But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mt 20:25–28)
As I watch a certain movement within Reformed Christian circles continue to demand attention, I cannot help but see a stark difference between their behavior and Christ’s command to His disciples. Today, there are those calling for the establishment of a distinctly Christian nation. This would be a nation whose laws and governmental systems would require its citizens to appear to live as if they were Christians, even if they are outside the covenant. It is a top-down structure where Christian ideals and principles are to be enforced as the law of the land. And those who disobey the law would be punished by the Christian government.
Such a nation may seem to be an ideal but the question remains how we would attain such a Christian utopia. The Christian church has taught throughout history that we are to proclaim the gospel of Christ, seeking to convert sinners to Christ. Such converts are then taught to obey the Scriptures in all manner of their lives, including how they interact with the civil government. As the church grows and the people are changed through the Spirit and the Word, the byproduct can be a nation transformed for Christ. Laws and governments begin to reflect this change as the people become increasingly involved. While this is not guaranteed in every corner of the world, Western culture for many generations proved this to be a likelihood. The church grew and the governments changed because humble Christians shared the faith and lived out what they preached.
But, as the culture has fallen into depravity and great evils have been given government endorsement, many Christians feel that the gospel alone is not the antidote. They call for greater activism and demand the church go forth and conquer the civil realm, not through the preached word, but by the takeover of governmental institutions. They see brash militancy as the solution where humble servitude has failed. The reclamation of the culture through enforcing Christian laws, by their definition, is seen as the only viable option. The establishment of a kind of Christian monarchy where society is ruled by fiat is the only consideration given. Those espousing this system seem to believe the time for humble service has passed, it is time for the church to rule the nations with a rod of iron.
Yet, Christ, the King of all creation taught something quite different. When James and John sought to sit at His right and left – positions of authority, places of ruling and reigning – Jesus gave the disciples God’s position on Christian leadership. He showed them how the rulers of the nations lorded their power and authority over the people, something one would expect from the government. But Christ then said, “It shall not be so among you” (Mt. 20:26). Instead, He taught them that the greatest among them would be the one who sought to be a servant, a slave. They were not to seek power that they would be mighty rulers over all. They were to see themselves as humble servants. They were to be the least among all that they might be servants of all. Just as Christ gave Himself as a ransom for His people, the disciples were to consider themselves to be the chief slaves so that the people might be won to the Savior.
This does not mean that no follower of Christ can ever be in a place of authority. We are not relegated to being those who only ever work in the lowest places of the workforce. Nor are we prohibited from working in civil government or places of leadership. Rather, in all our vocations and places within society we are to have an attitude of humility, seeing our work as a means of service to others, using even our humble work as a tool in leading the lost to Christ. We do not seek authority and power that we might lord it over others and compel them to follow Christ by force. Rather, we preach the truth wherever we may be and then serve those both above and below us so that they see the truth of the gospel worked out before them.
Those who seek the authoritarian, top-down approach reveal the lack of humility in their hearts through arrogance, crassness, and perpetual anger directed, not just at the depraved culture, but also at their Christian brethren who raise concerns with their ideology. Whenever a brother or sister reminds them that our call is to proclaim the gospel, that person is often met with derision and mockery. An attitude of superiority and haughtiness permeates many of their interactions with others. It is not uncommon to see the uses of slurs and crass language leveled at those whom they believe to be the cause of society’s downfall. Much like James and John in Luke 9:54-55, they seek to figuratively call down fire on their adversaries. All of this is contrary to the image of the servant leader Christ called His disciples to emulate.
It is right and good for Christians to desire to see their cultures and nations conformed to the Word of God. Any person calling themselves a Christian who does not desire to see the lost come to Christ should question if they are truly in the faith. But, such desire must be tempered by our conformity to Christ. We cannot act like the world, gnashing our teeth in anger at the very sinners with whom we once walked arm in arm before Christ graciously redeemed us. Jesus’s teaching is clear, all leaders and rulers who call themselves Christians are not to be conquering warriors, ruling over societies by force. Rather, we are to be the servants of all, humbling recognizing that it is God who is the one true King over all creation. We are merely His servants to be used according to His gracious plan to bring the lost to salvation. And, if He graces us to live in a nation where Scripture is the authority over all the people, it will be because we have heeded the call to go forth and make disciples in all the land. Let us reject the lustful power of worldly kings, let us embrace the role of humble servitude by which God has turned nations on their heads.
Article also published on X.comX.com.