The Party CrasherSýnishorn

OUR ULTIMATE ALLEGIANCE

Jesus is not just Lord of your life, as we saw in yesterday’s devotional. He is Lord of the world. God has given him the na­tions, exalting him as the rightful ruler of heaven and earth. Presidents and peasants and everyone in between are called to bend the knee before the King of justice and love.

Faith is another politically loaded word. In the ancient world, it meant allegiance. Placing your faith in a leader meant giving them your trust, devotion, and commitment, seeking to align your life with their rule. Putting your faith in the gospel of Jesus as Lord and Savior is a political act, responding to a royal mes­sage with public implications.

Christ calls us to a different way of life than the worldly leaders who “lord it over” one another (Matthew 20:25). Christ exercises his kingdom authority in a different manner than the politics we’re used to. Yet it is foolish to pretend that Christ’s kingdom is simply a private matter for personal devotion rather than one that lays claim to the public life of the world.

Jesus is the incarnation of the Lord described in the Old Testament as “the great King over all the earth,” who “reigns over the nations” and “is seated on his holy throne” (Psalm 47:2, 8). Jesus’s exaltation to the right hand of God’s heavenly throne means he’s now in charge. There’s no higher party, no greater political authority than that.

We need to prioritize our allegiance to Jesus, or our friendships and families will be fractured, our churches will be divided, and the unity for which Christ died will be trampled upon.

The solution is not to become apolitical. I’m also not saying the church should be centrist, always trying to take the middle of the road. There are definite places to be bold and take a stand.

Yet we also have a powerful opportunity to bear witness to the prophetic unity of God’s kingdom. Pledging our ultimate allegiance to Jesus will help us love our neighbors across partisan lines, learn from them, and live peacefully with them. It will bless us with stronger friendships, families, and churches.

Jesus is not only Lord over Caesar, he’s the Lord who is God. Jesus rules.

Does your political engagement ever compete with your allegiance to Jesus? How can you tell when your political views are becoming something closer to a religion?