If it is true that sin drags a nation down to its destruction then what should Christians do in this society? Should we arm ourselves and forcefully take over like some groups promote? Do other groups have a point when they say Christians need to bring Christianity into the 21st century by redefining what is sin and what is not--make a compromise with modern society. Is there a different path?
When Jesus came on the scene of 1st century Israeli society, he came into a situation that was much like ours is today. The nation was becoming more and more sinful. They had not been able to govern their own affairs for about 200 of the previous 300 years. Also, with the Roman's crushing power, it did not look like they would regain it any time soon. I believe that Jesus represents the perfect picture of what Christians should be doing in the United States of America today. Let's look at a point in the life of Jesus where he speaks to these issues in Matthew 23:29-39.
If you take the time to read the chapter of Matthew 23 then you will know that Jesus is exposing the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of his day, especially the scribes and the Pharisees. It comes to a head beginning in verses 29. It is interesting to me that throughout Jesus' ministry he was harsh with the religious leaders and gentle with the common person (sinner or believer). Though Jesus is often pictured as the "couldn't-hurt-a-butterfly" type, this really is a mischaracterization. An honest read of the gospels gives a radically different picture. Jesus was extremely kind and gracious to the average person. The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery sticks out as a demonstration of his wisdom and grace. The law of Moses required she be stoned. In that story Jesus does not say the Law is wrong (the temptation of people today), nor that the Pharisees were interpreting it wrong, nor that the woman wasn't guilty and did not deserved the punishment. Rather, he says whoever is without sin (worthy to execute her) should throw the first stone. To their credit the religious leaders walked away. But they were not really repentant, just check-mated. Jesus then tells the woman to "go and sin no more." She is thankful to be living, but the real question is how will she live this new life that Jesus has obtained for her? However, in the Matthew 23 passage, Jesus is harshly excoriating the Pharisees. They should know better and just as he whipped the money changers out of the temple, so here he gives the religious leaders a public "whipping." He accuses them of using a double standard (vs.3). They expect from others what they do not do themselves. He accuses them of false piety (vs. 5-7). They act all religious in public but only to get people to marvel at them and hold them in high esteem. He accuses them of blocking the path to heaven (vs. 13) and the list goes on:
In verse 29 Jesus begins to turn from rebuking them to revealing God's purpose through him. The Pharisees prided themselves that they would never have killed the prophets. But Jesus knew their hearts. They were at best deceiving themselves.
You see, Israel was a nation in trouble. A big percentage of the common people had given up on trying to serve the God of Israel and were living in ways that were unlawful. The religious leaders did not care about the people, so long as they were able to keep their public image and power over the people. Rome was appointing who was to serve politically, but it was also controlling who would be the religious power through appointing the High Priest. Israel was a country that was at a boiling point. A foreign power promoted wicked men. The religious leaders colluded with this and demonstrated derision to the common man in order to have power. The nation was falling apart. In this environment zealots and rebels also took to arming themselves and conducting terrorist style warfare against Rome's troops. Is this beginning to sound familiar? Conspiracies and Conspiracy theories abounded throughout the land as the people groaned under the results of their own sin. But here is Jesus and he tells the Pharisees that they are going to "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt." (Vs. 32).
What does he mean by that? In fact he references a coming judgment in two more places: vs. 33-
"how will you escape the condemnation of hell," and vs. 35, "on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth." Jesus makes it unavoidably clear that not only is judgment coming, but that there is a collective guilt upon the nation, both amongst those living and with the past. The reference to filling up the measure of their father's guilt is the picture of a measuring cup. Their father's sin had put a certain amount in the cup, but it wasn't full yet. More than likely their grandfathers had also contributed a certain portion. Jesus states that this is the generation that will "fill up" the cup. What happens when it is full? Much like a recipe that calls for a certain amount of something, so judgment is not ready until a certain measure of guilt has ocurred. This is mentioned to Abraham in Genesis 15:16. God already knew how wicked the Amorite/Canaanite people would become. That is why he is telling Abraham (Abram) that the land would be given to his descendants. However, the sin of the Amorites was not yet full. Whatever the measure God uses, he does not judge until the measure of sin reaches a certain level. What is that level? Is it the same for every nation? Most likely God would hold a nation like Israel who had his law more accountable than a nation like Rome or Bablylon. Thus God gives each nation an "arc" of time. The parabolic shape of an arrow's flight is much like that of a nation. Throughout that flight the collective sin of the nation weighs it down until it reaches a certain measure, at which time it lands on the ground and its flight is over. What about America? Is our flight over? Jesus was warning the Pharisees that they would be responsible for ending the flight of Israel. Of course this was prophesied by more than one prophet and sets up the miracle of Modern Israel. God had promised that though he scattered Israel to the ends of the earth, he would regather her before the end of this age. Are we filling up the measure of the cup of judgment for ourselves? Are we satisfying the recipe for disaster? By all biblical measures the USA is increasing its collective guilt before God. How will we escape the condemnation of God's judgment?
