Are patriotism and Christian faith compatible? Some voices say no. They would have us, as Christians, separate from everything they deem to be worldly. For many of them, involving ourselves in the national concerns of our country would fall outside of our Christian commitment.
Many in our world today take a dim view of the United States. They constantly focus on the worst chapters in our history. To hear them tell it, America is the worst thing that ever happened to the world. They like to compare this country to a standard of perfection that doesn’t exist in a sinful world. Yet, when compared to other countries and other systems of government around the world, America ends up being far more preferable.
As Christians we love God. We love Jesus. We love the Bible. These are the only truly perfect objects of our affection. But is there room for a robust, patriotic love for the land of the free and the home of the brave? I think there is. I think there is room for a concept of God and country within our Christian worldview.
We should love America. Whatever your political views… whatever your opinion about whatever news you watch, as Christians you are called to love God and love people. A subset of loving people means showing love to the nation you live in.
The big question is how best to do that. We are in a cultural war in this country. The values of God are at odds with the values of those who care nothing for His ways.
Some have recast America according to their cultural whims. They tell us America was founded as a purely secular nation. Just study the founding fathers a bit and you will see that God, Christ, and the Bible were major drivers of their thinking.
They tell us that being patriotic means we approve of the sins in America’s history. Yet, I have not met many patriots who don’t acknowledge that America has sinned along the course of her history. No nation has a perfect track record. But just compare the average quality of life in America to, say, Iran, and you will start appreciating this nation a lot more.
They tell us that America is totally corrupt, that everything about us is built on greed and evil. Yet, what about the huge number of people who came here for religious freedom and shelter from government corruption in their own countries? Certainly there is sin in this land. Yet there is a whole lot of good that rarely gets acknowledged in the media. For some reason, negativity seems to drive the news cycle.
Without being naïve, I still think America is good. I still believe we are the good guys. I am proud of our country, and I am happy to fly the flag.
We have a level of blessing in this land unknown to many in the world. I went to India one time. It is a beautiful country in many ways. Even so, when I returned home, there was a new sense of how well off we are here.
We should be thankful for our country, and we should seek to bless this nation. So, how do we do that? How do we love America?
Before we leave America’s 250th anniversary in the rearview mirror, here are two principles to consider. These two principles will help you know how you can be a Christian and still have a deep, patriotic love for this nation.
Principle 1: Love for God is Paramount.
Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment of God was. He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37). Loving God comes before anything, whether it’s your nation or something else. In fact, if your love for America is not founded first on a love for God, you won’t be able to love America in a godly way.
Jesus said seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt 6:33). In context, He’s saying this is the priority. There is a kingdom even above our beloved country. It’s the kingdom of God. We are to seek the values of His kingdom first. By doing so, we bring those values to bear on the life of our nation.
Did you know that we are aliens? No, we’re not little green men from space. However, those who have been born-again by faith are aliens in this world. This is not our home, at least not in this current, fallen form. Even on the part of this earth we call the United States, we have an otherworldly citizenship.
The apostle Paul wrote, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). We are citizens of heaven.
Hebrews 11 speaks of those in the long history of faith. It’s a sort of listing of people who lived by faith in God through history. Verse 16 says this about them. “16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them” (Heb 11:16). That city that God has prepared is the true city of our citizenship.
The apostle Peter says, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Pet 2:11). When believers choose to live godly, moral lives many in the world don’t appreciate it at all. They take offense. Maybe they wonder why don’t we just act normal? Why don’t we just accept the status quo? It’s because, although we are located here, we are no longer citizens of the fallen system of this world.
Now here’s the key thing. Your heavenly citizenship does not erase your nationality. Rather, your heavenly citizenship should inform your nationality. Should we not apply our faith to the way we participate in our nation? Many would say we should not. They would rather we just keep our so-called religion to ourselves. At the same time, they pursue their political agenda like it is a religion.
What they don’t realize is that we actually provide a great service to our nation. For example, we speak against moral evil, helping to restrain the free reign of sin. Even more important, we provide a witness, inviting the citizens of this world to become citizens of heaven. America’s founding fathers understood the importance of having God at the center of our national life. We kick Him out to our own peril.
Here’s my point. The idea of God and country is not wrong at all, as long as you keep God as the top priority. Loving Him is paramount. It is above any other pursuit in life.
Does this mean we can’t love our country? Is patriotism antithetical to this all-important love for God? I don’t believe so. In fact, I think our love for God compels us to love our nation. You see, love for God is paramount. Yet, there is a second principle to consider.
Principle 2: Love for Country is Prescribed.
God would have us practice good, godly citizenship on behalf of our nation. Maybe you wonder what this means. Consider some New Testament passages with me.
Romans 13:1-7 is very good. “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax isdue; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”
Paul is writing about the Christian’s relationship with the government in this passage. There are several takeaways that help us.
We learn here that a good citizen accepts the government’s authority because it’s established, ultimately, by God. God may establish leaders to bless us. He may also establish leaders to punish us. Ultimately, no leader in government is there apart from God’s will.
As Americans, we have something very precious. It’s something many on this planet have never known. It’s called a vote. We get to vote our leaders into office. God has allowed us to have some small say in who is in charge of human government in our nation.
I have heard from some Christians who feel we should not vote. I guess the thought is that God is in control anyway. They seem to feel we don’t need to involve ourselves in the worldly affair of human government. One question always nags at me though. Isn’t it possible that God might establish godly leaders through the vote of godly voters? I think so.
