Politics for People Who Hate PoliticsSample

Given how vitriolic politics are today, it is easy to define those who disagree with us as our enemies. However, the Bible teaches us to redefine our understanding of who our true enemies are. When people come against us based on our differences or persecute us in anger because of our beliefs, it isn’t them consciously doing so, but rather the spiritual forces controlling them. Scripture tells us that in any struggle, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,” but “against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Thus, our enemies aren’t people, but rather the one who seeks to divide us.

Unity is important to God, so Satan loves to weaponize us against each other. He wants to divide and conquer the body of Christ. Therefore, the best way to defeat him is by directing our anger at the devil himself and by focusing on defeating our common enemy rather than each other.

I’m convinced that if we figure out how to love in the political context, we can get it right in almost any other aspect of our lives. The only tangible relationship we have with Christ is the one we have with each other. How we treat those God has called us to love is a direct reflection of our love for Him. When we tear each other down, we tear Christ down; the two cannot be separated. We must be cognizant of this truth when engaging in the political realm.

Reflection: How good are you at loving others even when you don’t feel loving toward them?