“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”
1 Timothy 2:1-6 ESV
America is being torn apart. Her politics are bitterly divided. There are many causes for this but one thing is certain: the church’s job is clear. She should pray for the country, not hatefully, but in love, and truth, so that all men would come to know the One who gave Himself as a ransom for them.
Do we do this faithfully? I must admit my wavering on this duty. The verse is clear. Christians are supposed to be universally evangelical in their prayers. Not only that but this pleases our Father in heaven. Oh, what a thing! To please God! Why does it please Him? Because He desires all to be saved and has given us the incredible privilege of praying for the lost. To understand the context of this command is to get a glimpse of the stakes in the game.
For one, this sets the proper relationship between church and state, which is, Phillip Ryken says, not separation, but partnership. John Scott says:
“It is the duty of the state to keep the peace, to protect its citizens from whatever would disturb it, to preserve law and order, and to punish evil, and promote good, so that within such a stable society the church may be free to worship God, obey his laws and spread his gospel. Conversely, it is the duty of the church to pray for the state, so that its leaders may administer justice and pursue peace, and to add to its intercession thanksgiving, especially for the blessings of good government as a gift of God’s common grace.”
Thus, the Christian prayer for the state – and in our case that’s our congressmen, president, etc. – is a blessing for both the saved and lost. All can live under the common grace of the freedom from crime and tyranny if the state pursues justice. Tyranny and anarchy are the twin infernos of sin and the church should be consistently praying that God delivers us from them.
We note, then, that the king and/or state is not above God, but subject to Him and His word/law. This truth shocked the Ephesians and Romans just as it does the pagan culture today. The myth of the separation of church and state teaches us today that Christ may not tread in the public square. Christians are cowardly to accept this premise because it elevates the state/king to a place of dominance over Him. The Bible recognizes no such heresy. Nevertheless, we must calmly and patiently explain to the pagan culture around us that Christianity is exactly that which gives them the grace of peace, not humanism.
Understanding this blasts the cancer that is syncretism out of our pews.
Because the world is hostile to the notion of hearing about its sin, it will accuse the church of all sorts of things. Today the church is slandered for hatred of gays, for example. We must pray that we can answer appropriately, carefully explaining that God calls all to repentance and the worst thing the LGBTQ “community” can expect from Christians is to hear the gospel. They should know that the church is praying for them – for their eternal soul, that they may come to Him who died for sin, and for their political liberty! That’s right. The prayer for peace rightly calls the civil magistrate to do its job. If it does, that means that every citizen, Christian and unbeliever alike, is protected against crime and tyranny. The Christian is praying for the safety and security of its gay, lesbian, and transgender neighbors. It’s praying that everyone is given the same protection under the law without exception because there is no partiality with God.
This is the only message that will cut through the lies and slander because it is power and truth.
This is the Christian prayer and the common grace of God bestowed upon all. God sends His sun upon the just and unjust. Likewise, His civil magistrate (Romans 13) is to protect all her citizens, not just a favored group. The proper understanding of this in the church has been lost so, therefore, because of sin, the biblical understanding of church and state has been jettisoned in society. Christians have consequently retreated into political camps and this ought not to be so. Christians aren’t Republicans, Democrats or Libertarians because God isn’t reacting to society; He is the sovereign Creator over all, not a faction of it.
This said, to be clear, no Christian can willfully vote as a Democrat as that party has become openly hostile to Christ through its advocacy of sexual sin and tyranny. Joe Biden should be called to repentance, indeed. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, who has taken to quoting Jesus to support sexual sin and abortion, is to be prayed for, corrected, and called to repentance. We must not have rancor toward such men, though we’re called to oppose them. Though they act as enemies of the church, and believe Christ isn’t truly Lord, the church must pray patiently and with love. John Chrysostom once said that no one can feel hatred towards those for whom he prays.
Hopefully, this elevates our understanding of prayer, culture, and state. Our prayers shouldn’t be only for someone’s health though that’s certainly important. We should be engaged in consistent prayer for the reformation of culture and that God’s will be done on earth, in Greenville, in Washington, Atlanta, London…San Francisco…Hong Kong. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Our prayers should be for the president – that he obeys the Lord’s command to the civil magistrate. And why? Let’s not forget that the Lord desires all to be saved and that His goal is to show sinners the grace of peace, which will enhance the impact of the gospel.
How often does the church either preach to the LGBTQ lobby with judgment alone or simply capitulate and say, mindlessly, love is love? In fact, God does hate sexual sin and we must call all to repentance. But we can also explain that we mean no ill will toward them and that Christian principles alone provide the political liberty (equality under the law) they want and need. This is a winning evangelical message that’s hardly ever heard because we go to a political camp and not the true church.
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