Series Introduction

   This is first sermon in a summer series on political theology or the theology of politics. My task over the next several weeks is to give an overview of the subject of politics within the framework of a biblical worldview. My overall objective is that we would have a better understanding and appreciation of the role of politics within the bigger picture of the mission of God for His covenant people.

   I think this series on political theology is of immense importance, not just because we are in a presidential election year, but because Western civilization has been slowly but steadily collapsing into wickedness and lawlessness as we have progressively abandoned our Christian heritage.

   What is the relationship between faith and public morality and public policy? What is the proper relationship between church and state? Are Christians called to politically transform cultures? These are pivotal questions that we shall endeavor to answer over the next several weeks, and I shall try to persuade you as we go along that politics is rooted in the sovereignty of God, and that the law of God is the only legitimate framework for organizing a society in a manner that does not invoke the judgment of God. This is made clear in Psalm 33:6-12, so let’s go ahead and read those verses and make a few observations.

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. ⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; He puts the deeps in storehouses. ⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him! ⁹ For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. ¹⁰ The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. ¹¹ The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. ¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen as His heritage!

    In verses 6 and 7 we’re told that God is the Creator of all things, and that He sovereignly controls all things. Verse 9 says that He commanded the heavens and the earth, and the heavens and earth obeyed His command. This is political in nature. A sovereign is a supreme political ruler that has authority over a kingdom. In this case, the sovereign is God, and His kingdom is the heavens and the earth and all their host. And what are His subjects required to do? Verse 8 tells us, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him!” In other words, all of mankind is obligated to worship and obey God as the sovereign King of all creation. We are all subjects under His rule.

   However, because of sin we devise our own plans, our own political counsel, that is in opposition to the counsel of the Lord that stands forever. We see this in verses 9 and 10. The counsel of the nations is bent on usurping God’s law and authority, but God brings their sinful schemes to nothing. Only His counsel shall stand. Thus, there are only two types of counsel—the sinful counsel of the nations that brings ruin and the judgment of God, and the counsel of the Lord that brings blessing to the nation that obeys it. Verse 12 states that a nation will be blessed if it acknowledges Yahweh as God, which implies that a nation will not be blessed (and likely cursed) if it does not acknowledge Yahweh as God.

   We see, then, that politics is rooted in the sovereignty of God, and that the law of God—His counsel—is the only legitimate framework for organizing a national society in a manner that does not invoke the judgment of God. This shall be our fundamental presupposition as we consider a theology of politics. But what exactly is politics? Let us start there.

What is politics?

   For the sake of clarity, it’s always a good idea to define our terms. However, the term politics is not necessarily the easiest term to define because we all have certain preconceived notions of what politics entails. Thus, I shall put forth several definitions for consideration. But first, let’s look at the etymology of the word.

   The word “politics” comes from the Greek word politikόs (“civic”), which is derived from politēs (“citizen”), which is derived from polis (“city”). So, the word “politics” is ultimately derived from the word “polis”. Significantly, several other English words trace their etymology back to this Greek word polis; for example, “policy,” “police,” and “metropolis” (the capitol or chief city of a country or region). Thus, based upon its etymology, “politics” has to do with the governance of a city; it encompasses the policies and policing that is necessary to maintain law and order amongst a citizenry.       

   With this etymological background in mind, consider Noah Webster’s definition of “politics” from his 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language:

 The science of government; that part of ethics which consists in the regulation and government of a nation or state, for the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity; comprehending the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals.

   Granted, this is a very wordy definition, but it’s also extremely comprehensive. One of the things that I like about this definition is that it highlights the fact that politics deals with ethics and the preservation and improvement of morals.

   Modern day definitions of the word “politics” are far less comprehensive compared to Webster’s. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary defines “politics” as the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power. I’m not a fan of this definition because it overemphasizes power struggle among people groups and therefore seems to be favoring a Marxist political philosophy, in my opinion.

