God is not an open border God. Heaven is not an open border place. That’s hard news for many modern Christians to hear, particularly as we consider nations and immigration in the earthly realm. There is a reason why Immigration is such a hot election issue: it’s spiritual. And what we believe about an open border actually reveals more about our sincerity and purity of faith than we’d probably like to acknowledge.

Heaven has diversity, you say. Diversity of surface things, yes, but not when it comes to faith. There’s only One God and He is not the least bit divided about borders and walls. They exist from Genesis to Revelation and God’s purpose with them is (1) security, protecting what is good from what is evil, (2) boundary for promise and preservation, and (3) separation. Even in creation, God began by separating.

I know some of the things I’ve written in this series have been provocative, even difficult, and you may have a certain umbrage at reading them.

I have been conflicted writing them and have many times thought of removing or softening certain things, to which the Spirit has said, “No. Leave it in.” Christians need to be provoked out of their comfort zones to see beyond the surface, the sentimental, and the sound-byte … and to set their eyes on the spiritual.

So for those of you Christians who think a wall is nothing short of sin, consider this:

Revelation 21:10 “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates… 17 [The angel] measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man’s measurement, which the angel was using… 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Described here is a physical wall, capable of being measured.  It has gates that are open, but it’s guarded by angels.  Border security.  No one impure will ever enter.  Only those whose names are in the Lamb’s book of life will be able to enter.  Immigration control.

Heaven: You can’t come in just because you want to.  There is no open border.

Yes, there will be a diverse multitude of people… united by one identity, one singular belief: Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

All genuine Christians belong to Christ…but not all people belong to Christ just because they’re human or just because they call themselves Christian all the while rejecting Christ’s supremacy.

Don’t you see that an open border kind of thinking parallels the false religious teaching of universalism?

That false doctrine that says what you believe isn’t important, that God doesn’t care how you live and what you do. The false notion that Jesus died so all men—irrespective of what they believe, how they act, and what they worship—can enter heaven.

It’s a resident thought in many of our churches. It’s preached from their pulpits. Some denominations even have that as their hallmark. Sin isn’t sin and their leaders lead the way in it.

Certainly regarding borders, we can all agree that the United States isn’t heaven. Not even Iowa. But even in the Field of Dreams, there were borders and ground rules. Heaven’s hallmark will be discernment of truth, belonging, belief, and action, not the color of one’s skin, the ethnicity in one’s DNA, whether one was an unaccompanied minor or a dreamer.

It comes down to this: Did you believe Jesus and show it by obedience to Him?

Consider the words of the Risen Lord Himself: Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

What is the testimony of our churches? We are called as missionaries to go into all the world. And I suppose if the Church fails to go to the nations with the Gospel, God will bring the nations to us so they can hear it.

But what testimony will the nations receive from American Christians?

A Church proclaiming to those unrepentant sinners who will be outside the wall of heaven that it will all be okay, they’re in…that breaking laws and engaging in sin is no barrier? Uh, hello.  That’s not the Gospel. God won’t bring the nations to hear that.

Or will it be to hold the Light of the Gospel to each person in darkness? Offering compassion even if no open border exists because practical help can occur on either side of a closed border, offering asylum for those yearning for the freedom of Christ, but most importantly by preaching God’s Word?

Frankly, way too many churches are happily demanding an open border with nothing to offer spiritual refugees by way of truth. Way too many Christians are happily proclaiming open borders for all nations and all religions as sanctified syncretism. God won’t bring the nations to hear that.

The first border in recorded history was keeping sin out of paradise (Genesis 3:24). The final border does the same thing (Revelation 21:10-27). Let’s make sure our preaching honors that principle so we don’t find ourselves outside the walls with a whole lot of weeping and gnashing in a spiritually, morally, religiously, and ethnically diverse hell.

