Is the church Political?

The political season is upon us, and with it comes controversy about religion and politics. John McCain and George W. Bush have argued about the influence of the ""religious right."" Al Gore proclaims if he is elected, he will address all problems with the question, ""What would Jesus do?"" Religious activists populate both sides of nearly every important political issue, including abortion. And one of the most important questions we can answer is where the church of the Lord fits in all of this wrangling.

It might surprise many to discover, like many other worldly concerns, the church doesn't really fit very well into the political arena at all. Certainly, Christians should vote for those who best represent the moral values we strive for and the religious freedoms we enjoy, but the church really has very little to do with politics and public policy. For instance, as noted above, many religious people have taken some stand or another on abortion. Indeed, many denominations have ""official"" policy statements regarding their particular stand, but nowhere does the Bible address the idea of the church ""changing the world"" through political means. Instead, the Bible focuses where we should focus as well, on the hearts of individuals. Paul did not reform from persecuting the church because of some political movement. No church political committee sought to have Christianity recognized as the ""state religion,"" causing Paul to abandon his former way of life. What changed Paul was a change in his heart: ""The grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all"" (1 Tim. 1:14-15).

Today, people's hearts are changed in the same way, by the embracing of the gospel of Christ, and when a church abandons the gospel to try and enact some kind of political change, it loses its identity, because it has lost its purpose. We are here to save souls, to teach others to submit to Christ and live like Him. It is certain that our Savior never involved Himself in politics (see Matt. 22:15-22; Matt. 17:24-27). In fact, prophecy even foretold the non-political nature of Christ (Is. 42:1-4). This Savior, who would establish justice, would do so by bridging the gulf that existed between man and God because of sin (Heb. 10:1-18), not by overthrowing the government.

In the opinion polls, much debate centers around what America truly needs, and morality and justice are huge concerns, but what Americans need, what they must have, is what God has offered from the beginning, salvation from sin through faith in Him. No amount of political deal-making or volunteering can bring an individual closer to God.

If then, Christians seeks to ""make a difference,"" they would do well to attempt to ""make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit"" (Matt. 28:19). Our method of ""changing the world"" is one which is not centered on a ""this world"" plane, but on a change which alters eternal destinies. Those who are converted will have exchanged eternity in Hell for an eternity in Heaven in the presence of our great and glorious Lord. Rather than some political victory, which can be undone by the next election, we will have won something far more valuable and lasting. We will have won souls from our adversary the devil.