   In the world of political theology, David Innes defines “politics” as the shared life of liberty that involves ruling and being ruled among equals for the common good: life, prosperity, piety, and moral flourishing (note again from this definition, that politics deals with ethics and moral flourishing). Jonathan Leeman, another political theologian, defines “politics” as the mediating of God’s covenant rule. While I appreciate the succinctness of this definition, I think it’s too vague without a proper understanding of what is meant by “God’s covenant rule.”

  Now, when we consider all of these definitions together, I think the core idea or the common thread that runs through all of them is this: rulership of a structured society according to law. Politics is essentially about societal law and order.

Why study politics?

   Now that we have considered what politics is we can begin to discuss and develop a theology of politics. But first, let’s just pause for a moment to think about why we should even bother to study politics at all.  

Many Christians seem to think that we don’t need to be well-informed about political issues or be involved in politics in any way because politics falls into the category of what is “secular,” and as Christians we are to be focusing on what is “sacred.” To those who might think this way, I would simply ask: what aspect of life is not sacred (i.e., completely divorced from any religious context)?

Are there really areas in our thinking and in our life where Christ has no business being there because they are “secular?” Are there certain subjects where Christ needs to know His place and just keep His mouth shut, to keep His Word of truth to Himself? Is Christ not Lord of all?!

   When it comes to the subject of politics, I’m hard pressed to think of any hero of the faith who was not involved in the politics of his or her day to some degree—Abraham, Moses, David, Esther, Elijah, Daniel, Jonah, Nehemiah, John the Baptist, Paul, and most importantly Christ Himself!

   Furthermore, did we not just see that politics is essentially about societal law and order. Are we to think that God’s Word has nothing to say about societal law and order! Or that whatever it does have to say we should just keep to ourselves!

   All of life is sacred, including political life; we are to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ, including political thought. And yet, many Christians today are of the opinion that we shouldn’t really be talking about politics, and we definitely shouldn’t be preaching about politics from the pulpit. Obviously, that’s not the position of our church, as we’re beginning an entire series on the subject of politics. Nevertheless, because this mindset is so prevalent amongst Christians today, I want to quickly give a couple of reasons why the study of politics is so important. Certainly, many more reasons could be given, but for the sake of time I will only give these two. 

1. Politics is fundamental to how God presents Himself to us and what He is doing in the world.

 As we already noted from Psalm 33, God is the sovereign Creator of all things. As such, He governs His creation with absolute authority. Psalm 103:19 makes this abundantly clear, “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.”

   He gave His first created man and woman a law (Gen. 2:17), and in disobeying that law, they rebelled and put themselves at war with God. In His plan of redemption, God formed a nation and called it to be holy. He gave it a law. He later gave it a king, bringing into clearer focus what in the NT is called the kingdom of God. That king (king David) anticipated the Savior, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. When that Savior-King began preaching, He said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” At the end of the book of Acts, we read of Paul “proclaiming the kingdom of God,” identifying it with the gospel itself (Acts 28:31). In the end, God will judge the nations. Jesus will “rule them with a rod of iron” (Rev. 19:15). The history of redemption ends in a blissful city (polis), the new Jerusalem.

   From Genesis to Revelation, God expresses His redemptive work in political terms. Sovereignty, governing, throne, law, rebellion, war, nation, king, kingdom, judge, rule, city—all of this language is political in nature. Thus, we cannot rightly understand politics apart from the context of God’s sovereign rule over heaven and earth, and God’s revealed historical metanarrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Otherwise, we would see ourselves free to use politics to do as we please—to our great misery; rather, than to use politics as God intends—for our great benefit. 

2. Politics is important because political authority provides the peace and order that is necessary for fulfilling the cultural mandate.

 Political authority provides the peace that is necessary for learning French, playing football, buying and selling, raising a family, or even worshipping God. Peace is the garden of the arts and of all culture.

