“…So far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
— Romans 12:18
Not many US citizens can remember a time when politics were as contentious as they are today. Debates have become uncivil: full of rancor, full of accusation, and full of such preposterous claims that a person can’t tell the truth from a lie. What have we become?
Worse yet, Christians have become entangled in politics like never before. Some of our most prominent Christian leaders have traded their calling for political power, becoming wolves rather than shepherds. The fact that Jesus, Son of the living God, nailed to the cross for our sin, is no longer enough should alarm us.
These wolves need to have power and control, and like never before, they have created a culture of humiliation and violence. Church members argue with church members, congregations split, or pastors are fired. Christians in America are involved in political violence and are trying to use the Scriptures to justify a violence that has no warrant in the Bible and is even profoundly anti-Christian. We are sheep that have gone astray. The apostle Paul, in his own version of the “Sermon on the Mount,” says:
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written,
“VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:14-18 NASB95)
“…so far as it depends on you be at peace with all men.” Those who would claim to follow Christ; who would publicly call themselves Christians; who would cherish and uphold the Bible as God’s Word for us today; must commit themselves to the life Paul describes above. There is no room for fear, hatred, or violence by God’s people.
The revolution that Jesus brought to us is not one of violence; it is not filled with falsehoods. It is a counter-cultural revolution, undermining the principalities and powers of this world through blessing, humility, respect, right, and good. If we can be obedient, God will do all the heavy lifting for us.
This is our path: we pray, we bless, and when we invoke our voting rights as citizens of the United States, we cast our vote for those who reflect not just our “values” but reflect the character of Christ – love, forgiveness, mercy, and peace.
My friends, be at peace with all men this season.