Here are a few passages for further study.  If you have time for only one, do John 10.  Identify the “wall” in each instance and what it was designed to do:

• Genesis ch 6-9—Noah and the Great Flood (6:5-9)
• Genesis ch 10-11-The Table of Nations and the Tower of Babel. (Gen 11:6-7)
• Genesis 12:1-4—the Call of Abram
• Genesis ch 18-19—the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 18:17-23)
• Genesis ch 45-47—Migrants to Egypt. Gen 46:31-34
• Exodus 14–The Exodus to the Promised Land. Exo 14:19-22)
• Lev 20:22-26 Be holy, I am holy…and judging the nations
• Numbers 20:12—Moses and the Rock at Meribah
• Deut 4:34-35 The Lord is God. There is no other.
• Deut 6:13-19 Do not follow other gods
• Joshua 2:14-20 Rahab
• 2 Kings 17:7-23 Israel exiled
• 2 Kings 24:20-25:21 Judah into captivity
• Nehemiah 2:17-18 Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem
• Esther 8:11-17 Edict and witness
• Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus fulfills the Law
• Matthew 13,  22:1-14 ,  25:1-30—a few parables on discernment, closed door, separation, and faith
• John 10—I am the door
• Acts 16:6-10. No Mysia for Paul

* * *

Today’s was the final installment in the series which also contained:

• An overview of each party’s platform http://seminarygal.com/comparing-political-platforms-part-1/
• Part 2 Overarching principles of individual vs. state and rights of self-determination
• Part 3, on Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and Expression
• Part 4, Government Transparency and a Right to Privacy
• Part 5, Human Relationships, Sex, and the Law in a Divided America
• Part 6, Abortion
• Part 7, Education
• Part 8, Drugs
• Part 9, Criminal Justice
• Part 10, the Death Penalty  
• Part 11, Guns and The Second Amendment
• Part 12, Taxation
• Part 13, the Environment
• Part 14, the IRS and the Size and Scope of Government
• Part 15.1, Immigration and National Security: the Platforms
• Part 15.2 Immigration and National Security: The Wall as a Spiritual Battle

The Christian has a conundrum in immigration and national security that requires discernment. In Part 1 of Comparing Political Platforms (15.1), we examined the beliefs of each of the three major political parties. Volumes of words. And it’s both clear…and clear as mud. Christians need discernment to sort it all out.

Think immigration and suddenly we have romantic ideas of hope.  But for all the hope, Ellis Island was feared by those seeking to come here—even the honest, healthy, hardworking, and moral immigrants still knew it as a barrier to entry. It has an interesting history that includes deportation and imprisonment.  It was a barrier an immigrant was never assured of getting through. Just like The Wall.

Frankly, The Wall presents emotionally-charged issues that move Christian hearts with compassion and justice. After all, we’re a nation of immigrants. However, it’s also more complex than feelings and there’s a spiritual dimension Christians must acknowledge exists even if the secular world cannot see it.

Do you find it odd that the removal of political boundaries in Europe coincided with the precipitous decline in Christianity and has resulted in massive migration of followers of Islam?

Is there a parallel with the US and where we are spiritually today?

Discernment on immigration. We need it.  We need it now. 

Because the decline of Christianity is happening in America and the “Nones” who have no religious belief at all are becoming the fastest growing demographic. 

According to the National Geographic, the source of the photo,

There have long been predictions that religion would fade from relevancy as the world modernizes, but all the recent surveys are finding that it’s happening startlingly fast.

Do you believe America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles? Do we still uphold those or have we become a melting pot of no religious inclination? Is that what God intended? 

• Is it compassionate, for example, to allow young girls being trafficked or the beleaguered foreigner forced to smuggle opioids to be exploited on the way to the border, at the border, and then on US soil as a wide open market for these “products”?  Is that what Jesus would do?
• Is it compassionate toward the citizen Hispanics or others working as ranch hands to be assaulted for their vehicles or murdered because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and encountered smugglers?  Would the Father approve?
• Is it hospitable to allow anti-Christian followers of other world religions to invade, recruit, and proselytize on American soil with anti-Christian and anti-Semitic “Death to America” ideology, harming the host that let them in?  What does the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob think about that?

The Christian Conundrum:

Love without justice isn’t love at all. Justice without truth and love isn’t really just. And freedom without love, truth or justice jeopardizes all.

There are 2 problems intersecting in this issue which further complicate this conundrum for Christians:

1. Identity politics, which is a dangerous game since not all Hispanics are the same, not all migrants are the same or even Hispanic, and not all those crossing the southern border have honorable intentions.
2. Confusing language because Satan, the architect of confusion, wants Christians to get sucked in by terms like immigrant, evoking romantic images of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and America as the great hope of freedom…instead of having Christians use a more factual term like lawbreaker. We are a nation of immigrants who followed our immigration laws.  But those who break the law are lawbreakers, not the innocent sounding “illegal immigrant” as if their only crime was stepping over an imaginary line for a loaf of bread or a day’s wages.  What is compassion and how do we discern what to do with lawbreakers?