   If there is no government to restrain man’s depravity, life is a war zone spent in fear and isolation with no possibility of cultivating a flourishing human life. If you recall in our recent study of 1 Timothy, at the beginning of chapter 2 (vs. 2) Paul tells Timothy that Christians should pray “for kings and all who are in high positions.” Why? “So that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” From this it is easily inferred that political authority is necessary to prevent civil unrest, ungodliness, and dishonorable living.

   In attempting to secure that peace, government can either do its job and only its job, or it can try to do everything. If it fails to accomplish even what is minimally expected of it, we call it a failed state or anarchy. When it tries to control people far beyond what is necessary for the liberty of that quiet and godly life, it is called totalitarianism.

   When government does the job for which God designed it, and only that, people are able to live in security, peace, and freedom—the optimal conditions for fulfilling the cultural mandate. When government goes beyond that and tries to do what people ought to do for themselves, the people are reduced to slavery and infantile dependence (what is sometimes called a nanny state).

   When government exercises no control or total control, either way, people are exposed to terrible danger. Thus, keeping government within its God-ordained bounds, so that we are free to pursue holiness and to fulfill the cultural mandate, requires a politically educated and vigilant Christian citizenry.

 For these reasons (and many others), the study of politics, and developing a distinctive theology of politics, is essential. With that said, we shall begin our study of political theology by looking at the doctrine of the trinity. This may seem like an odd place to begin, but politics is actually rooted in the trinity. 

Politics is rooted in the trinity

   All political reality begins with the fact that God is triune, which means that He is social, but His sociality is ordered in a particular way. The Godhead is a society of Persons that willingly and lovingly operates according to an authority structure.

   The Father sends the Son; the Son never sends the Father (1 John 4:14). Similarly, the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit never sends the Father or the Son (John 14:26; 15:26). The Son willingly and lovingly submits to and testifies of the Father. John 5:19, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” Again, John 12:49, “For I have not spoken on My own authority, but the Father who sent Me has Himself given Me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.” The Son willingly submits to the authority of the Father. Likewise, the Spirit willingly submits to the authority of the Son and of the Father. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus says in John 15:26, “when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me.” (John 15:26)

   Clearly, there is an authority structure or rulership within the society of Persons that constitutes the Godhead, which points us to the core idea of politics that we have already observed: rulership of a structured society according to law. The Trinity is inherently political.

   Therefore, political reality is an essential aspect of human existence because we have all been made in the image of God. All human societies are to operate according to an authority structure that is analogous to what we find in the Trinity.

   Furthermore, in formulating a theology of politics, it’s critical that we understand and maintain the unity in diversity that exists within the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity holds the concept of unity in diversity in perfect balance, and when this is denied, the inevitable political result is either totalitarianism (a unified state at the expense of the individual; i.e., unity at the expense of diversity), or anarchy (individual interests at the expense of a unified state; i.e., diversity at the expense of unity).

   To avoid these political ditches, we must emphasize both the threeness and the oneness of the Godhead in our political theology. Emphasizing God’s threeness (or diversity) reminds us that a social being is at the center of all existence, and the study of politics concerns, among other things, social relationships. God is essentially—by nature—personal, which is to say, interpersonal or social. Yet, just as soon as we emphasize His threeness, we must also emphasize His oneness (or unity), that He is one in nature and essence. Politics is not just about structured social relationships; it’s about structured social relationships that maintain unity according to righteousness and justice. 

   Put simply, God has a social nature and so do we as human beings. And politics is the business of organizing, governing, and unifying groups of social beings according to righteousness and justice. To quote Christopher Wright:

 "God, in the mystery of the Trinity, lives in the harmonious relationship of equal Persons, each of whom possesses His proper function, authority, and relatedness to each of the others. Human beings, therefore, made in God’s image, have been created to live in the harmony of personal equality, but with social organization that requires functional structures and patterns of relationship. The ordering of social relationships and structures, locally, nationally, and globally is of direct concern to our Creator God, then. [And] such ordering is precisely the stuff of politics."[1]

   Human politics is fundamentally about ordering our relationships so that they would mirror the harmonious relationships that exist among the Persons of the Trinity, and especially the relationship of the Father and the Son.

