The Christian View of Politics: We must approach it with the right identity and balance as citizens of both nations.

The Christian View of Politics: 

We must approach it with the right identity 

and balance as citizens of both nations.

 

 

 

 

[This article is written by a Korean pastor in Korea in Korean and I translated into English.]

 

 

‘Three Worldviews

 

Then, what attitude should Christians take as they live in relationship with the world? In other words, what is the truly biblical worldview that Christians ought to have toward this world?  In Christianity today, teachings about the believer’s relationship with the world can generally be categorized into three main worldviews. The first is a separatist worldview, the second a transformational worldview, and the third a preservational worldview.  Most Christians today can be said to fall into one of these three views. Sadly, however, many hold not the correct but a mistaken worldview among these.

 

1. Separatist Worldview

 

The separatist worldview resembles the dualism found in Greek philosophy or Gnosticism — it completely divides faith and the world. According to this view, the world is evil, doomed, and entirely devoid of anything good.  This worldview is very traditional, but if taken to extremes, it can easily lead to nihilism or skepticism.

 

2. Transformational Worldview

 

The second is the transformational worldview. This perspective has become widespread especially within twentieth-century evangelicalism and missionary movements.  Simply put, it sees the world as a fallen and sinful place, and teaches that the Christian’s foremost mission is to reform, renew, and transform this world — to fulfill the role of salt and light.  Thus, churches and pastors with this worldview often base their mission on Genesis 1:28, promoting citywide evangelization movements, visions such as “Jesus Korea,” or cultural movements to “brighten the land.” They speak of Christian business, Christian political parties, Christian nations, and of Christian art and music.

 

However, while this worldview has some merit in emphasizing the Christian’s cultural mission, it becomes dangerous when it assumes that through such cultural or transformational efforts God’s kingdom is brought about, established, or that the work of redemption is accomplished.  Such thinking undermines Christianity’s most foundational truths — by grace alone, through Christ alone, through faith alone.

 

3. Preservational Worldview

 

So then, what is the correct biblical teaching about the Christian’s relationship to this world?

It is the preservational worldview.  This view avoids both extremes of separatism and transformationism, and distinguishes between God’s acts of creation and redemption, as well as between humanity’s cultural and redemptive callings.  A Christian who holds this preservational worldview does not ignore the “cultural mandate” — to be salt and light in the world — as the transformationalists emphasize. Yet at the same time, such a believer recognizes the natural world that God created as one of order, harmony, and beauty.

 

Christians find the primary basis for this in the Noahic Covenant.  Through His covenant with all creation, God promised to preserve the world until the day of Christ’s return. He also commanded humanity to be fruitful, multiply, and exercise stewardship within it.  Thus, until the Lord returns, God calls His people to live rightly within the institutions of this world, manifesting His image as citizens of earthly society.  At the same time, Scripture teaches that Christians are those who look ultimately toward the spiritual Kingdom of God, the new heavens and new earth, and the salvation of eternal life.  Therefore, Christians do not live in this world cynically or pessimistically, but actively and responsibly as those called by God to participate in it. Yet they also live knowing that their true and eternal home is the new heavens and new earth, and thus, as citizens of God’s Kingdom, they live with hope set upon that Kingdom.

 

Therefore, according to Scripture, a Christian is ultimately one who, while faithfully fulfilling the cultural responsibilities God has entrusted to them in this world, at the same time longs for the coming of God’s Kingdom—the eternal dwelling place of all believers. Such a person lives by faith as a citizen of God’s Kingdom, centering their life on the Church, the model of heaven on earth. In other words, a Christian is someone who belongs both to this world and to the Kingdom of God—a citizen of two nations.

 

Therefore, it is of utmost importance that Christians live in right relationship with the world while maintaining a proper identity as citizens of both realms. This means that whether in their attitude toward the institutions of this world—such as family, workplace, or nation—they must preserve the right sense of identity and balance as citizens of both the earthly and heavenly kingdoms.  Likewise, in dealing with worldly matters such as knowledge, art, wealth, or honor, Christians must always approach them with a right identity and balance as citizens of these two kingdoms.

