"Let it never be said that the Church of God has no feeling of patriotism for the Holy City, for the Heavenly Land and for her glorious King enthroned above. To us, Christian patriotism means love to the Church of God, for-
“There our best friends, our kindred dwell,
There God our Savior reigns.”
- C. H. Spurgeon
3 comments:
How do you think our loyalty to our King Jesus ought to effect our loyalty to our nation?
I was thinking that if our first loyalty is to Jesus than our loyalty to our nation should be based on a sense of Justice, Order, and Freedom, and not because of nationalism or the idea that our nation is better that others. (We have our own problems and we should not ignore them or be boastful about being better.)
(Written while waiting for Latin to upload)
Does not King Jesus give rulers to nations as he gives shepherds to the church? (Rom 13) Church and state are separate, but both under Christ.
I guess I think of our national loyalty as a dutiful obedience to the government that our Lord has ordained for us. A sense of Justice, Order and Freedom sounds a little bit Platonic (though I think I see what you are saying)...but non-believers could act out of these ideals without a loyalty to Christ. Should believers have a totally different reason for patriotism than non-believers have? Even though they share in the same common graces, they live in altogether different realms.
I guess it is a little Platonic or something, but for the believer (and non-believer) that sense ought to be based on the Bible and to some extent the history of the country in question.
I don't think you are quite correct when you say that believers and non-believers "live in altogether different realms." Yes, Christ's kingdom is not of this world but Christians are still in the world. Believers have that second realm to which their first loyalty must lie, but the physical realm is one that we must still share.
Christian's should have their own reasons for patriotism and be careful not to take the world's reasons, but are not there times that non-Christian's appropriate our reasons for themselves? I think of philosophers such as Locke and American founders such as Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Just because the world uses our reasons does not mean that we must stop using them! (Not saying your saying this, just saying it.) :)
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