   The perfect political relationship of ruler and ruled is seen in the Father’s loving affirmation of the Son, as the Son willingly submits to the authority of the Father. As we read in Heb. 1:9, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness [speaking of the Son]; therefore, God, your God [the Father], has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” The Father and Son modeled a perfect political relationship for the sake of the watching world—a relationship of affirmation and submission that displayed righteousness, justice, unity, and love. And this display is to be mimicked by all of God’s image-bearers. The lesson to be learned from the relationship between the Father and the Son is that good government works according to the principles of righteousness, justice, and love; and good government works best when ruler and ruled are perfectly in sync.

   We see, then, that politics is rooted in the interpersonal relationships of the Trinity, and especially in the relationship between the Father and the Son.     

The genesis of human politics—God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility

   Having established that politics is rooted in the Trinity, let’s turn our attention to Genesis 1 in order to see the ways in which God has politically structured creation. Go ahead and turn to Genesis 1, and we’re going to be looking at verses 16-19. These verses give us an account of day 4 of creation in which God creates the sun, the moon, and the stars. And I want you to pay special attention to the language that is used in verses 16 and 18 with regard to the sun and the moon.

 

¹⁶ And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ¹⁷ And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to rule [or have dominion] over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day (Gen. 1:16-19).

 

   To rule or have dominion is political language, and it is meant to draw our attention to an underlying political theme that culminates at the end of the creation account using similar language in connection with human beings. In verses 26 and 28, we see that man, as the image of God, is given delegated authority by God to rule and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the land, and over all the earth. The similarity in the language that is used in verses 16 and 18, and then later in 26 and 28, is meant to bookend a general pattern of realms and rulers. Using these linguistic cues, the observant reader will discover a pattern of “realms” in the first 3 days of creation, followed by the “rulers” of those realms in days 4-6. The final creation, man, is the comprehensive ruler; he is given charge over all realms and rulers. The following table helps us to see the pattern.

 

Realms	Ruler
Day 1—light and darkness (day and night)	Day 4—sun, moon, and stars (“rule” the day and the night).
Day 2—waters and sky	Day 5—fish and birds
Day 3—dry land	Day 6—beasts and man (who rules over all creation).

  

   Obviously, the sun, the moon, the fish, the birds, and the beasts do not literally rule as man does. The theological purpose behind structuring the creation account in this way is to highlight the kingdom character of God’s creation, and of man’s calling in God’s service. Moses is writing this for Israel as they depart Egypt after over 400 years of slavery. Over the course of this time of bondage, they have forgotten who God is, who they are, and what God expects of them. So, in this creation account, Moses establishes a kingdom context of God’s rule over creation (God’s sovereignty) and man’s special place within it (man’s responsibility) as a historical backdrop to Israel’s newly established nationhood.

   In a broader sense, what Moses is teaching every student of politics, and every citizen everywhere, is that human life is fundamentally a political life of the noblest order. We are subjects in God’s kingdom who hold the highest political office in all creation. We are the royal representatives of God.

   For this reason, our civic life is central to our calling as human beings. Government is embedded in the cosmos itself. Political life is good because government is part of the created order. God made us in His image to represent Him, to resemble His character, to rule in righteousness. In telling man to have dominion, God delegated His authority to man, and made man in a derivative sense supreme ruler of all creation.

   Thus, we are to be faithful stewards, and in order to do this, we must faithfully mirror God’s moral character. As God’s image-bearers, we are not only to rule the creation, but also to be righteous in doing so. Righteousness is essential to our ruling.

   Furthermore, because God is Triune, the political character of bearing His image has a further dimension. The dominion/cultural mandate to which we have been called is a communal enterprise. Because we are created in the image of the social, triune God, we have been created to foster loving interpersonal relationships with one another by way of family, friendship, and broader community.

   For this reason, Adam was commanded by God to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28). This was necessary not only for the sheer numbers that subduing the earth would require, but also for the sake of constituting godly, robust communities. The work of dominion requires, by the very nature of the work, that people function in large part as communities, and in this way, we image the divine community.

