Politics and the Devil
Most of us know the story of the temptation of Jesus that was the prelude to His public ministry. The Devil temps Him three times. The one that concerns me right at this moment is the last temptation. Jesus is taken to a high mountain and is shown all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. The Devil says, “I will give you all these things if you will prostrate yourself and worship me” Mat. 4:8-9. Jesus is offered political power. According to this text, all political powers and their glory belong to the Devil, and he can give it to whomever he pleases. Now, the important thing to take away from this is that those who hold political power receive it from the Devil and depend on him, and he gives it to whomever he wills.
I am baffled that in the innumerable theological discussions of “Christians” that the legitimacy of political power is never once examined or referenced in their discussions! Jesus rejects the Devil’s offer. He does not argue or dispute the words of the Devil, He simply refuses the offer. The overwhelming conclusion is that among Jesus’ immediate followers and in the first Christian generation political authority – what we would call the state – belonged to the Devil, and those who held power received it from the Devil.
This brings us to the logical question of “should Christians be involved in politics?” at any level? The Ante Nicene voice answers with a resounding, NO! Yet, today, the Protestant, Catholic, and even now some within the Kingdom Church, have switched sides in this debate. The Israelite’s demand of Samuel, 1 Samuel 8:5, that they should have a king like the other nations, has played out to the final scene today, with Christians now making similar demands through political posturing to get their “Christian” man in office. It was a lack of trust and faith in God with the Israelites then and it is a lack of trust and faith in God today. Is it any wonder that Jesus stated, “Will I even find faith on the earth when I return”? Faith in God necessarily implies a lack of faith in humanity, and the inverse of this is true also; faith in human government implies a lack of faith in God. The lack of faith and trust in so-called Christians is characterized by their lack of evidence in their lives and their involvement in politics and a demand for a man to rule over them.