Put it all together and here’s the deal: Each and every Christian must begin to look at individuals instead of groups. The Church must step up from the confusing political slurry of language and develop some discernment.

From Christ’s Church we need “men of Isaachar” (1 Chronicles 12: 17-38) who understand the times. We do not need Satan’s Welcome Wagon with goods to peddle in his hand-basket for hell on the wide, well-trampled path of tolerance with no narrow gate of Christian discernment.

Discernment: Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

Why did Jesus connect the two?  The whole passage of Matthew 7 is about judging well, using discernment regarding open doors when it comes to matters of faith and truth.

There’s a strange little passage in 2 John that ought to scare the socks off of any Christian who wants to throw the gates wide open as a testimony of their social tolerance and hyper-piety.

2 John 1:6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. 11 Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

Do your efforts advance the Gospel or are they just giving other world religions (false prophets) a foothold for advancing their own beliefs unchecked? If you’re advancing theirs, according to 2 John verse 11, you’re sharing in their wicked work.  Go ahead.  Read the verses again.

There’s a way to make sure that you’re advancing God’s work and God’s Kingdom.  Move beyond group thought and unaccountable government. Make it personal and personally accept responsibility for what each and every one under your supervision does. You’re sharing in it, remember?  And God knows the difference between giving the enemies of the Gospel a foothold for advancing their own beliefs versus compassion and witness–which is our ideal!–as we advance the Gospel until all evil of this world will be made Christ’s footstool.

There is probably no greater illustration and modern example of the spiritual battle in American culture than the debate over The Wall. Is it the Original Sin of Trump? Don’t take the “Nones” word for it if you’re a Christ-follower!  By understanding the times with discernment, it is the Christian’s opportunity to dig deep, to decide which side of the spiritual battle we’re really on, to choose whether the wide road or the narrow gate is the better path, and to display with our actions which kingdom we’re truly interested in advancing. 

* * *

This series contains:

• An overview of each party’s platform http://seminarygal.com/comparing-political-platforms-part-1/
• Part 2 Overarching principles of individual vs. state and rights of self-determination
• Part 3, on Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and Expression
• Part 4, Government Transparency and a Right to Privacy
• Part 5, Human Relationships, Sex, and the Law in a Divided America
• Part 6, Abortion
• Part 7, Education
• Part 8, Drugs
• Part 9, Criminal Justice
• Part 10, the Death Penalty  
• Part 11, Guns and The Second Amendment
• Part 12, Taxation
• Part 13, the Environment
• Part 14, the IRS and the Size and Scope of Government
• Part 15.1, Immigration and National Security: the Platforms

Is The Wall the Original Sin of Trump?  Many US Christians who are concerned about immigration and the plight of refugees believe the idea of The Wall has been the genesis of everything evil in America.

But is it in the eyes of God?

What does the Bible say about immigration, security, and the nations?  It says much and presents the Christian with quite a conundrum.

In this final installment of our series Comparing the Political Platforms, I’ve grouped together these interconnected issues. Let’s see what the platforms say about national security and immigration in Part 1.  In Part 2 we will define the conundrum, and then we’ll look at the Bible’s clear instruction about walls in Part 3.

Part 1: The Platforms:

(I know it’s long, but please read it if you care about immigration, refugees, and national security.  I included every idea each party says and removed words only to have comparable word counts between DNC and RNC, as a testimony of my fairness.)

Clearly, the platforms address these issues in their own ways.  Every reader plants firmly between each line, their own beliefs about the political parties, their preconceived ideas about compassion, the law, and a worldview that is either globalist or American.  It calls for discernment.

So we look to the Bible to see how God sees walls and immigration, compassion and the law.  What you find will surprise you.

The Christian’s Conundrum is outlined in Part 2 which will lead us to ask the question,

What does the Bible say to Christians about the purpose of walls and Christian responsibilities for immigration, hospitality, separation, and security? 

We’ll address that and provide questions and verses for a little Bible Study in Part 3.

