize that He has established three institutions, which are absolutely crucial to the proper operation of man’s life and society. It is like the illustration at the beginning of this study: the binding of a book that binds together all the loose pages, and thus forms a cohesive whole. The three institutions are:

The Family –it is a “cornerstone” for society, which is to reflect the order of the Godhead (see I Corinthians 11:3 compared with Ephesians 5:21-32, and also Genesis 1:26-28). Through the family, God established the function of personal and individual order.   The family is responsible for passing on to children the standards of life that God the Master Designer instilled in man by his conscience and morality. Later, God established another institution.

Government is a cornerstone which performs another function , a function which is clearly NOT IN THE HANDS OF THE FAMILY TO PERFORM, and that is to maintain order, protect the citizen, and punish the lawbreaker (in Genesis 9:5-7; Romans 13:1-7). Through government, God sets the standard of man’s responsibility toward his fellow man.

The Church — this last institution was established by God in a very different way than government and the family. In this case, He Himself formed it through the price paid by the shed blood of His own Son, Jesus Christ. This institution deals with an entirely different area, as well, than the other two. Its function is to share order in the spiritual and personal realm, in the context of a living body empowered by the same Holy Spirit.  (Matthew 16:15-18; Acts 2; Hebrews 8:6-13)

So, these three institutions, designed and forged by the Lord Himself, each serve a different purpose and function that is interrelated, but NOT necessarily dependent or subject to the other.  In a sense, each institution that God formed was built on the weakness of the institution that preceded it.   Furthermore, there is also a very important distinction between each of these three institutions. It is knowing where to distinguish and how to separate each one that is difficult for the believer in Christ. This is the challenge that now confronts us.

There are basically four perspectives on the TWO KINGDOMS concept throughout the history of Christianity . The arrows indicate authority and power over the respective groups of people indicated. The line also indicates an established hierarchy based on the source of their authority.

1. The Roman Catholic Concept:

Pope Boniface VIII, in 1302, declared the following pattern:

2. The Anabaptist Concept: (17th Century)

3. The Calvin Concept:

4. The Lutheran Concept:

5. An Evangelical Model for Today:

The traditional models of government from the Middle Ages onward have their modern adherents in various parts of the world. Only in some cases there are those who take the place of God, believing themselves to be the ultimate national and final authority when they try to force everyone to abide by their “inspired” precepts. The first of these, the Roman Catholic concept, is distinguished by the idea that God does not control the world of the state except through the church, and therefore the church is “in charge” of the world of the unsaved, with or without its blessing. This model represents a unilateral and exclusive authority over all human beings.

The Anabaptist model, founded primarily on Colossians 1:12-13, separates the world and society into two large groups: the group of those who are “of the kingdom of darkness” and the kingdom of the glorious Son of God. The two kingdoms cannot, and should not, intermingle. Historically, and in practice, this has been the position of Pentecostals and ultraconservatives in democratic countries.

The model of John Calvin is particularly strict in that its vital sign is related to the direction of human government by the church, since the Church represents divine interests, and the state fulfills its desires and designs. This model places in the hands of ecclesiastical authorities the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the good of society, just as the church of Christ does.

Martin Luther had a thought that advocated more distance between church and state, but not in a categorical way, since God reigns over both. This model operates within a “secular” state and a Church “separated” from the state. There can be collaboration between the two, but not an obligation or a demand from one to the other. Historically, this model was the one that was most adapted by the founders of the democratic experiment in the United States originally.

Finally, this author’s model is called “an evangelical model for today” in reference to three realities. First, it does not ignore and, indeed, highlights the sovereignty of God over both church and state, regardless of whether it is a democratic state or not. God “sets up kings and removes kings” (Daniel 2:21) in all the nations of this world. Second, of particular importance is the belief that the local or national church is not the entity that God uses to direct or restrain the state. The church exists for the edification of the believer, the evangelization of the unsaved, and the exaltation of the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ Himself. The state does not operate around these ends. And, third, this is a model that promotes the believer’s responsibility to serve other people as an instrument of justice in a wicked world through positive, proactive, and holy interaction and influence through politics and community, state, federal, and military efforts.

