Worthy
Christian
Conduct
Is Political
I am a grace preacher. But that does not mean that anything goes. There is a “conduct” that is “worthy of the gospel of Christ.” And this would mean also that there is a conduct that is NOT worthy of the gospel of Christ. And for most people, this “conduct” is not what you think.
But there is an acceptable standard of citizenship within the body of Christ that would present a favorable view of the Kingdom of God. Which means that there is also a way to be a bad citizen in the Kingdom.
In our citizenship within the Kingdom of God, there are good politicians and there are bad politicians. And as members of the body of Christ, we are all citizens. All politicians. All participants and representatives with the responsibility of representing a Kingdom that claims to be presenting Good News.
Every Christian is a citizen. Every Christian is a politician with responsibility for representing the Kingdom.
And so citizenship/politics, is not optional for any Christian. To ignore this concept of how we must represent the Kingdom is a sure-fire way to fail to be a worthy representative of the Kingdom.
What does a worthy citizen of the Kingdom look like? How should they act?
The word, “worthy,” is not talking about your salvation. It isn’t a concept that will qualify you or disqualify you from being a citizen. The qualification of being a citizen is an issue of birth, not an issue of behavior.
“Worthy,” simply means, “suitable.” It is possible to be a citizen whiteout looking and acting like a citizen. And yet, citizens who do not look and act like citizens cannot make a positive contribution within the society of the kingdom.
In fact, if bad citizens are representing their kingdom in a manner that presents a false narrative to foreigners and non-citizens, they have gone rogue. This disqualifies them from being ambassadors.
A worthy citizen of the Kingdom of God has some characteristics that MUST be present in their life if they want to make a positive contribution to the political life of the Kingdom.
These are spelled out in our passage, although I am short on space and can’t elaborate on them in too much detail.
1. Perseverance: A standing fast when the political situation is deteriorating.
2. Unity: One spirit; one mind; striving together against foreign influence. Recognizing that fellow citizens are not the enemy.
3. Not terrified by adversaries: Worthy citizens do not allow fear to stop them from protecting their kingdom when they are being invaded. They are courageous and not afraid of live fire.
A worthy citizen of the Kingdom of God recognizes that they represent the only superpower in the world. But an unworthy citizen runs for cover when the enemy declares that there is a pandemic in the world.
And the church of 2024 is still paying the price of diminished influence because the church of 2020 exhibited bad citizenship.
Did we learn anything?