With the Fourth of July just around the corner, we’re all looking forward to fireworks, barbecues, and a little time off. It’s a great time to celebrate our freedom, our heritage, and the old Red, White, and Blue.
But, when I was asked to write an article answering the question, “Is it OK to be patriotic and a believer?” I knew that the question was about the current hot topic of Christian nationalism.
If you don’t know what the definition of a Christian nationalist is, you’re in good company. It’s kind of all over the map. But, if I can paint a stereotypical picture, it’s someone who believes in God, guns, and ‘Merica and they are often known for being bold and brash about all three.
The problem is, while I’m a proud gun owner and lover of the land in which I live, these things are not on par with my faith in Jesus Christ. It’s definitely OK to be patriotic and a believer, but as a believer, there are some things that just have to come first.
Let me reference Acts 4:12 as an example, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I hope you love our country, it’s got a lot to love about it, even with its faults. I’m thankful for our freedom, our constitution, and all those who came before us to give us what we have today. That being said, when people say they love “God and country” and they put them on the same shelf, that becomes a problem.
- Jesus first - the patriotic believer needs to remember what was just taught in the verse above. There is no other name by which we can be saved. Not a historical revolutionary hero or a current political leader. Only Jesus! We can be passionate about many things as believers, including our patriotism. But, if our top-tier passion isn’t Jesus, then we’re out of line and out of order. Everything else must fall under that, and bow a knee to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
- Our goal is a Christian church not a country - everything in scripture teaches us to be a body of believers that shine like lights in the darkness. It tells us to submit to our authorities whenever possible, but it never once tells us to form a government, to legislate morality, or to culturally systematize the faith. We are called to be the church, no matter what government exists around us. We must be careful not to think that we need a Christian nation, but we can be Christians in a nation. We can never mandate the beliefs of a culture, because if we did, we would actually be creating a false church of people paying taxes to a God, homage to an image, and spewing beliefs they don’t really hold. Remember, Jesus told us to build His church, not His country.
- Enjoy and endure - I am so thankful to be living when and where I am. And because I’m an American in 2024 I can enjoy incredible freedoms and liberties that I know are a gift of grace. But if that were not the case, I would still need to be a believer when and where God has placed me and endure for the sake of the gospel. Patriotism is an act of gratitude for the fact that we can be the church God has called us to be without the struggle that other believers have and will have around the world.
In this season of patriotism, I celebrate the veterans in the victories of the past that give us the freedom that we have today!
In the present I am thankful and grateful for what I’ve been given, so I will celebrate and fly the Red, White, and Blue as one of the many things I’m thankful for in my life as a believer.
And I will vote, speak, and act for the future because I am submitting to the authorities and being a part of the government in which I’ve been placed. It’s my duty, honor and responsibility.
But, I must remind us all that everything which I enjoy as an “American“ I enjoy under the umbrella of my faith in a loving God and His son Jesus Christ. I am not so much a member of a church as I am a citizen of a kingdom.
And I remember the Lord’s prayer… “May your kingdom come, and your will be done.“