* * *

This series contains:

• An overview of each party’s platform http://seminarygal.com/comparing-political-platforms-part-1/
• Part 2 Overarching principles of individual vs. state and rights of self-determination
• Part 3, on Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and Expression
• Part 4, Government Transparency and a Right to Privacy
• Part 5, Human Relationships, Sex, and the Law in a Divided America
• Part 6, Abortion
• Part 7, Education
• Part 8, Drugs
• Part 9, Criminal Justice
• Part 10, the Death Penalty  
• Part 11, Guns and The Second Amendment
• Part 12, Taxation
• Part 13, the Environment
• Part 14, the IRS and the Size and Scope of Government

Are you planning on sitting out this election? You might want to think again about what the Bible says about communities, individuals, and how it speaks to the question, “Does God distinguish between the community and the individual?”  And while we’re at it, “How big should government be? How far should its reach extend? Where does the Church’s role end and the government’s role begin?”  No one serves two masters.

As we continue our series Comparing the Political Platforms, today we circle back to cover the IRS in relation to the overall concept of the size and scope of government.

The Bible says nothing about the size and scope of government in the US. It does say much about community and about the individual’s role in it.

Consider this: Joshua and Caleb wandered in the wilderness along with the faithless ones who would die there and never see the Promised Land. They would be judged as a community and as individuals, with God distinguishing between the faithful (Joshua and Caleb), the innocent (the children), and the faithless within the community.

Numbers 14: 20 The LORD replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, 22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times– 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25 Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.” 26 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: 29 In this desert your bodies will fall– every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But you– your bodies will fall in this desert. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. 34 For forty years– one year for each of the forty days you explored the land– you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die.” 36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it– 37 these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived. 39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly.

The government, the shepherds, and the leaders will be called to account in an especially profound way because of leadership. But each one is treated as an individual within that group when the real government spoken about in Isaiah 9:6-7 arrives in the very last day.

Ezekiel 34:1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. …7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock … 17 “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats …20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, 22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24 I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.

Manmade government, though instruments of God, will vanish someday.  Every leader will be held to account as an individual, for the good and the bad.

But there’s more: The community of followers will be judged within and as a whole…both for our individual role as well as the impact we had upon our community.

1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

Don’t be deceived: The fate of the disobedient spies displays that in God’s sight, sitting it out is faithless.

Your vote likely counts more in the eyes of God who gave you the candidates, who sees your heart, and who knows your true motives, than your vote actually counts in any election.  Our accountability begins as the family of God, extends inward to the individual heart, and outward to the nations.

Will God not know or care that we were dissatisfied with God’s choices for us?  Will it matter to Him that we refused to pray, responding with faith in action knowing His ways are not our ways?  Will God be pleased with our predetermined path of sitting it out?

* * *

This series contains:

• An overview of each party’s platform http://seminarygal.com/comparing-political-platforms-part-1/
• Part 2 Overarching principles of individual vs. state and rights of self-determination
• Part 3, on Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and Expression
• Part 4, Government Transparency and a Right to Privacy
• Part 5, Human Relationships, Sex, and the Law in a Divided America
• Part 6, Abortion
• Part 7, Education
• Part 8, Drugs
• Part 9, Criminal Justice
• Part 10, the Death Penalty  
• Part 11, Guns and The Second Amendment
• Part 12, Taxation
• Part 13, the Environment

Good Christians and good Americans care about the environment. That we can agree on. Less certain is how to show that we care. As we continue our look at the political party platforms to move beyond personalities to ideas, here is what the Democrat, Libertarian, and Republican parties believe about the environment.

As Christians, should we hand over responsibility for the environment to the government?

That’s not what God did.

He handed the environment over to Adam and Eve and blessed their ruling and subduing it.

It seems to me that we’ve gotten so good at giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s (Matthew 22:21) and demanding that our neighbors give “their fair share” to Caesar, that we’ve moved right along to giving to Caesar what is God’s. Look at the all the ways we’ve allowed the unaccountable and ungodly blob of government to infiltrate every blessing that God gave to Adam and Eve as two individuals.  Here’s the blessing:

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground– everything that has the breath of life in it– I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

• The blob of government has inserted mandated insurance coverage for birth control into the “be fruitful”
• abortion into the “increase in number” with special needs babies and minorities considered the most deserving of death-by-mom-and-Uncle-Sam instead of helping to fill the earth.
• The blob of government has inserted regulation upon regulation
• and tax upon tax to tell everyone how to fill, rule, and subdue the earth.
• There is no more ruling over the fish of the seas and birds of the air without having a higher court, an Endangered Species Act, or an EPA telling us what to do and how to do it.
• And then taking us to court and establishing a fine for causing climate change.

