The servant of the Lord should follow the example of his Master. We have no record of Jesus' entering into the political controversies of His time. He did not allow Himself to be drawn into debate as to the right or wrong of the Roman occupation, or the payment of tribute to an alien power. He undoubtedly saw the downtrodden state of His own race, yet His entire burden was for their moral and spiritual development, not for their political or national advancement.
The more definitely and fully one divorces oneself as a worker for Christ from the political intrigue and strategy of everyday national life, at least from promotion of the interests of any party or group, no matter how good their intentions and principles, the more fully can he truly represent Him who asserted, "My kingdom is not of this world."
Nor do the foregoing principles oppose the use of the vote in the elections of a nation, nor in the settling of its problems. Every Christian worker should know the trend of public affairs as they relate to the moral and spiritual welfare of the people. When such principles are at stake, he should be prepared to vote intelligently, and wisely to counsel the questioner. But as between different parties and candidates, only one principle of action is possible, and that is for the worker to stand for the cause of right and truth, regardless of men or parties. He must side with God; he must stand for Christ and Christian principles, forgetful even of the claim of friends. Only thus can he be assured of the approval of Divinity. Quietly Christ turned to rebuke Peter for a show of resistance to civil authority, though the impetuous disciple was defending his Lord. That resistance was not to Roman soldiers, but to the semicivil force of the high priest's bodyguard.
The doctrine of Christ relative to authority was, "If any man . . . take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also;" and, "Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." Matt. 5:40, 41. The spirit of the kingdom of Christ is to yield to authority, but to teach principle; to endure privation and persecution, but to pray and labor for the change of heart of the persecutor; to accept unflinchingly the scorn and ridicule of men, but to point the road to a kingdom where love for one's fellows is the supreme test of loyalty. "Let each esteem other better than themselves" led to a humility which could not dictate, but could stand without wavering in the face of human wrath or contempt, on the part of either the individual or the multitude.
Why should the Christian leader desire to meddle in politics? Daniel entered the courts of Babylon, not of his own volition, nor from desire for worldly power, but as a captive, to be used in the providence of God for the salvation of his people. No question of political preferment altered his relation to the cause of God. He acted for his earthly sovereign, Babylonian or Medo-Persian, with honesty, loyalty, and wisdom; but as witnessed by his attitude in the tests at the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Dan. 2:10-30), and in the reign of Darius, the Mede, in regard to his prayer life (Daniel 6), Daniel made his service to God first. His companions followed his example.
It was this steadfastness to principle and loyalty to God that made it possible for him to rule righteously, yet to remain untarnished by the political machinations and disloyalties of the courtiers of both nations. He could therefore be as loyal to the conquering Persians as the defeated Babylonians. (Read "Prophets and Kings," pp. 546-548.) Nehemiah and Ezra served the Persian kings faithfully as children of the captivity, but with their hearts set on the promises of God through the prophets, ready to return for the restoration of Jerusalem. Their part in the kingdom was that of servants of the king, but never was this service allowed to supplant their loyalties to the God of heaven. Nor were any of them priests of the temple service, ministers of God's grace and mercy in a special sense, as are the ministers of the cross of Christ.
The ministry are pledged on ordination to give themselves wholly to the "ministry of the Word." That solemn pledge should in itself give birth in the heart of the minister to a determination, by the grace of God, never to mingle in his life's endeavor anything that could not work to the glory of the Master, anything that could even temporarily cause him to lose sight of his primary responsibility to preach Christ and Him crucified.
There are issues, such as the cause of religious liberty, an issue which involves man's relation to his Creator, where even the minister must come to the defense of freedom to worship God untrammeled by oppressive laws. There are times when great moral issues, such as the cause of temperance and the protection of the oppressed, demand the fearless opposition of every minister of Christ. Yet even here a descent from the high standards of the ministry of Christ to the realm of partisan politics will do more lasting damage than can be eradicated in years.
No position should be assumed by the minister of the gospel that will align him with political aims. His is the exalted privilege of elevating before the world the principles of God's kingdom, encouraging and urging these as the guiding beacons of the individual life, and of the collective body, the church of Christ, but not to seek their imposition upon men through his connection with those governmental parties which enforce law and maintain order. Nor should he by his influence as a servant of God seek to obtain for himself or his church privileges not accorded to others as a matter of equality and strict justice.
To a missionary in a foreign land, the service of Christ is his only true objective. With millions about him who are without a knowledge of Christ, where can he find time to indulge in politics or nationalism? A stranger, he should avoid even the appearance of aligning himself with any political organization even as a matter of sympathy. Always the ruling power should receive his loyal support as a law-abiding citizen. Should the government change, he still can remain loyal to the new order. Living uncommitted to any but his Master, the missionary stands ready to serve in any way that will bring the One he serves to the consciousness of men.
He is a foreigner, looking for a country where God rules. As a foreigner, he lives subject to the laws, loyal to the government where he dwells. He may be permitted to present the claims of justice and of right, but he cannot, in loyalty to his own heavenly King, interfere with the politics or parties, in or out of power, in the country where he dwells. In short, a missionary in a foreign land should keep out of political movements, no matter how praiseworthy their objectives may be. He should live at peace with all men so far as in him lies, seeking to serve his own King, working for the good of all men.
A constant temptation to the representatives of Christ is to align themselves with human movements, seeking by temporal means to attain spiritual ends. No such example is given by Christ or His disciples. In fact, every act in Christ's life and every lesson in His teachings is directly to the contrary. The disciples stood on the same platform. Paul and Peter each directly taught that we are in duty bound to obey the powers that be so long as such obedience does not conflict with obedience to the King of heaven. But to enter into temporal policies seeking to control in earthly kingdoms —never. (See Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-19.)
Washington, D. C.
