by Tracy Z

Christians should be grateful for those who keep this country safe and give it freedom. I have lived abroad for many years and have seen other governments. None are perfect. All think just for themselves and some think more of their citizens than others. But being born and growing up here I do not understand how many self-professed Christians who came here brutally murdered an entire nation in order to take their land from them. That was not Christian. They stole, killed and then claimed killing in self-defense when the Natives fought back.

Now you can use different terms to feel better about what many of our forefathers did in “self-defense” and not “murder.” But the sad truth is that both are killing and not loving the enemy, as Jesus commanded. Just like they do with abortion, those Christians who justify lethal-violence say it’s also “a woman’s right to choose.” Why not say they have a right to kill their babies?

Furthermore, Jesus in Matthew 24 warns us of things to come (as birth pangs) he mentions wars and natural disasters (famines and earthquakes.) He tells us to stand firm (in our faith) to the end to be saved. His last words to us are to go preach the kingdom. Nowhere do we see him or his disciples trying to right all the wrongs under Rome. This is why Christians are not commanded to go and try to feed or make peace with the governments of this world. He certainly did not tell them to go to other countries where there were unjust governments and try to make them democratic in any sense. Instead he tells us to go preach true freedom and love to everyone through the Kingdom-Gospel.

Jesus gave us a higher standard to live by. We cannot look back to the Old Testament and say look what was done under the Old Covenant’s “eye for an eye.” The whole Sermon on the Mount tells us “you have heard it said…but I say unto you…” typifying a change to some of those Old Covenant laws for sure. And if Christians are all over the world and America decides to go bomb their countries for whatever reason, we might be killing them. We certainly have no right to kill our brethren.

Many quote “For good men to do nothing is to let evil prevail.” That sounds good and nice, but I do not believe it is biblical. We’re told that we must love Jesus more than we love our parents or even children if we choose to follow him. He also tells us if we love him, we will obey him. He told us to love our enemies. That is a simple statement, but very hard to do at times. There are other options to “defend” our families. We must trust God and if we die, we’re told not to fear those who destroy our mortal bodies but the one who can extinguish all life. This mortal life does not compare to the immortality life in the age to come. Many Christians say they would die for Christ, but that does not mean only if someone has a gun to your head and wants you to renounce your faith. The real question is: are you willing to die for him if it means living in obedience to all of his commandments?

We have the hope of resurrection and we should be sharing that with all people. Some Christians in the world will feed the hungry and help clean up after natural disasters, but we all must share the kingdom message Jesus preached his whole life, and died for – so that we can be made immortal as he has been. It is that promise of immortal life in the age to come that’s worth dying for!