Didn’t God give stewardship of the environment to responsible individuals, not to some unaccountable and political bureaucracy?

That’s why I’m still watching the Upper Des Plaines Watershed like a hawk as part of my ongoing ministry. I am an individual caring about our environment…just like my Lord and Savior Jesus did… ever since He created it in the beginning.

About Jesus, we read, Colossians 1: 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Maybe the world would be a better place if we all received God’s blessing with the individual responsibility for stewardship attached

… and we received it as individuals held accountable by God for it

… and didn’t just hand it off to the blob to do it for us,

thinking that giving it to Caesar was just good as each man or woman loving the Lord and doing it for God’s glory. 

Maybe we’ve just gotten too good at giving it all to Caesar so we don’t have to be bothered lifting a finger to care about the environment ourselves.

* * *

This series contains:

• An overview of each party’s platform http://seminarygal.com/comparing-political-platforms-part-1/
• Part 2 Overarching principles of individual vs. state and rights of self-determination
• Part 3, on Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and Expression
• Part 4, Government Transparency and a Right to Privacy
• Part 5, Human Relationships, Sex, and the Law in a Divided America
• Part 6, Abortion
• Part 7, Education
• Part 8, Drugs
• Part 9, Criminal Justice
• Part 10, the Death Penalty  
• Part 11, Guns and The Second Amendment
• Part 12, Taxation

There are 3 things never to discuss in polite company: Money, Politics, and Religion. So today, we’ll go 3 for 3, and violate the entire etiquette trifecta to discuss taxation.

The 16^th Amendment. Few know the history, but everyone who works for a living, or did at one time, knows the consequences of taxation. “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”

It was adopted on February 3, 1913, and became a ratified part of The United States Constitution on February 25^th of that year.

Who spends the money at your house? How does it get spent?

Take that and put it on steroids, this is what the power of taxation does for (or against) a country. This power has become increasingly complex and divisive and yes, political. Here are what the party platforms say about taxation:

In this series, we’ve been comparing the political platforms and what the Bible says about each topic because it moves us beyond personalities to ideas.  The bottom line is that it speaks to how a Christian can be in the world but not “of it.”

Using the simplicity of the Libertarian Platform as our structure, we will discuss the IRS under the topic of government, but for now let’s just look at what the Bible says about taxation.

In Genesis 41:33-38, we see the first recorded taxation.  It was designed for national security and the public good so that all might survive the famine.  It involved setting aside a portion of the harvest.

Next we see in Genesis 47:13-26, taxation under the rule of Pharaoh (v 26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh.)

The Bible records also a system of tithe (a tenth) that went for the Lord’s use (Lev 27:30-31) and to support the Levites whose living was made from serving the Lord (Num 18:21-24).

John MacArthur explains it this way: 

“The Israelites paid a tenth for their government, a tenth for their festivals, and another three and a third percent for welfare, or approximately 23 percent a year in taxes. That is not unlike the original tax that was begun in Egypt, which was twenty percent. The three tithes were important. The first one paid for the needs of those who governed the nation. The second one cultivated national life. And the third one took care of the poor, the orphans, and the widows. It was a welfare tithe. Those three tithes were collected off the top of everyone’s blessings and were used to strengthen the nation.”

Everyone’s blessings. Yes, even the poor’s.

It’s like what Jesus says about the poor widow. After talking about the evils of political financial and religious exploitation, Jesus says, Mark 12: 38, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.” 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything– all she had to live on.”

Jesus didn’t stop this poor widow from contributing, but rather commended her actions. Why? Because money wasn’t her priority. Love for God and trusting Him is what motivated her.

So yes, the Bible tells us to pay our taxes. Romans 13:6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

It’s not just what we owe the government, though. When Jesus was asked explicitly about taxation, Matthew 22: 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” 21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

If the Church in America hadn’t been doing such a deplorable job of caring for the poor, we wouldn’t need Uncle Sam—the world’s worst replacement father and provider—to take far more than he needs to give far less than he could to actually helping the poor. Fifty years after the “war on poverty” was declared, the history confirms there are still poor among us.  Jesus was right when He said,

Mark 14:7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.

