How Shall We Then Live?

"And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?" (1 Cor. 14:8, ESV).
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people [Israel] whom he has chosen as his heritage!" (Psalm 33:12, ESV).  
"There is no accountability since God does not exist" (Psalm 10:4, HCSB). 
"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people" (Prov. 14:34, NIV).
"To this, you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps" (1 Peter 2:21, NIV).  

Christianity is composed of two things: orthodoxy or believing right, and orthopraxy or doing right.  Orthodoxy has to do with ethics or right conduct, answering the question, "how shall we then live?"

My title was also the title of a book by Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer, of L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland.  It is a big issue of how believers should apply their faith and fulfill their marching orders.  We are not meant to either flaunt it nor privatize it, though our faith offends no one if we do keep it to ourselves.  However, it's not a matter of personal preference to propagate our faith, or "shove it down other people's throats" as some call it--it's the Great Commission, mandated by our Lord Himself.

We are to live out our faith, and only those believers who desire to live it out and share their faith are obedient--the only way to keep it is to give it away!  We are, in essence, to live forthright, honest, exemplary lives as proof of our profession, which is the reality of our faith.  The faith we have is the faith we show!  We must never lose focus of our first order of business (Job One), that we are here to make a contribution and fulfill God's will, and must heed the spiritual wake-up calls to read the signs of the times.

As American citizens, we have the awesome task of being witnesses in the midst of people who've already heard (territory Paul would've balked at entering, to sow where someone else had been).  People already have preconceived notions of our faith and are prejudiced--we must be all the more ready to be "not ashamed" "in debt" and "ready" as Paul proclaimed in Romans 1.  The door is indeed often closed and we must pray for the open door or opportunity to live out our faith as examples.  Unfortunately, there's often just enough darkness not to see, and enough light to see, but only to the willing and obedient.  That's the rub:  man is by nature stubborn and in defiance of God's authority, especially in the political realm, which seems to be Satan's turf, and so it takes moral courage.

The biggest error is to think we can usher in the kingdom and that America is somehow God's chosen nation.  It's true that Governor William Bradford of Plymouth set out to "advance the kingdom of Christ," (cf. Jer. 29:7) but our nation has no right to usurp Israel's place in God's scheme of things and the overall plan for the ages.  This is the church age and the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, and we are here primarily to save souls, not the nation.

But if Christians do get their so-called act together and repent, pray, and stand up for the truth, God will bless our nation and rebuke the devil's intervention, and may perhaps relent of His divine wrath, punishment, and even curse--yes, God can and does curse nations, even Israel (cf. Deut. 28).  We can not call something crooked if we don't have an idea what straight is.  And we should never turn a deaf ear to the evil in the land and be too timid or inhibited to speak out about crimes against humanity or whatever form evil manifests.

But by and large, we can expect the blessing of God if we follow godly paths of righteousness in our nation; for the Word says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord."  God is no respecter of persons and shows no partiality and will bless us for the sake of His people.  But we must also note that God has promised to bless those nations who bless Israel as God's chosen people, promising Abraham that He'll bless those who bless him.  We cannot maintain an anti-Semitic attitude or policy and expect God's approbation--this doesn't mean whether they are right or wrong politically or morally!

Believers are called to rise to the occasion and stand up and be counted for the Lord, and that means taking stands for the truth and being loyal to God and even courageous to the point of civil disobedience and public stands when the state's policies are immoral, unethical, or unscriptural.  We must maintain the highest standards of conduct and hold our government accountable and be equal to the challenge!   Who knows, as it is written in Esther 4:14, maybe we were born for such a time as this?

We must be careful not to idolize our party (i.e., "my party, right or wrong!"), identity, candidate, or policies to the point of demanding our highest allegiance and unwavering devotion.  God is not a member of a party since He cannot be limited or put in a box or labeled, and it is often the case that Christians deify their party or candidate at the expense of losing all sense of decency, morality, and even ethics.  Remember, only God deserves our homage and ultimate loyalty; we only pledge allegiance to a nation "under God."

We must learn to draw the line and know where the limits are.  Sometimes the law is in direct violation of divine principle, but we will never realize this if we are blinded by following party, person, or policy above God.   Augustine of Hippo said something very noteworthy for our time:  "An unjust law is no law at all."  Remember the words of Scottish Presbyterian minister and author Samuel Rutherford, in his book, Lex Rex, (i.e., the law is the king), that delineated limits to the power of the king or any government as being subject to the rule of law--and this goes back to biblical precedent, not just democratic--this book upset the political landscape and applecart.  In a similar vein, Will Durant, historian, said, "No society has been able to maintain morality without the aid of its religion."Also, Edmund Burke noted:  "'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good men do nothing."

Christians always reserve the right to peaceful protest and even defiance of evil law, and this is fully realized in the slogan of the Reformation:  I dissent, I disagree, I protest, attributed to Martin Luther.  In a crisis of evil, many ask, "Where's God?" but we should be asking, "Where's the church?"  We must never forget that we have dual citizenship, our home is in heaven and we are only passing through with our spiritual green cards on a mission.  God doesn't burden just one individual to change the world for Christ but will transform it through the corporate activity of the body of Christ and the church at large. One task of the church is to equip and help believers find their calling and gifting so this can be implemented. It's a shame when unbelievers lead the way and do what we should be doing by nature (cf. Romans 2:14-15).

NB:  God did something about evil--He made you!  Our mission to counter social injustice has not been rescinded.  Note the words of a famous Christian philosopher, dramatist, theologian, and journalist--known as the "prince of paradox":  "What's wrong with the world?  I am.  Yours truly, G. K. Chesterton."  The words of John Donne come to mind:  "Don't ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." We must turn our creeds into deeds, thus proving our testimony by actions, which can speak louder than words--true faith always expresses itself! 

We must expose, openly declare, and wave our Christian colors and not permit evil win by default. We must also learn not to just bemoan evil, but to challenge ourselves to see the possibility of good beyond the gray clouds.  Evil always presents an opportunity for good, because that's why it exists as the counter and contrast of good, which we can then highlight and see clearly in juxtaposition.

In sum, Christians have a Second Great Commission, to heal and preserve society, and we must pay our dues, living up to our faith and being worthy of the name of Christ, touching the world for our Savior, all in order that no one will have anything bad to say about us, and we can win them over by our witness.      Soli Deo Gloria!