Where is our refuge?

Posted on May 16, 2019 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Even a casual student of church history, or history in general, will observe that every time the church has sought or obtained political power, it has gone badly for the church and the society around it.

I am not aware of a single incident where political power or political inclusion has gone well for the church.

This morning I read Psalm 118 which brought this thought to mind:

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humanity. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in nobles.”
Psalm 118:8–9, CSB

It is one thing for the church to proclaim what Scripture has to say on the issues we are facing. It is another thing entirely to appear to be supporting (or opposing) a candidate or party based on their conformity (or lack thereof) to what the church endorses.

The bottom line is that we are to be obedient to God’s will as revealed to us in Scripture.

We are to trust in God alone.We should follow the example of Jesus:

“Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all and because he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.”
John 2:24–25, CSB

With regard to politics in the church, while we may agree on a particular goal, we may disagree on how to accomplish it. If the church is doing what it should, it is likely that there are people in attendance that do not share our political perspective and would do things differently if given the choice.

The beauty of the church is that God uses our different perspectives as part of the process to conform us into the image of Jesus.

Our disagreements and discussions operate like the chisel of a sculptor. They are used to remove the stuff that mars the image that the creator sees in us.

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

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