Category Archives: Politics

How can we save America?

In about a year, the United States will vote to elect a new president. At the moment, the top contenders are Joe Biden and Donald Trump. But I wouldn’t be surprised if something changes before next year. With all that is happening in the justice system, we may have new contenders to vote for before that time. But the truth is that even if we could bring back the best president from the past or put a great Christian leader into office, there is no guarantee that this would solve our country’s problems. Why is that? The current problems in our country are not problems that can ultimately be addressed by the government.

  1. The problem of sinful people

    When people become wicked, their thoughts control their actions (Gen. 6:5). During Noah’s lifetime, the people became so wicked that they couldn’t think good thoughts. Everything they thought about was evil and those thought led to actions. It became so bad that God was sorry He had created them. We live in a nation where there is still some morality left over from previous generations. But the vast majority of people are becoming less interested in doing right. They have learned to justify their sins and others are learning to think this way, too.

    When people persistently reject God, things will get worse (Rom. 1:18-32). During Paul’s lifetime, He saw God’s judgment on sinful humanity. When the people rejected what they knew about God, He gave them over to their lust and they began to practice terrible things. The people became increasingly sinful as God gave them over to the results of their sin. Has much changed today? Despite our history of being a so-called “Christian nation,” our country has increasingly okay with abortion, adultery, sexual perversion, and dishonesty. Things are not getting better. They are getting worse.

    When things get worse, it could be a sign of the end (2 Tim. 3:1-7). Paul told us that the last days will include a wide range of sins. His list was written by the inspiration of God almost two thousand years ago but it seems like it was written to describe our current culture. Our culture glorifies revenge, covetousness, pleasure seeking, and other lusts. While these things have existed in many cultures, it does make you wonder how long our civilization can last. What can be done?

    We need to preach repentance from sin (Mark 1:4, 15). It is instructive that God sent John the Baptist to preach repentance before Jesus began His earthly ministry. Before people would be ready to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they would need to acknowledge and turn from their own sin. His message reached tax collectors, soldiers, and kings. Should we do any less? If we shy away from speaking the truth about sin, how will people know about their sin against God?

    We need to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). What Jesus told His disciples to do would change the world. But note what He told them to do. His command was not to infiltrate government with Christian principles or to organize a new political party. His main command was to preach the gospel. The gospel is the good news that should follow the preaching of repentance. Once someone has acknowledged his sin against God, he needs to know that Jesus paid the price for his sins. Jesus, the Son of God, took the punishment for all the sins of the world on Himself when He died on the cross. Now all those who repent of their sin and put their faith in Him will be forgiven by God and changed.

    We need to believe that God can change people (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 1:23-24). The Bible tells us that the person who has been saved by God will be changed. God makes them a new person on the inside and this change will eventually be seen on the outside. As the Spirit conforms each believer to Jesus’ character, people will see a different attitude, actions, and purposes. This was seen in Paul when God saved him. He had been known for his violent persecution of Christians. But after his conversion, he was known for preaching the faith that “he once tried to destroy.”

    We have heard many political speeches from potential candidates for president. Some of them sound pretty good. While we hope to have good people in government, this should not be what we hang our confidence on. Instead, we should follow God’s plan to change the world through the preaching of the gospel. Good government can hold back sinful man for a while. But only God can make a lasting change in their hearts that will eventually be seen in their actions.

    While we have considered the problem of sinful people, this is not the only problem we currently face.

  2. The problem of inactive Christians.

    When Christians are spiritually immature, problems increase (1 Cor. 3:1-3). If the problems of sinful people can be addressed by preaching the gospel, why aren’t we doing it? One answer is the spiritual immaturity of some Christians. Paul saw this in the early Corinthian church. Instead of progressing in their spiritual growth, they had remained spiritually immature because of sin in their own lives. Oftentimes the reason that the gospel is not being preached is the fact that unconfessed sin is holding Christians back from doing anything.

    When Christians don’t act on what they hear, they become useless (Jam. 1:22). Another thing that holds back the church from reaching the world with the gospel is the unwillingness of Christians to act on what they have learned from the Bible. They sit in church and hear the preacher preach. They read their Bibles at home. They learn and answer questions in Sunday School. But if they never act on what they hear, very little will be accomplished.

    When Christians are worldly, they won’t love God or His purposes (1 John 2:15-17). From the beginning, Satan has been effective at distracting people from God’s purposes. He uses the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life to deceive us into becoming complacent about God. When we should be loving and obeying God, we end up loving the world instead. It is hard to get a worldly Christian to reach the world.

    We need to put God’s purposes first in our lives (Matt. 6:33). When Jesus originally spoke these words, He was talking about trusting God to meet our needs. Our first desire should not be worrying about our daily needs; it should be doing God’s will. When we put God’s kingdom first, we will make His priorities our own. When we put His righteousness first, we will live in a way that is godly and appropriate for someone proclaiming the gospel to a sinful world.