Someone may argue that no candidate really is godly. Yet, no one is really godly. No one who has ever voted has voted for a perfect specimen of godliness. A smart voter looks at the actual policies of the candidate and considers what the candidate may accomplish if elected.
Christian citizens should think carefully about how they vote. It behooves us to vote for leaders who will actually look out for the welfare of this country above all others. Remember, that is their job. That’s what they exist to do.
From Romans 13, we also learn that government should not be punishing good, godly behavior. It should be protecting it. Afterall, hard-working, moral citizens are good for a country.
A few years back, parents were treated like terrorists because they dared to question the stuff being taught to their children in public schools. Government should not be in the business of punishing citizens for trying to protect their children from godless propaganda.
We also learn that government has a legitimate right to punish bad behavior. “But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for [the government] does not bear the sword for nothing” (Rom 13:4). This is a primary argument in favor of having a police force along with a system of criminal justice.
Defunding the police is one of the most naïve, dangerous ideas in existence today. It’s naïve because it fails to deal with the reality that there is evil in the heart of people. Those who act on that evil need to be restrained, sometimes with force. This protects those who opt to live peaceful lives.
We even learn that we should pay our taxes. I know. I know. This one hurts a bit. I have always been in favor of lower taxes. I think the less people are taxed, the more they have the opportunity to thrive. Yet taxation is legitimate for things like funding a police force or building roads, for example. We should not gripe about paying taxes for legitimate reasons.
Good citizenship, then, means we comply with our governing authorities as much as we can. Now, why would I say as much as we can? Remember the first point? Love for God is paramount.
Back in the book of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were commanded to worship a statue of King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 3). They refused because it was a clear violation of the command of God. They stood firm in their true citizenship. There are times when we may have to make similar choices.
Consider 1 Peter 2:13-17. “13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”
Peter’s instruction is very similar to Paul’s. He lays out the basic role of human government, to punish evildoers and praise those who do right. Human government was not created to provide every person’s needs from the cradle to the grave. Family and the faith community were invented to help in these areas. Human government was created to establish peace and order in an otherwise chaotic world full of sinners.
Peter says that God desires us to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing right. The last few years have seen a number of people characterizing Christians in the worst ways. They say we preach hate because we set biblical moral boundaries. They say we are racists, as if Christianity were a white religion. They say we oppress women because we oppose abortion on demand. They grossly mischaracterize us.
Our response cannot be to grossly mischaracterize them in return. We do not respond to lies about us with lies about them. The truth is our weapon. Remember that the foolish would love for us to act just like they say we act. Instead, God wills that we stay committed to doing what is good and right. We always strive to be a help to the needs we come across.
Peter also tells us to act as free people. This reference to freedom should resonate with every American. Remember, the basic idea of freedom has characterized our country from the beginning. Why do you think so many people want to come here? Freedom.
Peter follows up with an important statement. Do not use your freedom as a covering for evil. Instead use it to serve God.
I was thinking about what it means to use freedom as a covering for evil? An example came to mind. Several years ago, there was a debate about virtual child pornography. People were arguing that if the images are not real, but only look real, then they are protected by our legal rights. I hope that no Christian buys that argument. That is not the way God would have anyone use his or her freedom. We don’t use freedom to engage in unrestrained evil. We use it to promote the way of God.
There’s at least one more passage I think is important. Listen to Paul again, in 1 Timothy 2:1-2. We get another layer of how to be good citizens here. “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
A Christian citizen should pray for the welfare of this nation. Leaders in government should be prayed for by Christians. This requires us to think differently than what our favorite news outlets pump out all day long.
Let me put it this way. Do you listen to a lot of left-wing news? You’ve got to be willing to lay that thing down for a minute. Are you a right-wing news person? You’ve got to learn to set that aside for a minute.
The Bible does not tell us to pray only for the leaders we like. In fact, scholars believe that when Paul wrote 1 Timothy, Nero was emperor in Rome. Nero was a madman who brutally persecuted Christians. Yet Paul says pray for those who are in authority.
I know it’s hard. I found it very hard to pray for our previous president. Almost everything his administration did seemed to undermine everything I believe in. Yet, I prayed for him anyway. It’s not that I prayed for his policies to succeed. Instead, I prayed that God might help him to change his mind about many things. I prayed that God might use his office as He saw fit.
The media coverage turns these fallible human leaders into targets. We begin to think of them as something less than human. But praying for them puts things back into perspective. I know it seems unlikely that they will ever change, but God could change them for the better.
In this regard, it behooves us to take seriously Jesus’ challenge. “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44). Yes, sometimes praying for political leaders will require us to pray for those who hate our beliefs. Yet, we do it because we love our nation.
We are not called to pray for the success of evil policies. Yet we can pray God’s best even for those leaders we don’t like. After all, if God changes their hearts, it will also go better for us in the long run.
So, here’s a suggestion. If you’re convinced that a governmental leader is doing something evil or against God’s will, why not pray that that person would be moved by God to do godly things? Why not ask God to give them wisdom beyond themselves? We are to pray for those in government.
So, the Bible tells us to conduct ourselves as good citizens. It starts with love for God as paramount. It translates into love for country as prescribed in the Bible.
Don’t hate on America! Instead love America as a good citizen of God’s kingdom.
Pastor George