How are Christians supposed to relate to their governments? In our hyper-partisan age, this may be one of the most pressing and perplexing questions faced by the American Church. Our culture gives us two options: partisanship or neutrality. Many churches choose to become partisan. Whether they say so explicitly or not, these churches insinuate by their teachings and behavior that the only acceptable, faithful Christians are the ones who support a certain political party. Both liberal and conservative churches do this. “Real Christians are pro-life.” “Real Christians are LGBTQ allies.” “Real Christians could never vote for Trump.” “Real Christians could never vote for Biden.” “Jesus was a socialist.” “Jesus was a capitalist.” The list goes on. There are many, many problems with this perspective, but this is not the side I’m focused on today. For now I want to focus on the alternative.
Many Christians, rightly recognizing that the gospel does not align with any political party, instead opt for neutrality. Partisanship gets in the way of sharing the Gospel, so instead we focus on our primary mission: to convert the masses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the past decade or so, this perspective has picked up a new buzz word: exile. Using the stories of people like Joseph, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Esther as their model, Christian leaders have argued that Christians are meant to see themselves as exiles in the world—resident aliens, foreign travelers with no real stake in the politics of their host countries who simply focus on recruiting new citizens for their distant king. As a model for Christian living, the Exile view argues that Christians should think and behave as if they have no real stake in the political and social realities around them. After all, “This world is not our home—we’re just a-passing through.” Political issues matter only insofar as they can attract, or repel, people away from the message of the Gospel.
In practice, the exile model has one major drawback: it leaves the political impulse of individual Christians completely unsatisfied. Human beings tend to have an innate passion for matters of justice and fairness. We are programmed to want to improve the world around us in tangible ways. The exile model basically treats that impulse as a temptation that needs to be resisted—or at least completely subordinated to evangelism. This leads to one of two results: those who are convinced to live as exiles withdraw from politics and end up disregarding the power and influence God has delegated to them. Those who are not convinced, on the other hand, end up with only one other option: to participate in the partisan politics of politically-active Christian movements. Now, if the exile model is Biblical, then we must simply accept this drawback and double down on suppressing our political instincts. As it turns out, however, the exile model is not Biblical at all. Not only is it not found in the Bible, but it contradicts the very core of the Gospel message.
1. The Bible does not call Christians “exiles.”
I expect that most readers are extremely skeptical of this claim. After all, the exile concept seems to be all over the New Testament:
- In the Gospel of John Jesus tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36)
- James addresses his letter to “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.” (James 1:1)
- Peter addresses his first letter to “God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.” (1 Peter 1:1)
- Paul writes to the Philippians, “[O]ur citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:20-21)
- The author of Hebrews writes about the saints of the Old Testament, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:13–16)
Each of these passages seems to imply that Christians are citizens of a country in another place who are only passing through this earthly existence. The most obvious references are the introductions of James and 1 Peter—they explicitly refer to Christians as exiles, don’t they? Let’s start there.
It is true that James refers to his audience as scattered tribes, and Peter calls his audience exiles. The assumption seems to be that James and Peter are using the story of the Israelite exile as a metaphor to describe the spiritual situation of the Gentile Christians. This assumption, however, is based on an inaccurate view of the early Church. Because the New Testament spends so much time focusing on the mission to Gentiles, and the church eventually became almost entirely Gentile, we assume that Gentiles were already the majority of the church in the early days. This actually far from true.
In fact, Jewish Christians—that is, Christians who followed Jesus but maintained their Jewish ethnicity and identity—remained a significant force in the church for almost 500 years! Throughout that time there were two distinct, coexisting expressions of Christianity: Christians (Gentile and Jewish) who did not keep the Law of Moses, and Jewish Christians who continued to keep the law. It is likely that Jewish Christians numbered in the millions, eventually even outnumbering Orthodox Jews![1] The center for Jewish Christianity, as seen from Acts 15 and Galatians 2, was the church in Jerusalem. And who were the central leaders of the Jewish church? According to Paul,
“James, Cephas [Peter] and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.” (Galatians 2:9)
That’s right: James and Peter focused their ministry on Jewish Christians. So when James refers to the twelve tribes, or when Peter refers to the exiles, they are talking about literal Jewish exiles who are living outside the Promised Land. They are not saying that all Christians are exiles. Even as far back as the Reformation, John Calvin recognized this fact: “They who think that all the godly are thus called, because they are strangers in the world, and are advancing towards the celestial country, are much mistaken.”[2]
What about the foreigners in Hebrews? The unnamed author argues that the great saints journeyed in this land waiting for a future city that was their true home. Aren’t we in the same boat? In fact, that is not the argument that the author is making. Christians are not in the same boat as the sojourners of the Old Testament—we are living in the fulfillment of their hope.