   Political theology is therefore present from the opening pages of Genesis. God is the sovereign Creator who established the boundaries of His creation, instituted ordered structures of realms and rulers within His creation, and placed a political representative made in His own image to exercise dominion over His creation. Right from the start, we see very clearly God’s political sovereignty, and man’s political responsibility. 

Observations/Applications

   In the time that remains, I would like to leave you with four observations/applications based upon the material that we have covered this morning. 

1. As image-bearers, and as Christians, all of life is political.

   If we have been created in the divine King’s image for the purpose of ruling on His behalf, then everything that we do is an act of rule, and represents God’s own rule. If God, being triune, is inherently political (as we’ve already noted), then man, being made in the image of God, is likewise inherently political. To live as a creature who has been made in the image of God, is to act out a political drama. Essentially, all of us are spiritual politicians, we are all representative of the sovereign Creator, we have all been given the office of “Secretary of Earth.”

   As image-bearers, all of life is political. The question is—as God’s political representatives upon the earth, are we living our lives with God’s rule and reputation in mind? Or are we living according to our own self-interests, according to our own rule, with only our own reputation in mind? As Americans, we understand what representative government is all about. We elect others to represent us, to serve on our behalf, to rule with our interests in mind—city council members, congressmen, senators, governors, and all the way up to the vice president and president. And whenever an elected official is embroiled in a scandal, it grieves those who elected that person into office because they’ve been misrepresented.

   In an analogous way, it’s the same with us as Christians. We too are elected officials. As restored image-bearers, we have been elected to serve as ambassadors to the King of kings in all that we say and do, in every area of life. We are the elect. We have been elected unto salvation, and with that comes certain responsibilities. We are to proclaim the kingdom of Christ in all that we think, say, and do. And whenever we sin, it’s a political scandal that grieves God because we’re misrepresenting Him.

   As image-bearers, and as Christians, all of life is political. This brings us to our second observation/application.

2. Worship is utterly political.

  Worship is fundamentally about giving glory, honor, and praise to God, and it is to be comprehensive; it is to be manifested in all our living. Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve’s willing submission to God’s law was an act of worship. They were in agreement with God that He deserves obedience and that He should be “imaged” or reflected because all honor and glory rightly belong to Him. Their submission was praise; their political obedience was worship. Their activity of bringing God’s holy, just, and loving rule to the earth was their praise.

   To put it simply, the political mandate of humanity is to worship God; thus, worship is utterly political. To give God glory, honor, and praise in all that we do is to show political allegiance and loyalty to our sovereign King. 

3. Religion and politics go hand in hand.

  One of the reasons why so many Christians are of the opinion that we shouldn’t really be talking about politics, or preaching about politics from the pulpit is because they’ve bought the lie that we shouldn’t mix religion and politics. Many Christians have mentally written a certificate of divorce between religion and politics, but from the beginning it was not so. And what God has joined together, let no man separate.

   If we go back to the very beginning, we find that man was given both a kingly office and a priestly office. The Garden of Eden was a temple; it was the place where God’s presence dwelt, and Adam was to “work” and “keep” this temple (Gen. 2:15). The pairing of these activities—“working” and “keeping”—indicates that Adam was to serve as a priest, for these paired activities would eventually be given to Israel’s priests with respect to the tabernacle and temple (Num. 3:7-8; 8:26; 18:5-6).

   As a priest, Adam was to be careful to ensure that God’s ways were kept and His judgments accepted. Priests mediate worship, but they also guard and protect. Adam was to guard the temple/sanctuary of Eden to ensure that only worshipers would enter. Thus, for Adam, being a king meant being a priest, and being a priest meant being a king. Representative rule requires consecration, and consecration leads to representative rule.

   To live as a creature made in God’s image, is to act out a religious drama just as much as it is to act out a political drama. Human life is innately religious. Every action and thought is either for or against God. Every action and thought will either be a priestly activity of worship and consecration to God, or it will be anti-worship. Humanity’s political mandate is matched by a priestly mandate: to be consecrated to God and to make His ways known.