Related Texts : Titus 3:1; 1 Tim. 2:1-2; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:11-17. The last chart differs from the preceding ones in the emphasis given to the believer’s duty to exercise a godly, God-fearing influence over human institutions. Being a part of the Kingdom of Heaven does not excuse the believer from the privilege (or duty) of being a citizen of a particular nation or country. In the words of the famous ancient author: “A good man must do nothing and wickedness will reign.”

How it applies to modern politics:

Being a believer today has inherent and unavoidable risks. There has always been a degree of danger. Danger, however, is no justified cause for avoiding the field of politics as a way for believers to exert a positive influence on society. Being a citizen of heaven does not take away from the duty of being a moral and upright representative of heaven on earth. The Scriptures bear this out, and so does history!

Second, we recognize that the Bible never excuses a believer from giving testimony of his faith even in high places of government. Examples mentioned in the Old Testament support this truth. Joshua rescued the nation of Egypt from the sad situation of a famine. Daniel led the most powerful king of the Eastern world to prepare for inevitable changes. Nehemiah was God’s instrument first in the court of an Asian king followed by the most outstanding reconstruction work in ancient history! Each of them had a crucial voice and example in God’s plan for the nations. Today, too, God places men and women in strategic places to give testimony of Him in “pagan” and secularized governments.

Finally, it is through the way of forming an influence in politics that many more will come to know God. We must not think that the primary work of the church is to save society or the reigning power. But it is a secondary necessity to pray for the authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-3) and also to collaborate with them in the government of the country by offering them the light of the Gospel. While it is true, the dishonesty and corruption so prevalent in the political world today is not far from the same sad conditions of financial banking, medicine, education, production and industry or any other work field. With a firm focus on the sovereign God, the Christian today can glorify Christ through a good academic and professional preparation and thus serve his people or nation. When God works through him or her, in the political field many will see that following Christ opens doors for them in every career and every aspect of life.

Avoiding the political world only leaves you to your own blind human deliberations, which will eventually end up closing off opportunities to serve God by glorifying Him in the world of politics. For this reason, we go toward a holy influence in an area where power and money corrupt, but doing so with the conviction that God is greater than kings, and that even there He will provide us with the determination, intelligence, strength and clarity to see how to implement laws, regulations and projects that advocate for the sanctity of life and for the name of truth.

In conclusion, consider how Christ Himself intervened in and responded to the government of His day:

“In short, Jesus rejected the idea of ​​the state as an absolute, but neither did he wage war against it. To those who wished to make the state the absolute authority, he reminded them that they must render to God what is God’s. To those who wished to revolt against the state, he required that they render to Caesar what belonged to him. Jesus acted both as subject to the general authority of the state while living above it in fulfilling his mission and ministry. The teaching of Christ and the function of the state intersected at those points where Jesus’ moral teaching served to indict those in power, and at those points where he interacted with the politically and socially untouchables in order to meet their needs…” (Fienberg and Fienberg, 1993, p. 389).

The challenge facing a believer and follower of Christ is to live by the same pattern today.

Literature

Eidsmore, John, God and Caesar: Christian Faith and Political Action (Crossway Books, Westchester, 1984 ).

Feinberg, JS, & Feinberg, PD, Ethics for a Brave New World ( Westchester , IL: Crossway Books, 1993).

MacArthur, John, Think Bible-Wise, (Portavoz Publishing, Grand Rapids, 2004.)

Pearcy, Nancy R., Whole Truth: Freeing Christianity from its Bondage to Culture (YWAM Press, Tyler, Texas, 2014).

Sproul, R. C. Following Christ . (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1996.)

Whitehead, John W., An American Dream (Crossway Books, Westchester, 1987, Un Sueño Americano ).

David L. Rogers, a missionary and teacher in Chile for 35 years, is a graduate of Clarks Summit University, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania (1980, BRE) and Moody Theological Seminary, Chicago (1997, M.A.). David and his wife of 39 years, Ruth Ann, and their four children have served in Santiago planting three churches, and founded a Chilean publishing house that for 14 years has published books, resources, and original studies in Spanish. His passion is training local leaders capable of guiding God’s work with love, humility, and spiritual skill. Apologetics is also a priority for David, and he is currently in his second year of a Masters of Arts in Apologetics program at Houston Baptist University. David and Ruth Ann have four precious grandchildren who live in the United States with their parents.