    We need to be a shining light to the world (Matt. 5:14-16). Jesus made it clear that His followers would be a light to the world. Jesus was the original light of the world, but they would reflect His light to all who would see and hear them. This is still true today. By living a godly life, we can show the world the change that God has made in us. As we do this, we will be evidence that God can change a sinner into a new creation. But if we hide our light, how will they know?

    We need to renew our minds daily (Rom. 12:1-2). As we go through each day, it is important to give ourselves daily to God’s service. We need to be willing to do His will every moment of our lives. But there is a continuing problem. After attending church services, you may turn on the radio and hear competing ideas. You may read a book or watch a newscast that contradicts what you heard. And if you are not careful, your mind can be turned away from what God has taught you. When this happens, the best antidote is to read your Bible and renew your mind. As you meditate on God’s truths and ask God for wisdom, He will conform your thinking to what He has revealed in the Bible.

Conclusion

As we see the culture around us become more degraded, it would be easy for us to think that a new voice in government will make the difference. While we should pray for our government officials and use our vote to hold back evil, the ultimate solution to our problems is the gospel. Without it, sinful people will continue to get worse and government will have to invest in more laws and police. But if the hearts of people are changed by God, this will make a drastic difference.

What you should consider now is how you will be a part of God’s plan. Will you repent of your sinful complacency and start preaching the gospel to sinful humanity? It may not be easy, but as you seek God’s help, meditate on the Bible, and actively seek to proclaim God’s message, people will have the opportunity to hear and believe and be changed. Will you do your part in God’s solution for man’s problems?


Bibliography

“Why Government is Not the Answer” as viewed at https://www.gotquestions.blog/government-is-not-the-answer.html on 9/17/2023.

How does Romans 12:16-21 apply to political disagreements?

During the past four years, we have become a very divided nation. Topics in the news have included: collusion with Russia, impeachment, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, QAnon, white nationalists, election issues, Hunter Biden, COVID-19, and riots all over the country. Social media discussions about these topics have become rather heated at times. How then should Christians respond? Romans 12:16-21 seems to be a good starting place.

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

1. We should be peaceful whenever possible.

If God tells us to be harmonious, humble, honorable, peaceable, not vengeful, and not to be overcome by evil, that should be our modus operandi. The response or actions of other people should not change the way we respond. However, if we decline to follow God’s commands as here mentioned, we are no longer representing Christ but something else. No matter how great the political cause, disobedience in these areas can be detrimental to God’s greater purposes. We must do God’s work in God’s way to honor Him. Keep that in mind.

2. We should defend the US constitution and American law when possible.

One of the tricky things about being an American Christian is that we are both citizens of heaven and our country. We have responsibilities to both. Our first priority is to God but another priority is loyalty to our country. A good summary of this loyalty is in the oath I took when hired by the US Postal Service:

“I, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

When a politician, judge, or any other person tries to do something that goes against the constitution or laws, I should voice my concern and take lawful action to stop them. When an individual or organization seeks to limit someone’s ability to speak freely, I point to the 1st amendment and try to stop them from subverting lawful rights. When an individual or organization seeks to limit someone’s right to bear arms (for protection against criminals or tyrannical government), I point to the 2nd amendment and try to stop them from subverting lawful rights.

Conclusion

There are times where strong words and actions are needed. We must stand up for what is right and speak out against unlawful and evil activity. But, as Christians, we must remember that our normal way of doing things should be to seek peace, to be humble, to leave revenge in God’s hands, and to overcome evil with good. Let us be careful in our verbal and written responses to hot button topics. Winning a debate is not the only priority for Christians.

Alexander Hamilton on the Law of Nature

While delving into the historical reasons for the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution, I came across a letter written by Alexander Hamilton in 1775. In this letter, he argued that unjust laws were not binding on man when they contradict the natural laws given by God.

“The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power. … When the first principles of civil society are violated, and the rights of a whole people are invaded, the common forms of municipal law are not to be regarded. Men may then betake themselves to the law of nature; and, if they but conform their actions, to that standard, all cavils [petty objections] against them, betray either ignorance or dishonesty. There are some events in society, to which human laws cannot extend; but when applied to them lose all their force and efficacy. In short, when human laws contradict or discountenance the means, which are necessary to preserve the essential rights of any society, they defeat the proper end of all laws, and so become null and void. ”

— Alexander Hamilton in The Farmer Refuted

Hamilton’s reasoning may sound familiar to Christian readers. In at least two biblical instances, people stood against unjust laws. The first case involves the Egyptian midwives who refused to throw newborn baby boys into the Nile River. The second case is that of the Apostle Peter when he was brought before the Sanhedrin for healing a lame man and speaking in the name of Jesus.

So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4:18-20 NKJV

Does this mean that any person should immediately disobey the American government when they disagree with a current law? Before going overboard with civil disobedience, we need to remember that government is also ordained by God (Rom. 13:1-7). While we would rightly disobey any law that mandated the killing of babies or the silencing of those who proclaim the gospel of Jesus, we are not granted carte blanche to disobey God-ordained government for any and all reasons.

