GOD’S PERSPECTIVE ON POLITICS!
By Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr.
Many Christians stay away from politics and say that Politics is a dirty word! But they are so wrong! And today I want to show you God’s perspective on politics and why every Christian should be involved in politics and government in America!
First of all, what is politics? There are many definitions. One definition is this: “The activities associated with governance of a country, especially the debate among individuals or parties hoping to achieve power.”
Politics also involves the ways in which governments make rules and laws to manage human society properly.
Politics is also defined as the art or science of government, and the art or science of guiding or influencing government policy.
In 1968, I graduated from the University of Kentucky (in my home state) with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and I have been involved in politics all my life! Believe it or not, I was a liberal in college, and was President of the University of Kentucky Young Democrats, and President of Kentucky Citizens for Robert Kennedy for President.
I actually debated Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell in a mock Presidential debate in college. I represented Senator Hubert Humphrey and McConnell represented Richard Nixon. I said that the main reason we should vote for Humprhey was the evil character of Richard Nixon. That was very prophetic! I was also a lawyer and judge for 50 years in all three branches of the Federal government, which was highly political. In my legal career I dealt with almost all of the important political issues facing America. And I was also a Candidate for School Board in Duval County to fight evil in the school system, and have been a very active Republican on social media since Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump were President.
So why should Christians be involved in politics? Great question!
Do you care about the laws of the land, and if they are Biblically based? Do you care about the proper education of your children and if the schools are teaching in a way that supports or denigrates your faith? Do you care about your health care system and if it is fair and reasonable? Do you care about the tax code and if it is fair and reasonable? Do you care about your freedom of religion and speech, and if you are allowed to share the Gospel?
If you answered YES to any of those questions, then YES, you as a Christian should be involved in politics and government.
So what does the Bible tells us about politics and government?
First, we are to pray for our politicians and government leaders. The Apostle Paul says “First of all, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2. Paul also says this: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. This is the verse that we prayed for 50 years that resulted in the reversal of Roe V Wade, and the end of the constitutional right to abortion, which will result in the saving of millions of lives. And God tells us that our prayers for our government leaders can change the course of history. King Solomon said this: “The king’s heart is a stream or water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wills.” Proverbs 21:1.
Second, we are to submit to the authority of our government, because it is established by the Lord. Submission to authority is one of the most important spiritual principles of the universe, and begins with submission to the authority of God Almighty. And it also involves submission to the authority of the government. The Apostle Paul said this: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” And Peter said this: “Show proper respect for everyone, fear God, honor the emperor.” 1 Peter 2:17. You may say how can we honor and respect our government if we have ungodly leaders. The answer is this: our government is filled with both godly and ungodly leaders, so there is a great spiritual mix, and we need to pray for both. In addition, God often allows ungodly leaders to govern a nation, to drive the people to repentance and revival. It has happened many times.
Third, we are to pray for our nation to be a sheep nation, so we will be blessed and not cursed. There are sheep nations and goat nations in the end times, and we want America to be a sheep nation. Jesus said this: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. Before Him all the nations will be gathered, and He will
separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will tell those on his right Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world….” “Then He will say to those on his left hand ‘Depart from me you cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’….””These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25: 31-46. The Bible also says in Psalms that “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. “ Psalm 33:12. North and South Korea are good examples. North Korea is communist and atheist and has no freedom of religion and is a terrible place to live with great poverty. South Korea is Christian and democratic and has great freedom of religion and has shared the Gospel with the world. That is how important our government is to our faith. The same is true with Haiti. They dedicated their land to Satan, and it has had one disaster after another.
Fourth, we are commanded to share the Gospel, so our freedom of religion must be protected. In the Great Commission Jesus said this: “Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded. Matthew 28:16-20. If our government gives us freedom of religion, we are able to
share the Gospel, and fulfill the Great Commission both at home and abroad. In Canada the government is arresting people on the street who preach the Gospel, and that is happening in India and many nations. It has even happened in America. One state punished a Christian for refusing to bake a cake for a gay wedding. But the Supreme Court said that freedom of religion gives them that right! Many colleges and schools have tried to stop Valedictorians from sharing their faith in Christ in graduation ceremonies, which is highly unconstitutional. And many schools have tried to ban Christian afterschool clubs, while allowing secular clubs, but the courts have come to their defense! Let freedom ring!
Fifth, we are told to be light and salt in our culture. Jesus said this: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16. This verse means we are to use our Christian influence in our government to insure that the laws under which we live are Biblically based. It is a major myth that you cannot legislate morality. We have legislated morality for hundreds of years. Laws against murder, theft and perjury are good examples of laws that legislate morality. So let us let our light shine in politics and the halls of government!
Sixth, Jesus said we should “occupy until I come”. Luke 19:13. The word “occupy” entails authority over an area or country. America is a Christian nation! Christopher Columbus and the Pilgrims came here for religious freedom, and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they dedicated this land to Jesus Christ. Most of our Founders were devout Christians, and our Declaration of Independence, Constitution and laws are all based on the Ten Commandments, and the Sermon on the Mount. Some people call us “Christian Nationalists” who want to impose our religion on the country. However, we should be proud of the name Christian Nationalist, because we want all of our laws and policies in our nation to be based on Christian principles. In America, we have self-government and the majority rules. So, if the majority in Congress or the state legislature votes to enact laws that are consistent with Christian values and principles, that is a democratic decision fully consistent with our Godly American democratic system. We as Christians have the right and freedom to seek to influence legislation just like all other citizens. And, we also have a Biblical duty to do so!
