Soldiers for Christ
I’ve often wondered how involved I should be in helping to make changes in the world around me. How politically involved should I be? What causes should I involve myself in? Lastly, is that what my Savior called me to do?
A very revealing scripture states:
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. (2Ti 2:3-4 ESV)
Jesus has enlisted, as soldiers those that are His, the redeemed. What are our duties? Based on scripture, we have two duties, one to the non believing world and one to each other as believers that make up the body of Christ. In this instance, I’m only wondering the duties that we have as it relates to the world.
Our duty can be found in scripture.
“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matthew 10:7)
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15)
It appears that a Christian’s main duty in relation to the world is to take the Gospel to all creation. In searching scripture, I really have not found scripture that gives another command or insight as to involvement in world affairs.
Jesus came for a particular purpose. And that is:
He *said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.”(Mark 1:38)
But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” (Luke 4:43)
His sole purpose was to preach the kingdom of God. He preached repentance and sent the apostles to do just that. He did not tell them to engage in the affairs of everyday life. No where does scripture tell us to go out in protest about the evils of the world in the hopes of making changes.
In my daily life talking to other Christians and in reading Christian communities on the internet, I have gained an understanding or an insight to the thoughts of Christians. Christians spend a huge amount of their time talking about world affairs and even more troubling, Christians are offering opinions on how to solve the world problems. No Christian will admit that they have the ability to stop what God said must take place but their very actions is indicative of the belief that if we try hard enough, speak loud enough, get involved in politics, we can, at a minimum, stem the tide of evil. One Christian even offered up a plan in that he suggested that the United States must go in and wipe out Syria and Iran. A very good friend of mine, a Christian, who is very involved in politics stated to that she will fight for righteousness via political change for there is so much unrighteousness and evil in the world. I agree, there is much unrighteousness and evil. However, she is fighting a losing battle for without the Gospel and the change of nature that a Christian will experience, there will be no change. In fact, righteousness and morality will not prevail until Christ returns. As our society becomes what it labels ‘more enlightened,’ the morality is increasingly spiraling downwards as evil spirals upwards.
I ask myself, does this mean I simply sit back and not play a role in the world in which I live? Do I not, for instance, write letters to my representatives or become involved in a cause that I find worthy? I don’t believe God is instructing us to live in an insulated environment apart from the world and only venture out to spread the Gospel. There must be a balance however, not an equal balance. The scale must tip towards the matters of God.
The word that is used in 2 Timothy is “entangled.” “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits.” The meaning of entangled according to The Complete Word Study Dictionary is “to braid in, interweave, entangle.” In other words, while we are participants and can participate in the affairs of this world, as we should, we are not to braid or interweave it in our lives. In today’s world, Christianity has embraced and entangled the affairs of this world in an attempt to make changes, albeit for the better. Without addressing repentance, it is for naught for the changes, if accomplished, only addresses the here and now.
Nineveh was a wicked city. God sent Jonah to Nineveh and the city repented of her sin and calling “out mightily to God.” “And the people of Nineveh believed God.”
This brings me back to the initial question as to my job as well as to all Christians as soldiers of Christ. As to the world, He gave us our orders. We are to preach the word of God. He said that was the reason He was sent. Our orders are to continue preaching the Good News, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and needy. Jesus did not entangle Himself in the affairs of everyday life. The apostles did not entangle themselves in the affairs of everyday life. The apostles engaged themselves in the duties that which they were commanded and that is to preach the Kingdom of Heaven. Jonah was commanded to preach repentance to the kingdom of Nineveh.
I do not mean we that not participate in that which is around us in an attempt to make our environment or world a better place morally. We are not commanded to look the other way as to the sin in the world. We are not commanded to abstain from voting or speaking out against that which is wrong.
I read, though I do not recall where, “we must employ ourselves in the affairs of this life while we are here (we have something to do here), we must not entangle ourselves with those affairs, so as by them to be diverted and drawn aside from our duty to God and the great concerns of our Christianity.” Whoever said that spoke truth and was a great reminder to me. I can stay involved in the causes that are meaningful to me but I need to keep a perspective and not become entangled in those causes. My Savior has commanded us to spread the Good News, feed the hungry and help the needy.
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