Christians in America must move beyond simply writing a check to the IRS and believing an increasing obligation there is good enough.  We must “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

* * *

This series contains:

• An overview of each party’s platform http://seminarygal.com/comparing-political-platforms-part-1/
• Part 2 Overarching principles of individual vs. state and rights of self-determination
• Part 3, on Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and Expression
• Part 4, Government Transparency and a Right to Privacy
• Part 5, Human Relationships, Sex, and the Law in a Divided America
• Part 6, Abortion
• Part 7, Education
• Part 8, Drugs
• Part 9, Criminal Justice
• Part 10, the Death Penalty  
• Part 11, Guns and The Second Amendment

If there is a controversial issue the Bible says nothing specifically about, it is the issue of guns and The Second Amendment, which reads, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

It is an issue that people long accustomed to being free cannot appreciate in the same way as those who have been oppressed by others and had to fight to achieve the very freedom we take for granted today.

The political platforms have much to say about guns.

Since guns did not exist when Jesus walked the earth, this issue resides solely in the political realm. Our Biblical look will simply state a few universal truths.

1. God values human life and deplores the taking of it because of His Image present in every man. Genesis 9: 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
2. Life is more important than property. Luke 12:22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes
3. One of the Ten Commandments reads, Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.”
4. Defending life and property are different. Killing for protecting property is not the same as when one perceives his life is threatened. Exodus 22: 2 “If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; 3 but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed.
5. Fighting evil happens both in the spiritual and physical realms Luke 22: 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” 35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. 36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.” 38 The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That is enough,” he replied.” Jesus wasn’t doing a weapon count to see how well they’d be able to be freedom fighters. Rather, the principle is that defending against evil takes place in both the spiritual and physical realms and preparation in both areas is the key to not being overtaken by evil.
6. God does not confuse life in Him through obedience to Him … with the world’s definition of “life.” Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess … 19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
7. When Jesus went to the Cross, He entered the spiritual battlefield. He was not a doormat nor was He surrendering to the evil around Him. He was conquering it with spiritual weapons in the spiritual realm. Jesus could not shed any blood but His own or He could not have been our Savior. We are not in the same category because we are not God. So here’s the deal: On one hand we are called to first pursue the spiritual battle against evil. 2 Corinthians 10:3 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” On the other hand, there is a physical realm in which some battles will occur. If every God-fearer never engaged in self-defense, we’d all be slaughtered and there would be none left alive for a rapture that many Christians are counting on for getting them out of an evil world.  And, if every God-fearer refused to serve in the military or in the government as God’s agent of justice (Romans 13:4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer), then justice wouldn’t be by God’s standard, but rather by the world’s, yes?  Christians take a stand against evil, both in the spiritual realm as well as in the physical realm.
8. And finally, weapons don’t equal death. Just because we possess a weapon that could end a life (such as a gun, a knife, a box cutter, a crowbar, or a fist) doesn’t mean that using it will automatically involve a death. Sometimes, it’s just a threat of injury to put space between our families and the criminal, enough space and time to flee. And life has been preserved all around.

Guns are a touchy subject, easily turned on emotion, and lethal force is always, rightfully questioned. In the end, any weapon (including our own bodies) can be used to kill. Evil people will do evil things. Christians seek peace but prepare for defense.

Peace is never achieved, nor is defense against evil ever gained, by treating the law-abiding as if they are the evildoers. Law breakers, by definition, will break whatever laws are designed to restrain them.

Christians, The Second Amendment, and guns aren’t inconsistent when we consider that deterrence of evil is always preferable to lethal force against evil. And God’s Word offers principles to guide the good hearted and the law-abiding toward that end.

* * *

This series contains:

• An overview of each party’s platform http://seminarygal.com/comparing-political-platforms-part-1/
• Part 2 Overarching principles of individual vs. state and rights of self-determination
• Part 3, on Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and Expression
• Part 4, Government Transparency and a Right to Privacy
• Part 5, Human Relationships, Sex, and the Law in a Divided America
• Part 6, Abortion
• Part 7, Education
• Part 8, Drugs
• Part 9, Criminal Justice
• Part 10, the Death Penalty

For those of you finding this series (Comparing the Political Platforms) longwinded even if an important corrective to focusing on personalities, today’s installment will be a refreshing wind on an old dispute: The Death Penalty. Each political platform has a concise statement on it.

The Fifth Amendment is probably best known for someone “pleading the fifth” but the whole text reads: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

***

So, due process must happen, but deprivation of life is constitutional.

The flip side, however, is that just because it’s constitutional doesn’t mean that it’s preferable.

