Jesus is the answer…to politics
Water cooler conversation:
What was your biggest win this week? What was your biggest challenge?
What is one subject you avoid discussing at family gatherings? Politics? Religion? Coke vs. Pepsi? Marvel vs. DC? Pineapple on pizza?
Would you rather have a political debate with your aunt who posts conspiracy theory memes on Facebook or argues about whether God exists with an atheist?
How passionate are you about politics on a scale of 1-10 (1 being uninterested and ten being fully invested)?
Unpack the Message:
The politically divisive climate we live in is nothing new. In fact, the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians expose the division within the early church. When the church in Corinth was established, many of the Corinthians, even though they were united in Christ, having accepted Christ as Savior, still held on to some of the humanistic Greek philosophies they had originally believed. Splinter groups developed, with believers rallying around individual leaders like Paul, Apollos, and Peter. Each of these men preached the same gospel, pointing people to Jesus, yet the Corinthians aligned themselves to the man, not his message.
In 1 Corinthians 3:18-20, Paul addresses the division, saying,“Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.” What is God’s foolishness? The cross of Jesus Christ. God intentionally chose to reconcile His people back to Him in a manner that the world would consider foolish. For generations, the Jewish people have been waiting for the Messiah to come and establish an earthly kingdom which would restore the nation of Israel to its former glory. Instead, God chooses to send Jesus to be born of a virgin, fully God yet fully human. Not only that, God chose to allow Jesus, the Messiah, to be beaten, stabbed, and crucified by the very people He came to save. But the story doesn’t end there. Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and the grave, and is seated on the right hand of His Father in heaven. We do not find our hope and salvation in an earthly leader, but in the risen son of God himself, Jesus Christ. That path to our salvation may seem like foolishness to man, but God that is the wisdom of God that confounds even the wisest of us.
Jesus is the answer to politics. How? When we tie ourselves to an ideology, philosophy, or political figure, we are placing our hope and aligning with the temporal rather than the eternal. 1 Corinthians 3: 22-23 reveals the ultimate reality: Christ belongs to God. God exists in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each has a specific role in the Godhead. Jesus, as the son, yielded Himself to the will of His Father, surrendering to an excruciating death in order to reconcile us to Himself.
When we accept His gift of salvation, through the work of the cross, we belong to Christ (Ephesians 2:13-15) . Through this reconciliation, we become co-heirs with Christ —God adopts us into His family making us one with Jesus (Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:5-7; 1 John 3:2; John 1:12; Romans 8:14-19).
So, since Christ belongs to God, we belong to Christ, you belong to nothing—all things belong to you. When we tether ourselves to a particular ideology, it dictates how you engage with the world around you. If that ideology is rooted in anything other than Scripture, we miss the mark (Philippians 3:14). As children of God, the creator of the universe, we have dominion over every created thing, including the dogma, philosophies, and opinions of mankind.
Furthermore, because Jesus conquered the grave, we have conquered the grave. Death has no power over us; it does not own us. Why would the problems and conflicts of this world dictate how we live when we have dominion over all creation and death itself?
It is hardly possible in a day like ours that one will not have denominational, theological, or ideological preferences. The difficulty lies in allowing that it might really be true that 'all things are ours,' including those whom we think God would do better to be without. But God is full of surprises; and He may choose to minister to us from the 'strangest' of sources, if we were but more truly 'in Christ' and therefore free in Him to learn and to love.
This does not mean that one should not be discriminating; after all, Paul had no patience for that teaching in Corinth which had abandoned the pure gospel of Christ. But to be 'of Christ' is also to be free from the tyrannies of one's own narrowness, free to learn even from those with whom one may disagree. Gordon D. Fee
Discuss this statement: “If you say that your church is unified then you haven’t done a very good job of evangelism — all you’ve done is collect people with politics in common and what you need is people who have God in common.” Rev. Dr. William Willimon
Our faith should inform our politics, politics should not inform our faith. Why is it so dangerous to turn that around?
Romans 12:14-13:7 is often cited when discussing a Christian’s role in relation to government. How do we reconcile those verses with a government that acts contrary to our faith?
How much influence does social media have over your political opinions?
How can we navigate the current political climate in a way that reflects God’s heart for people?
Do you think pastors have a responsibility to tell their congregations how to vote?
Read 1 Timothy 2:1-3. How does Pau tell Timothy to treat the ruling authorities in Ephesus? Are you doing the same thing? Why or why not?
Discuss Fee’s statement, “To be 'of Christ' is also to be free from the tyrannies of one's own narrowness, free to learn even from those with whom one may disagree.”
It’s been said that there are things we should fuss about, things we should fight over, and things we’d die for. Name something for each of those delineations. Do your choices reflect a Biblical model or do they reflect your preferences?
Make a Move:
Do you have a divisive heart when it comes to politics? Are you committed to a party over all else, regardless of their policies? If someone unchurched scrolled through your social media posts, would they see anger or compassion for those who are hurting and struggling during this pandemic? Examine your heart and ask God to reveal any attitudes or beliefs that place anything political over Biblical principles. Pray for an open heart so that when the opportunity presents, you can speak the truth in love, without malice, and consider whether or not to edit—or delete—your social media.
Prayer Prompt:
Father, we live in a time of division and fear. Many of us say we love you, but our words and actions toward those who disagree with us say otherwise. May we live every day mindful of the fact You are the answer to every problem we face, every fear that grips our hearts, and every conflict that threatens to tear us apart. Help us to be bold in our witness, gracious in our speech, remembering that we were not created to worship a politician but to worship our Creator. Amen