Many insist that the
Bible doctrine of separation means that Christians must be neutral concerning
everything outside of church activities. But the separation taught in the Bible
is separation unto God and godly distinctions, conduct, and relationships
within society, not isolation from society or neutrality concerning politics
and community affairs. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:3-11; I Timothy 3:7; I Peter
2:11-12)
Should we interpret the
words of Christ in Matthew 6:9-11 to mean that Christ was promoting idleness
and laziness? No, a good job should be considered the answer to prayers for
basic necessities. Likewise, the exhortation to pray for all men and all that
are in authority does not imply neutrality or pacifism concerning politics and
community affairs; opportunities to influence society and government and
participate in public affairs should be considered answers to such prayers. (I
Timothy 2:1-2)
The Christian community
is often divided over whether it is important to evangelise or important to
impact the culture around us for righteousness. This is not a problem of
whether the Bible teaches one or the other, the Bible teaches both: Soul
winning is important and it is important to influence the society in which we
live for righteousness; it is important to witness and it is important to take
a stand on issues. Man is a natural-born sinner, inherently depraved; man is
not a sinner because he sins, he sins because he is a sinner. It is not human
government that is evil but rather the fallible humans that comprise human
government, which is why Christian influence is essential. Christians are the
salt of the earth and the light of world. Salt cleanses, purifies, preserves,
and makes people thirsty, and light dispels darkness. Christians are supposed
to be a cleansing and illuminating influence on society, impacting society and
culture for righteousness. (Matthew 5:13-16; I Timothy 2:1-4; I Peter 2:11-12;
etc.) Christians should not be dominated by history, trends, culture, or
society; they should be shaping these according to God's will. (II Corinthians
10:4-6; I John 5:4)
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