The Democrat Platform explicitly identifies exonerations as evidence that the death penalty should be abolished. To them, it is arbitrary, unjust, and cruel and unusual. Libertarians also point to it as a failed policy—adding to it their objection to expansion of power for government–and therefore, they reject the death penalty by adherence to their Libertarian ideal.

What does the Bible say about the death penalty?

The Bible actually commands the death penalty in the Old Testament and accepts it as a given in the New Testament.  And all God’s people said, “Ouch.”

God’s Word does not give us the detailed outline of when it ought to occur today, on our side of the Cross. But the fact is, if someone is dead, the opportunity to commit further crimes has just been eliminated in the death of the criminal. But the fact also remains that the death penalty is the taking of a human life.

In Exodus 21:12, we read, “Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death.” In fact, so much of Exodus 21 deals with who must be put to death that it seems like no man would be left standing. Same thing with Leviticus 20. It’s really pretty frightening, if the Christian is honest.

But the point of these commands was deterrence.

It was designed to set consequences.  This was not for budgeting purposes to see how far one was willing to go rogue.  Rather, its goal was deterrence in order to alert and convince people to honor God in all things so that these consequences could be avoided.

Is the death penalty still a deterrent?

The Democrat and Libertarian Platforms would argue that it’s insufficient to merit its practice ever again. The Republican Platform argues its constitutionality and to leave it up to the states, which is the limited government view as a Republican core principle.  Remove any and all possibility of deterrence by abolishing part of the Constitution and it opens up a whole can of worms best left alone.

The Christian in me sees a priority of life over death, truth over lies, deterrence over punishment, and reality over wishful thinking. Disobedience to the law is a given. People will die, even be murdered. Suffering does happen. So what do we do as Christians in the real world?

In Hebrews 11, the Bible talks of the great cloud of witnesses who were put to death in various gruesome ways for no crime greater than obeying God.  Or these days, preaching Christ. In 2 Timothy 2:7-9 Paul talks about being in chains for the Gospel. In Revelation 2:10 Jesus says, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

For the Christian, a prison is not a prison, but a place to be a witness for Christ. And the Christian—by virtue of faith in our Savior—knows that death does not have the final say. There will be a resurrection at the end of it.

Whether or not a death penalty remains a possibility for punishment… reserved only for the most heinous of crimes…people DO respect death, especially their own.  For most of us, it’s a deterrent.  It’s why no one wants to be captured by ISIS.

People will continue to die in horrific ways, some at the hands of criminals, some in wartime activity, and others as a consequence of their own actions. Each of us must consider deterrence as the best of all options since it preserves life the best. And to hold the punishment called the death penalty in the sober awareness that—before God as our witness– it is a human life we’re talking about taking which is every bit made in the image of God as the fetus a pro-lifer protects, the child we shield from abuse, the girl we rescue from sex trafficking, the woman we harbor far away from domestic assault, and the aged man for whom we stand and proclaim he has value to this world so long as he lives.

* * *

This series contains:

• An overview of each party’s platform http://seminarygal.com/comparing-political-platforms-part-1/
• Part 2 Overarching principles of individual vs. state and rights of self-determination
• Part 3, on Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and Expression
• Part 4, Government Transparency and a Right to Privacy
• Part 5, Human Relationships, Sex, and the Law in a Divided America
• Part 6, Abortion
• Part 7, Education
• Part 8, Drugs
• Part 9, Criminal Justice

Yesterday’s headline read “702 shootings by city’s cops, not one federal prosecution.” It’s a typical day in Chicagoland with the FBI investigating the cops. Our whole criminal justice system is a mess. “Community activists and family members of those shot by police have urged federal officials to take a more active role in investigation the incidents, hoping they will be more aggressive than local authorities” (Chicago Tribune August 9, 2016).

It’s no wonder that law and order (i.e. criminal justice) is a hot topic for the 2016 elections and that justice means different things to different people.  Again, using the Libertarian Platform as our organizing structure for our series–Comparing Political Platforms–the various parties have much to say about criminal justice.

Criminal Justice is justice achieved …  for the victims of crime … by way of punishment of / consequences for … the perpetrators of crime.

What is justice, anyway? Well, it depends on who you ask.

There is a legal definition and a biblical definition.