First of all, note how the “Hall of Faith” passage culminates:
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”(Hebrews 11:39-40)
According to Hebrews, the hopes of the Israelite saints are fulfilled as they are united with the church. But when does that union happen? When do we reach the Heavenly city? Surely that only happens at the end of the age when we all “go to Heaven?” Again, that logic is plausible, but it is not the argument that the author is making.
Throughout the book of Hebrews, the author is developing this idea that Christ gives his people access to the presence of God right now, in this world. Consider the following:
- “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”(4:16)
- “The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.” (7:18-19)
- “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (10:19-20)
- “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (12:22-24)
For the author of Hebrews, we do not need to wait for the future in order to access the City of God. We have access to Heaven now, today. Paul says something similar in Ephesians: “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”(Ephesians 2:6) Of course, there is a very important sense in which we are still waiting for the fulfillment of our hope; however, Paul and the author of Hebrews did not consider Christians to be exiles in search of a home; they believed that, in Christ, we have access to Heaven right here and now.
There are two passages remaining—John 18:36 and Philippians 3:20—but we will address those passages later on. Suffice it to say, I do not believe either one supports an exile view. But before we look at those passages, let’s consider another important problem with the exile model:
2. The Exile Model contradicts the core message of the Gospel.
To say that Christians are exiles is to say that they do not belong in the world—more specifically, they live in a kingdom that is ruled by someone other than their true king. The full interpretation goes something like this: Jesus rules over the Kingdom of Heaven, which is in Heaven, and Satan rules over the Kingdoms of this world—at least for now. This is what makes exile so difficult: we live in a realm that is ruled over by the enemies of our king—a foreign, evil land. Of course, just like above, there is a list of scripture passages that come to mind to support this interpretation:
- “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” (John 12:31)
- “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)
- “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1-2)
- “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)
We might also add to this the passages which argue that God has given this world over to the power of the nations:
- Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” (John 19:10-11)
- “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 13:1)
Now, these passages cannot be dismissed—it is undeniable that the Bible considers the world to be under the influence of spiritual and political powers to some degree. Exactly how far that influence goes is more than we can determine in this article. The question, however, is whether this is the dominant view presented in the Bible. That is, we know that the world is under the influence of “many gods and lords,” but is that the most important thing the Bible has to say about the political reality of the world? Is that the main way Christians should think of themselves, as sojourners in the kingdom of evil?
In point of fact, the idea of demonic control of the world is vastly overshadowed by a much bigger, more frequent, and more central claim of the New Testament: that God has made Jesus Christ the ultimate, uncontested king of the world. In fact, this claim is the essential claim of the Gospel. The Good News is the claim that Jesus is the king of the world, here and now! Let’s go to the verses:
The phrase “Good News” has its roots in the Old Testament, where it always refers to the announcement of a political victory by the king.[3] It takes on divine significance in Isaiah 52:7:
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"
This passage, among others, is what lies behind Jesus’ use of the term. According to the Gospels, the message Jesus preached (called “The Good News of the Kingdom” in Matthew 4:23) could best be summarized this way:
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)
After the resurrection, the preaching of the Apostles always centered around the message that Jesus is now king:
- “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear… Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” (Acts 2:32–36)
- “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” (17:30–31)
- When [the crowd] did not find [Paul and Silas], they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” (17:6-7)
In Romans Paul summarizes the Gospel this way:
“[T]he gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 1:2-4)
The fact that Jesus is the ultimate ruler of this world is the central claim of the Gospel—it is the news that is good. Beyond the essential proclamation of the Gospel, however, the current kingship of Jesus appears frequently in the writings of Paul:
- “[God] raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:20-21)
- “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
- “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16–2:10)
- “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” (Col 2:9–10)
- “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15
In some sense this world is in the power of evil and the kingdoms of the world—but in the ultimate sense, the most important sense, the sense which defines the Christian worldview, Jesus is the king of this world and he reigns. We are not exiles in someone else’s kingdom. We are the loyal subjects of the rightful ruler of this planet. That is the Gospel.