And seventh, all of our freedoms in America came from God Almighty, and our Christian heritage, and we must always be involved in politics and government to insure that they are secure! Our Declaration of Independence says that “we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Our freedoms do not come from the state but from the hand of God. There were major Christian influences in the Magna Carta in England in 1215. And that was the seminal legal document for freedom in the modern world which inspired our founders. And today, two major Christian legal ministries, Jay Sekulow’s American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and Mat Staver’s Liberty Counsel in Orlando, are ever vigilant to preserve our religious freedom and fight persecution of Christians in the courts. And they have won nearly every case they brought in the U.S. Supreme Court. Just recently, the Supreme Court restored our religious freedom in the case of Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. In that case, the Court held that a high school football coach could pray on the football field after a game. They said that his prayer was consistent with the history and tradition of our country, which is their new legal test for government action. As a result, states are now moving to restore the Ten Commandments to the walls of public school classrooms in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Florida.
There are many examples in the Bible, both Old and New Testament, where the people of God and Christians were prompted by the Lord to influence their government with Godly values. In the book of Exodus we read that Moses went to Pharoh in Egypt and said “Let my people go!” And Pharoh relented and let millions of Jewish slaves leave Egypt. In the book of Esther, we read how Queen Esther, the beautiful Jewish wife of a Persian King, and her cousin Mordecai, persuaded the King to retract an order for the general annihilation of Jews throughout the empire. Joseph ascended to the throne in Egypt to influence the nation for good. David became King of Israel to insure a Godly nation, as did Solomon his son. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down to a pagan god exalted by their government. And when they survived the fiery furnace, the King Nebuchadnezzar turned to faith in God! And Daniel interpreted the dream of the king, and led the king to faith in God! The king then placed Daniel as ruler over all of Babylon. Moreover, at Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as administrators over the province of Babylon while Daniel remained at the royal court! Daniel and these 3 holy men
had great influence over the politics and government of their day and advanced the Kingdom of God! Indeed, nearly every prophet in the Old Testament brought counsel, encouragement and rebuke to the good and evil kings of Israel. In the New Testament, John the Baptist spoke Biblical truth to King Herod, and rebuked him for personal sin and all of the evil things he had done as king.
He had significant influence on the government of his day, and it cost him his life. And the Apostle Paul testified to his faith in Christ, and the need for righteousness and the coming judgment when he stood trial before the Roman Governor Felix. So it is clear from the entire Bible that the Lord wants Christians to influence their government for good with Godly and Christian values.
There are also many examples in American history where Christians have had a major influence on politics and our government and laws. One example was the Great Awakening in the 1700’s, the great Christian revival that led to the American revolution. Another example was the Abolition Movement in the 1800’s. Hundreds of Christian pastors led the charge to abolish slavery, the great evil of the day.
Anyone who has watched the news over the last ten years knows that we now have a full-scale assault upon Judeo-Christian values in our national and state governments. The Supreme Court and federal government removed prayer and Bible reading from our public schools in the 1960s, and we are now reaping a whirlwind of evil in the younger generation. The Court also created a constitutional right to abortion that resulted in the death of 70 million babies, a whole generation.
Thankfully that decision was recently reversed, but the abortion battle now goes on in the states. The high court also reversed 3000 years of spiritual law and 300 years of American law by creating a right to sodomy and same sex marriage, which the Bible condemns as an abomination. That decision may now soon be reversed. God warns us many times that if a nation turns against Him, and His laws, that judgment will come upon that land. We must do all we can to insure that America honors God in our laws!
Eric Metaxas in his new book “A Letter to the American Church” says that the American church is much like the Church in Germany in 1939 that was silent in the face of the evil of Hitler and the Nazi movement. He quotes Bonhoeffer that the Church has an irreplaceable place in the culture of our nation. It is our duty to fight the powers of darkness, especially on behalf of the weak and vulnerable. Silence is not an option. God calls us to defend the unborn, to confront the lies of Marxism, socialism and communism, and globalist tyranny that crushes human freedom. We must also eradicate antisemitism and Christian persecution. And we must insure that all of our laws are based upon solid Judeo-Christian values, and that we have the religious freedom to share the Gospel. The Church must overcome fear, and enter the fray, armed with the spiritual weapons of prayer, self-sacrifice and love!
So here is my message today: every Christian should be involved in politics and government in some way. First, we must all do our civic duty and register and vote and vote only for Christian and Godly candidates. Second, we should speak up in city hall and in letters to the editor to advance Christian values in our laws and government. Third, we should consider running for office. And yes, we need to talk about politics and political issues in Sunday Morning church services. The pastors of America must teach their congregations Biblical truth about the social issues of the day: abortion, homosexuality, same sex marriage, divorce, gender confusion, pornography, national and border security, illegal immigration, Globalism, national debt, racial justice, crime and many others. In the early colonial days of America, Christian pastors would give a sermon every fall in which they actually endorsed certain candidates for political office. And churches actually still have that religious freedom today under the First Amendment, and should do so every year! The Johnson Amendment banning political speech in church was unconstitutional and has never been enforced. No church has ever lost their 501c3 tax exempt status for endorsing a political candidate! Our Founders said many times that we should prefer Christians as our politicians and government leaders.
Politics is not a dirty word, and God wants us all involved in the politics and government of America. It is a total myth that you cannot legislate morality: we have done that for 200 years. And, we must pray and insure that our religious freedom is restored, so that the Gospel can go forth all over this land and all the world.
Lets Pray!
Father in Jesus Name, we thank you for ordaining governments on the earth to advance your laws and your kingdom. We submit today to your authority and the authority of our government. We thank you for the Christian heritage of America, and all of our freedoms. We pray today that the You would inspire the Christians of our land to be involved in politics and government in every way to influence the laws of our nation for good and Godly values. And we ask it all in the Name above all Names, the Lord Jesus Christ!