Legal: “The proper administration of the law; the fair and equitable treatment of all individuals under the law. Aside from the fairness issue, it also means ‘a scheme or system of law in which every person receives his/her/its due from the system, including all rights, both natural and legal. One problem is that attorneys, judges, and legislatures often get caught up more in procedure than in achieving justice for all.’” (source Legal Dictionary)

In other words, our legal system has developed several flaws:

• First, it is set up to reward people who achieve a conviction whether or not it’s merited…and equally rewards those who get people off the hook for the crimes they have, in fact, committed. The legal fees one can charge is grounded less in truth-seeking and is tied more to the effective achievement of your side’s goals.
• We have juries of our peers irrespective of education level, who can be swayed by all kinds of emotion, political, and racial motivations
• And we have judges whose political aspirations may flavor their judgments in a calculated career move.

We have a process and a criminal justice system but actual justice runs through on stilts.

Why?

Because they’ve forgotten (or maybe they never knew in today’s secular litigious climate) the origin of justice.

It’s supposed to be grounded in Truth.

Consider the Biblical definition:

Biblical:  “Biblical justice involves making individuals, communities, and the cosmos whole, by upholding both goodness and impartiality… As true and good, God seeks to make the object of his holy love whole. This is what motivates God throughout the Old and New Testaments in his judgments on sin and injustice. These judgments are both individual and corporate in scope. “

God’s justice is always truth-seeking and redemptive…or we’d all fry in the fires of hell.  That’s the truth and why redemption is so important.

God’s criminal justice punishes for several purposes:

• First, for restoring that goodness which was lost in the crime,
•  in order to awaken the soul of the criminal to experience remorse,
• to redeem the repentant sinner,
• and in whatever way possible, to repay what was taken from the one wronged, the one trusting in God’s fairness.
• And it’s all for the purpose of wholeness (integrity) and holiness (inward and outward manifestation of truth).

What does the Bible say about God’s brand of criminal justice?  It must be stated that crime against God is called sin.  The criminal is called a sinner.  And justice was done in the body of Jesus Christ on the Cross so our sins would not count against us.

It’s all about reconciliation:  2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

It’s all about truth.  Revelation 19:1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments”

Of course, God has a significant advantage in knowing everything, being all powerful, and having unerring judgment. He’s always right.  And we’re not.

There you go, our problem defined: How do we achieve criminal justice in a legal sense when we reject the Truth and are prone to err ourselves?

We aim for perfect justice and accept that we will always fall short of that goal. The Bible says,

On hearings and appeals, Moses said, Deuteronomy 1: 16 And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. 17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.

In the reign of Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 19:5 He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 6 He told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. 7 Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”

Maybe the reason people feel like they have no justice in our criminal justice system is that they feel there has been partiality, bribery, and that judgments are lacking truth.  Truth resident in a healthy fear of God. As our judiciary increasingly becomes the home of secular thought, it’s no wonder that we find judging done … by man … for man … a problematic idea.

There is no fear of God upon our judges.  How can we possibly get justice?

• Some people want law enforcement convicted and criminals to go free.
• Some people want law enforcement that’s gone bad to escape justice and just give the victims’ families a big pay out as restitution for their 15 minutes of fame on social media and their lifetime of sorrow.
• Some people think there should be racial quotas that match demographic makeup.
• Some people think that victimless crimes are not crimes at all because they only harm themselves.
• And some people think money should be the determining factor (the rich should use their money to get off even as the poor get convicted OR the retribution idea that the rich should be punished and the poor should get a pass, irrespective of crime).

This is not justice.

They’ve deluded themselves into believing the same lie that everyone else in government has. There is no God and they will never be held accountable for their judgments by a Higher Power.

To that lie, God says to us through revelation to the Apostle John, Revelation 16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”…5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; 6 for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” 7 And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”

The bottom line is that God wants all of us to fear Him, and

Zechariah 8:16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; 17 do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the LORD.

Do you want true justice in our criminal justice system?  Here’s the Bible’s instruction: Romans 13: 3b Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

We need fear of God upon our judges and upon our people.  Without the Truth, how can our criminal justice system possibly administer true justice? 

Any reform measures must address the real problem. 

There is no fear of God.

* * *

This series contains:

• An overview of each party’s platform http://seminarygal.com/comparing-political-platforms-part-1/
• Part 2 Overarching principles of individual vs. state and rights of self-determination
• Part 3, on Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and Expression
• Part 4, Government Transparency and a Right to Privacy
• Part 5, Human Relationships, Sex, and the Law in a Divided America
• Part 6, Abortion
• Part 7, Education
• Part 8, Drugs