From Exiles to Colonists
If we’re not exiles, what are we? Is partisan nationalism the only other option? Absolutely not. The Bible does not teach that Christians are meant to invest their political passions into the powers of this world. The Bible actually presents a very different, radical perspective on the political role of a Christian in the world. First of all, let’s return to the statement Jesus made to Pilate in the Gospel of John:
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36)
At first this statement seems to support the exile model of Christian politics. Jesus has a kingdom, but it isn’t in this world—it’s in another world. This world is ruled over by the earthly kingdoms, and Jesus rules over a spiritual, heavenly kingdom. Except that’s not what he said.
Notice, first of all, that Jesus does not say that his kingdom isn’t in the world. He says that his kingdom isn’t of this world. On its own, this statement isn’t easy to understand. Thankfully, however, Jesus immediately explains what he means in two different ways. The simpler of the explanations is the second: “My kingdom is from another place.” Jesus isn’t talking about the location of his kingdom—he’s talking about the source of his kingdom. To say that his kingdom is no “of” this world is to say that it isn’t the kind of kingdom that humans build—it’s a kingdom that comes (to earth) from Heaven.
But how is a Heavenly kingdom different? Here Jesus is uncharacteristically clear: his kingdom is different from human kingdoms because his servants didn’t fight to prevent his arrest (They tried, of course, but Jesus stopped them). The difference between the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of Heaven is in their methods: the kingdoms of this world are founded on violence, while the Kingdom of Heaven does not use violence.
This claim by Jesus anticipates one of the key insights of modern political theory. German sociologist Max Weber famously defined a state as a community that controls violence in a certain territory. Governments are literally defined by the fact that they have the power of violence over the population. Jesus’ kingdom is different, not because it is located somewhere else, or because it’s “spiritual” rather than “political,” but because his kingdom accomplishes its goals through a different, non-violent kind of power.
The question of what that power looks like will have to wait for another article. For now, however, this insight is absolutely key for Christians seeking to find their place in the politics of the world. The Gospel is political—it’s Good News about a Kingdom, after all! We are not exiles without a home, without a stake in the politics of the world. We are the loyal servants of the true king! We absolutely have a vested interest in the politics of this world! In fact, rather than “just passing through,” we are the ones who are sticking around—it’s the rebels against God’s authority who will eventually be removed from this planet! Instead of thinking of ourselves as exiles, we need to adopt the perspective used by Paul in Philippians 3:20:
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
When Paul says that our citizenship is in Heaven, he isn’t thinking of exiles who want to go home someday—he’s thinking of colonists who have been sent out to built an permanent outpost for their kingdom. How do I know? Because that’s exactly what the Philippians were. The Roman Empire paid their soldiers by making them citizens and giving them farmland. Not wanting to plant a whole bunch of veterans around Rome, however, they would give the retiring soldiers land in colonies like Philippi. Philippians were Roman citizens who had been transplanted to a new land in order to build a Roman-style city spread the influence of the Empire, and tame the frontiers. They never expected to go home—they expected to bring Rome to their new home.
This is how Christians should think of their place in the world. We are colonists, loyal citizens of the true ruler of the world, sent here to built outposts of Heaven to spread the influence of Jesus and tame the frontiers of human rebellion. We are here to change the world, to make a tangible difference in our communities. Christians have a vested interest in making peace, seeking justice, providing for the needy, building safe communities, and all manner of other “political” concerns. We face those issues, however, as representatives of a king who rules by a different kind of power. We don’t change the world by passing laws or electing officials—at least, not in the ways that really matter. We have a much more effective means of changing the world—a means that has been responsible for more tangible good in the world over the last 2000 years than any other force in human history. Our means is the power of the Gospel, the influence of the Spirit—ultimately, it is the daily, lived out love of Christians for their families, their neighbors, and their fellow believers. That love has changed and will continue to change the world, and it is more powerful than any vote, law, or politician. More on that later.
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