   Politics and religion therefore go hand in hand. This is made most explicit when we look to the second Adam—our Lord, Jesus Christ. What Adam and Eve should have done, Jesus did. They succumbed to the serpent’s temptation; Jesus did not. As we read in Luke 4:5-7: 

And the devil took Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶ and said to Him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 

   The devil tempted Jesus to worship him, and in return, promised to authorize Jesus with all rule. And how did Jesus answer? He responds by quoting from the law in Deuteronomy: 

“It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve [in other words, Him only shall you submit to as His loyal subject].’” (Lk. 4:8) 

   Jesus explicitly affirms that worshipping and obeying God (religion and politics) go hand in hand. Worship and service—religious fidelity and political fealty—are inseparable, which brings us to our final observation/application… 

4. All men are born into this world in a state of political rebellion.

  As was mentioned just a moment ago, what Jesus did, Adam and Eve should have done. But as we know all too well, they succumbed to the temptation to be like God. They usurped the throne of their sovereign Creator and placed themselves upon it; they committed treason against the Crown, desiring to free themselves from His rule, so that they might rule autonomously. They switched political allegiances, choosing to follow the serpentine track of the father of lies and enter into his kingdom of darkness, rather than remain on the straight and narrow way of the Father of lights.

   To quote Stephen Charnock, “Since all men by nature are the devil’s children, the serpent’s seed, they have something of [his] venom in their natures.” The devil desired to be as God, and when he sank his fangs into Adam’s heart, he envenomated all of mankind with his same delusions of deific grandeur. All of us are born into this world with a terminal blood disease of the soul. We all enter into this life with Satan’s venom coursing through the vasculature of our nature. None of us seeks after God; no one does good, not even one. The venom of asps is under our lips.

   Satan, that rabid dog, bit Adam and infected man with the virus of self-deification. Every last one of us is born at enmity with God; we are all rabid rebels. One of the things that makes rabies so horrifying is that it changes the very nature of the infected host. The virus progressively moves to the central nervous system, causing the brain and spinal cord to swell, and ultimately causes changes in the host’s behavior. The host becomes hyper excitable, aggressive, and vicious, with an insatiable urge to bite because this is how the virus primarily gets transmitted to others. It’s as if the virus knows what it’s doing! It’s absolutely terrifying!

   And this is our spiritual state when we come into this world. Instead of slaying that rabid dog, Adam decided to play with that rabid dog, and his decision came back to bite not only him, but all of us. By nature, our spiritual central nervous system is swollen with pride. We desire to do whatever is right in our own eyes, and we will viciously bite anyone who might get in our way.

   We are all Nebuchadnezzar’s, setting up a golden image of ourselves and commanding everyone, including God, to bow down and worship, ready to inflict the highest penalty we can imagine to any who would refuse.

   We are all rabid rebels, we have all been infected with the virus of pride and vanity, and this spiritual disease is 100% fatal apart from Christ, apart from a blood transfusion of His imputed righteousness. Only Christ has the cure. Only Christ has the surgeon’s scalpel that can remove the diseased heart that beats after sin, and replace it with a healthy one that beats after Him and His righteousness.

   If you are not in Christ, you are still in political rebellion. Lay down your arms and repent for having committed treason. Believe that He is the only King who can save you from death; that He is the way, the truth, and the life and that you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven without Him.

   One way or another, He will conquer you by the sword—either the sword of grace, or the sword of justice; either the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God), or the sword that proceeds from His mouth to strike down His enemies. You will either enter into His kingdom as a blessed citizen of heaven, or you will enter into His eternal dungeon of hellfire, as a damned traitor.

   Believe and repent. Bow the knee and confess your political fealty.

 [To the Lord Jesus Christ,] who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:15-16)

 

[1] Christopher J. H. Wright, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God (IVP Academic, 2004), 215.