In the case of the American Revolution, the founders went to great lengths to debate what the proper response was to British tyranny. They eventually agreed that their government had overstepped their bounds and were no longer acting lawfully toward the rights of the colonies. Because of that, they chose to rebel against the government for appropriate reasons. Honestly, this will take more study to completely understand, but Hamilton’s words highlight what the founders were thinking at the time.

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P.S. If you click on the link to Hamilton’s 3 page letter, you may also want to have a dictionary ready to understand all that he says. I had to look up words such as eclaircissement, coeval, mediately, consanguinity, sagaciously, and cavils. Apparently, Hamilton’s 19-year-old vocabulary was well beyond mine.

How a leader’s private life affects others

A college professor recently made an interesting point about the ancient Hebrew kings Saul and David. Both kings allowed sin to hurt their families and eventually their kingdoms. Their actions and the results that followed show how our private lives can affect other people.

Some might say as the soul goes of the leader, so goes his family. And as the family goes so goes the commonwealth or the kingdom. So there is a direct connection between the private morality of the leaders and the public success of the kingdom. … If the king is a good king, life will go well for the kingdom. If the king is disordered in his soul, his family might be disordered and the decline of his family might be mirrored in the decline of his kingdom. This possibility is evermore prevalent in modern republics when the people are kings. If they are disordered in their private lives the challenge of self-government itself might fail as well.

The application is a good one. Just as the private morality of those kings hurt their kingdoms, so can my godliness or lack of it affect those under my care. It made me stop and think more seriously about my lifestyle and daily habits. How am I affecting others?

Are wealthy people the problem?

Matt Bors

Distorting the Tax Policy Debate

George Orwell warned us about the use of “meaningless words” in politics, words that are endlessly repeated by sloganeering politicians until they have no meaning at all. Meaningless words certainly were on display during last week’s congressional debate over the latest tax bill.

Over and over again we heard trite, empty phrases like “tax cuts for the wealthiest 2%,” “tax giveaways,” “tax earmarks,” and “borrowing money to give to millionaires.” Time and time again the same falsehoods were presented as fact, and reported as such by a credulous media.

But all of these clichés about taxes are based on the presumption that government has a right to all of your income, and so government “gives” you something when it allows you to keep a portion of that income. To this mindset, tax cuts represent a “cost” to government. After all, they argue, money that really ought to go to the most noble of purposes– wealth redistribution via taxation–is being kept by greedy people and corporations who just don’t want to pay their fair share.

Far too many Americans truly believe that tax cuts represent a government giveaway, indistinguishable from an outright subsidy or entitlement payment. To combat this mindset, we need to be clear with our language.

A subsidy, properly understood, occurs when government takes tax dollars and gives them to favored individuals, companies, or industries. A tax cut, by contrast, simply means government takes less from an individual, company, or industry. When government takes less from you, it has not given you anything; it merely has harmed you less. This is the critical distinction that has been lost in the endless, tired debate about tax policy.

Of course the bill passed last week did contain some actual spending, mostly in the form of an extension of unemployment benefits for another 13 months. The total spending in the bill amounted to about $60 billion. But the tax savings in the bill, meaning the amount of money that will remain in the hands of taxpayers rather than being sent to Washington, is approximately $850 billion. So while a clean tax bill certainly would have been preferable, the tax relief it contains is significant. It means $850 billion will be spent, saved, or invested by American citizens rather than being sent into the black hole known as the federal treasury.

The media, however, dutifully reported that opposition to the bill came from concerned members of Congress who felt the $850 billion “cost” of the bill was too high, and would add too much to the deficit. As always, they could not distinguish between government giving and government taking away. The American people already pay plenty in federal taxes; the deficit is the result of a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

Had the bill not passed, millions of Americans would have seen their paychecks shrink in January due to increased tax withholding. That is the plain and simple truth, and that is why I voted for the bill.

Ron Paul.12/20/10

Can government create jobs for us?

After years of studying business and economics, I have come to the conclusion that the government cannot create private sector jobs. The sole responsibility of government is to follow the Constitution and enforce laws. A functioning limited government will foster an environment where individual citizens and businesses can create jobs.

Matthew P. Cantrell
Libertarian Candidate for Ohio Treasurer of State

Rand Paul Clarifies Civil Rights Opinion

Paul clarified his views in a written statement Thursday, saying whatever concerns he may have had about parts of the Civil Rights Act, he has not — and has never — called for repealing it.

“Even though this matter was settled when I was 2, and no serious people are seeking to revisit it except to score cheap political points, I unequivocally state that I will not support any efforts to repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Paul, 47, said.

“Let me be clear: I support the Civil Rights Act because I overwhelmingly agree with the intent of the legislation, which was to stop discrimination in the public sphere and halt the abhorrent practice of segregation and Jim Crow laws,” he said.

Rand Paul Says He’s Being ‘Trashed Up and Down’ by ‘Democratic Talking Points’