Politics & Theology

Politics - the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.

Democracy: Power rests with the people, who exercise it through voting for representatives in free and fair elections, emphasizing human rights and participation. 

Romans 13:1 NIV

1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Romans 13:4 NIV

4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

Romans 13:5–6 NIV

5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.

Romans (1. Government’s Legitimate Authority and the Christian’s Response (1–2)) No authority except from God: God appoints a nation’s leaders, but not always to bless the people. Sometimes it is to judge the people or to ripen the nation for judgment. ii. We remember that Paul wrote this during the reign of the Roman Empire. It was no democracy, and no special friend to Christians—yet he still saw their legitimate authority. iii. “Your Savior suffered under Pontius Pilate, one of the worst Roman governors Judea ever had; and Paul under Nero, the worst Roman Emperor. And neither our Lord nor His Apostle denied or reviled the ‘authority!’ ” (Newell)

1 Timothy 2:1–2 NIV

1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Daniel 6:10 NIV

10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Daniel was completely loyal to any ruler placed over him until that ruler ordered him to disobey God. At that moment, when a choice had to be made between the world and God, Daniel chose God. As should we all.

Theology - "the study of God.”

Simply put, theology is the study of the nature of God and religious belief. The word “theology” derives from two Greek words: "the study of God.” Theology comes from the word theos, Greek for “God,” and -ology, which is from the Greek word logos, meaning “word.” In its literal form, the term theology means “words about God.”

 Websters: the science of God and divine things; or the science which teaches the existence, character and attributes of God, his laws and government, the doctrines we are to believe, and the duties we are to practice.

Why Is Theology Important?

Theology provides us with the answers to questions about the meaning of life: “Who am I?” “What am I doing here?” "How should I live?" and “Where am I going?” Theology is essential to have a likeness of mind and belief with fellow Christians. It is also crucial in providing a practical understanding of our relationship to God, human nature, and salvation through Jesus Christ. Here is a quick list of reasons theology is important:

Deepen Your Knowledge of God 

Defend Your Faith

Gain Knowledge of Other Disciplines 

Strengthen Community Bonds

Learn to Live Your Faith

1. Biblical Theology

 Biblical theology studies biblical doctrines according to their chronological and historical background.

This theology shows the development of God’s revelation as it advanced through history. Biblical theology may seek to isolate and describe the theological teachings of a distinct part of Scripture, such as the theology of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) or the theology incorporated within Apostle Paul's writings. Or it may focus on a certain period of time, such as the theology and worship of the first temple kingdom. Another component of biblical theology may study a distinct theme in the Bible: a study of “redemption,” for example, will examine how that motif is presented and developed throughout Scripture.

2. Historical Theology. 

Historical theology is the study of the interpretation of Scripture and the formulation of doctrine by the church of the past.

Such attention to the collected wisdom of the ages greatly benefits Christians and churches today as they seek to live faithfully and be devoted to Jesus Christ. Historical theology is closely related to but different from the domain of Church History, which is more concerned with the institutional history of the church and its position in social history.

3. Systematic Theology. 

Systematic theology divides theology into systems that clarify its various areas.

For example, many books of the Bible give information about salvation. A single Bible book doesn't give all the information about salvation. Systematic theology takes all of the biblical knowledge about salvation and organizes it into a system called soteriology. Systematic theology essentially organizes the Bible's teachings and subjects into categorical systems. 

Connect the testaments devotional

4. Practical Theology. 

Practical Theology is the component of Christian theology that concentrates on the modern daily applications of Christian theological beliefs.

This scope of theology is often the priority of pastoral ministry students, missionaries, and Christian education supervisors in Christian colleges and seminaries. 

Theology teaches us what ends are desirable and what means are lawful, while Politics teaches what means are effective. ~ C. S. Lewis

The Church isn’t getting more political, Politics are getting more theological and Politics are getting more spiritual.

Politics moved pass it’s normal concerns; good roads, fair business, trade, public safety, crime and justice, providing good public education.

Politics are now redefining marriage, erasing gender, reframing the term abortion as reproductive rights. They seem to be using use public school system to indoctrinate children to believe these things.

Actually, I beleive they shame them into believing these lies.

The Church is just responding to the Governments over reach.

The separation of church and state, rooted in the First Amendment's Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses, is the legal and philosophical doctrine preventing government from establishing an official religion or unduly interfering with religious practice.

They’re basically trying to rewrite the ordinance of creation.

We as Christians have the freedom to be political and we should. Daniel, Joseph, Esther, etc…

We need to make sure politics are not re-mapping our brains to pervert and influence our biblical view of God and His word.

If you align yourself with a certain party and value it over Christ and His word, you have a problem.

If the Church won’t disciple people and it’s youth, the world’s political system will.

We need Godly leaders to lead and speak to the false doctrines politics are politicking

That’s why we use The Gospel Project curriculum for our kids. It has Theology threaded through and in every lesson and story.

"If you don't listen to theology, that won't mean you have no ideas about God, it will mean you have a lot of wrong ones." ~ C.S. Lewis

first Hot topic

Borders

Personal Borders

The ten commandments

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National Borders

Definition & Nature: Borders are human-imposed, often following rivers, mountains, or straight lines of latitude/longitude. They define the jurisdiction of a country.

Scripture mentions “border” or “borders” close to 200 times.

Political Theology divides oppressed and the oppressor.

Church theology looks through the lens of sin and righteousness.

The first border God self-imposed because of sin.

Genesis 3:24 ESV

24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

You need a passport from God to enter there. and He protects it with a sword.

the second border is so that people will call out to God under various circumstances to see His kingdom come.

Acts 17:26–27 NIV

26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Deuteronomy 32:8 NIV

8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel.

Billie Elish opened a pandoras box at the Grammys. “No one is illegal on stolen land.” standing ovation. but is that true?

God gave the Israelites Canaan, “The promised land”

The Land of US was Purchased, settled, and conquered. A lot of unjust things have happened, especially to Indian natives, Pastor Don.

All lands are conquered land; Normans conquered Britain, Monguls conquered Asia, The Bantus displaced the African people; The movement was not a single, violent conquest, but a gradual, long-term expansion involving interaction, assimilation, and, at times, displacement of local populations. The Souix tribe displaced the Cheyenne tribe, The Comanches conquered the Southern plains. And, The Spanish crossed the Atlantic and conquered the Aztecs.

Biblical Immigration

Resident, Sojourner, Alien

Law-abiding foreigners were welcome in Israel.

Leviticus 19:34 NIV

34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 10:17–18 NIV

17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

Numbers 15:16 ESV

16 One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”

Leviticus 25:6 ESV

6 The Sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired worker and the sojourner who lives with you,

All were to expected to abide by the Levitical laws; Sabbath, all Feast, Sacrifices, non-worship of idols,

Leviticus 18:26 NIV

26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things,

If a resident or sojourner disobeyed they were to be cut off.

Biblical theology embraces the tension of grace and the Nations culture.

There’s a real move in certain groups to erase all borders.

Eternal Borders

Matthew 25:31–33 NLT

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

Matthew 25:46 NLT

46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Luke 16:19–31 NIV

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

There’s a group of people who want to live borderless lives, No moral borders, Ten Commandments, National Borders, and they don’t believe in eternal borders and they’re ravaged by it,, consumed by it, violent about it. I believe it reflects what hell will be partially about. Constant chaos, anarchy, torment because they can’t leave. I beleive hell is manifesting through these groups desiring to influence people with it’s lies. and we need to embrace truth and not buy into the enemy’s lies.