On top of this is the greater collective judgment of the whole world. Just as God will judge nations individually, so there is a great judgment of the who earth. We are not just filling the cup of our nation's sin, but we are also filling the larger cup of this world's sin. Rome was judged but the world went on. Hitler's Germany was judged, but the world moves on. However that cup of global judgment is getting fuller and fuller. We make a choice in life to align with God and promote righteousness or join with the rebels of every nation and of every generation in promoting wickedness.
This impasse for the believer is a critical one. For it is exactly at this crossroads that a righteous man proves he truly is righteous. Yes, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders, but that is a small part of the overall purpose of Jesus. Notice that as he reaches this climax of rebuking the religious leaders, something switches. Jesus begins to lament and speak to not just the religious leaders, but to Israel as a whole, both present and past and by extension we can hear him pleading with all mankind.
Starting in Verse 37, Jesus begins to weep over the condition of his people and his nation. Because he is God in human flesh, he speaks from God's point of view. How often God had wanted to gather the people of Israel together and protect them from the sins that were exposing them. The people of Israel were scattered, plundered, harassed, and preyed upon both in the natural and in the spiritual. God had been faithful through previous prophets to warn Israel and attempt to lead them away from the fate they were now encountering.
2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is ... longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
Even those who would not repent were the objects of his weeping. Why? Why will you die? Any parent who has had a child go over the top of all reason and warning in order to perish through sin and wickedness can understand this cry. Why will you die? How often Jesus had tried to protect them like a mother hen protecting her chicks. The chicks are ignorant of the dangers and too weak to protect themselves. But they were not willing! The people of Israel were like rebellious chicks that refused to come under the protection of God. Instead they willfully exposed themselves and ran from their God into sure destruction.
Ezekiel 33:11, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
Clearly God is broken over those who refuse to repent. His desire is to give grace, but we must be repentant in order to receive grace. Is America repentant? Not right now. In fact many "christians" persist in pretending that Grace covers sin when we are not repentant. Many "christians" persist in "redefining" what is good and right in contradiction to God's word. And, of course, many pretend under the guise of being a Christian to satisfy the evil desires in their heart.
If Christians are to follow Jesus than we need to first repent of our own personal sin. We then need to lament the destruction that sin is bringing upon our people. Out of that brokenness we should rebuke those who know better, and give grace to those who do not. But how is grace given? Grace is given when I die that you may live. None of us can die in the manner of Jesus. He was perfect and obtained salvation for all who believed on him. I can't obtain salvation for someone, but I can introduce them to Jesus. If people around me are going to find the grace of God they are only going to do it if I learn to die to my selfish self. Am I the voice of God pleading with the lost that they need not perish? Or am I a pharasaical voice condemning them to hell without real concern? Am I a zealot who selfishly thinks "so-and-so" must die so that this nation can live? Or do I see how I need to die so that my children or spouse may live? In short we are called to love them. Love lays down its life so that others may live.
I challenge you today, if you want to fight for our nation, then ask God how you need to lay your life down for those in your life. Once you have brought life to them then he may expand your circle of influence. However, until then, continue to be a faithful voice demonstrating the brokenness of God to a generation plunging into destruction.
I can tell you this. Judgment will come to America. Only God knows when. But we have known too much truth of God in our history for it to be very long. No, I believe that God's list of nations that need judged has the "Christian" nations of the West at the top, because we know too much to be living the way we have and are.