Weekly Opinion Editorial
CHRISTMAS
AND POLITICS!
by Steve Fair
In two days, the world will celebrate the
birth of Jesus Christ. While it isn’t universally
accepted that Jesus of Nazareth was born on December 25th, it is a
historical fact He was born, so it is appropriate to celebrate the incarnation
of God in flesh. In a so-called Christian
nation like America,
most people believe they know the ‘reason for the season,’ but most really do
not. Most do not grasp the primary
reason Christ was born. Was his birth to
present God to man? Was it to teach
truth or to fulfill the Mosaic Law? It
must have been to offer His kingdom to mankind or to reveal God’s love to
mankind? It has to be to heal the
sick? Christ did came to do those
things, but those were secondary to his primary purpose. The primary purpose Christ was born was to
suffer and die. He was born to die.
John MacArthur says because Christ died,
He is five things to a believer: (1) He is our substitute, (2) He is our
salvation captain, (3) He is our sanctifier, (4) He is our Satan conqueror, and
(5) He is our sympathetic high priest. “He (Jesus
Christ) died to recreate men into a creature that God had always intended man
to be. He died to make a man what man was meant to be but without Him could
never be,” MacArthur says. Most people this
time of year have an image of Christ as a helpless baby in a manger, but He was
the very image of God in helpless babe.
He was much more than mere man; He was God made flesh. So what does the
birth of Christ have to do with politics?
First,
Christ is the Creator and as such He owns and controls everything in His
creation. That means that ‘helpless’
babe controls everything that happens in the world, including the political
arena. He controls who gets elected and
who doesn’t- who votes liberal and who doesn’t.
He can choose to stop wickedness or allow man to manifest his depravity
in his inhumanity toward his fellow man.
That ‘helpless’ babe sets up kings (and presidents and dog catchers) and
brings them down. Fox News, MSNBS,
political consultants, activists, and influence peddlers may think they are
running the show in politics, but the fact is, they are mere pawns in the hand
of a sovereign Creator.
Second,
Christ can’t be pleased with politics in America. Backbiting, lying, situational ethics, self
promotion, and incessant bragging are standard operating procedure in politics
today. The pride and arrogance of the
modern politician, liberal and conservative, doesn’t square with the revealed
word of God. Politics in a society is a
mere reflection of that society. Our
politicians are a reflection of who we are as a country. In a self-governed system, we only have
ourselves to blame. Until the average
American recognizes that doing things God’s way is the only hope of America, we are
doomed to having the loud and proud crowd as political leaders.
Third,
Christ came to seek and save the lost. How
do you identify the lost? They are
proud, self-absorbed, and see no need for God.
That describes the political class.
Because of the aforementioned behavior, they certainly fail to show
forth the ‘fruit of the spirit.’
Humility and meekness are not attributes elected officials strive to
have. Bluster and hyperbole are the
order of the day in politics. Thankfully,
there are some in politics who are thoughtful and Christ-like, but they are
rare. Most in the political profession
need the gospel. They need the
regenerating work of Christ upon their sinful depraved heart. They need to see themselves as they are
before a holy God as He is.
As you celebrate the birth of a Savior
this week, recognize God will not bless America if we are not following His
principles- in politics or in any other part of our society. To expect otherwise is naïve and foolhardy. The ‘helpless’ babe is in fact the great
Creator and He rules the world- period.
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