Christians, do not buy into the lie that your hope on this earth rests in any one person, political party, political system, or nation.
When our confidence in these things begins to rival our confidence in Christ, we diminish in our lives the authority, supremacy, and distinctiveness that belong to Him alone.
We are citizens of heaven living in earthly kingdoms—not citizens of earthly kingdoms who happen to be going to heaven.
When you take your talking points primarily from a political party, defend that party at all costs, celebrate its leaders without discernment, and condemn those who disagree with you, something has become disordered. Your earthly political identity has begun competing with your heavenly one.
Not sure whether that could be happening to you?
Consider what captures your attention and affections:
- You spend more time consuming political news than consuming God’s Word.
- You pray more passionately about political leaders and elections than about missionaries and the advance of the gospel.
- You get more excited when your political party wins than when a sinner trusts Christ.
- You talk with your family more about your political beliefs than about what Christ is doing in your life.
- You become inwardly disturbed when someone challenges the political movement, leader, or nation in which you have placed so much confidence.
- You find it easier to identify what is wrong with the other political side than what Christ needs to change in you.
Do not misunderstand me.
There is nothing inherently wrong with watching the news, holding political convictions, voting, supporting particular policies, discussing political events, or participating responsibly in government.
The issue is not whether you have political convictions.
The issue is what has your affections, your allegiance, and your hope.
Christians should care about what happens in this world while remembering that every earthly kingdom eventually crumbles. Every political leader eventually leaves office. Every political movement eventually passes away.
But Christ’s Kingdom does not.
If most of our attention, conversation, energy, excitement, fear, and hope are consumed by kingdoms that will pass away, while the coming Kingdom receives what is left over, our priorities have become inverted.
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
— Philippians 3:20