 

First Peter

 

From this perspective, the passage we read today in 1 Peter shows most clearly what kind of balance and identity Christians—citizens of two kingdoms—must maintain while living in this world.

 

The structure of 1 Peter can be divided into three parts: introduction, main body, and conclusion. The main body, which contains the core teaching, runs from chapter 2 verse 3 to chapter 5 verse 11.

 

The first main section (2:3–10) speaks about the true identity believers must hold and the unique privileges they alone possess while living in this world. What, then, is the essential identity of believers in this world? The apostle describes them as foreigners and strangers.  Believers live as foreigners and strangers because God has called them out from the world. Only those who live as sojourners in this world can have an imperishable, undefiled, unfading living hope and truly inherit the kingdom of heaven.  Here, we see the identity of God’s people who belong to two realms. First, they belong temporarily to this world, living as pilgrims and strangers. Second, they belong to heaven, setting their hope on things above.  However, this world is not friendly toward those who live as such. The world we inhabit is under the dominion of the prince of the power of the air, and it is this same world that opposed and crucified Jesus.

 

Therefore, for believers who belong both to God’s Kingdom and to the kingdom of this world, a crucial question arises: How should we relate to this world?  The apostle answers this question in the second main section (2:11–4:11), where he explains how believers are to live and what kind of relationship they should have with the world.  Then, in the third main section (4:12–5:12), Peter teaches how believers with such an identity should respond to suffering in this world—what attitude they should maintain, how they can endure trials, and especially, how they are to resist the devil, who governs this fallen world.

 

Among these teachings, the passage we have read today especially teaches us how Christians are to relate to the world and what attitude and mindset they must have as they await the Lord’s return.  Until that day comes, you and I will continue to live as citizens of this world—as members of families, workplaces, local communities, and nations. In all these settings, we will be involved in the various affairs of society—politics, economics, culture, education, and more.  The question, then, is this: As citizens of this world, what kind of posture and attitude should we have?

 

The Christian View of Politics

 

Today, among all the various relationships Christians have with the world, let us take a moment to consider one major principle: what attitude should Christians—who are citizens of God’s two kingdoms—have toward the politics of this world?  The Republic of Korea, where we now live, is a nation where a wide range of ideologies and beliefs coexist more than ever before.

 

A century ago, most countries in the world were reorganized under two major ideological systems: on one side, the democratic nations led by the United States, and on the other, the communist nations led by the former Soviet Union. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, most countries of the world—except for a few such as China and North Korea—have come to adopt the principles of liberal democracy.

 

Korea, too, after enduring the Korean War and the democracy movements of the 1970s and 1980s, has outwardly become a nation that embraces a liberal democratic system. Yet, despite this appearance, deep regional divisions and a rapidly diversifying society have produced growing conflicts among classes, generations, and groups, resulting in the emergence of various ideological movements and political parties. Thus, we now have what we call the left and the right, as well as those who identify as centrists. Among the left are the far-left and center-left, and among the right are the far-right, center-right, and pragmatic conservatives, each with distinct ideologies and political positions.

 

The Christian’s Foundational Principle

 

So then, what stance or principle should the Church and Christians hold regarding political matters? Here, we must reflect on a foundational principle for Christian engagement in politics: The principles and attitudes that the Church as a collective must hold are entirely distinct from those that individual Christians must hold.  This distinction is not only crucial for political issues but applies to nearly every issue in the world. If this distinction is not made clear, great confusion arises in the Christian life.

 

Let us consider why this distinction is necessary.  The first premise is this: the Church and the State differ in their nature and essence.  The Church is a community whose purpose and essence are grounded in the ideals of the Kingdom of God, while the State is a collective belonging to this world, founded upon a particular ideology that seeks to determine how human beings can live well in this life. 

 

Therefore, by its very nature, the Church neither agrees with nor opposes any specific political ideology or position held by a political party or governing power. In other words, the Church is neither left-wing, nor right-wing, nor centrist. The Church transcends all human ideologies and philosophies as a community of God’s people united in Christ.  Anyone who confesses Christ as Lord—regardless of ideology, nationality, or skin color—belongs to this community. Thus, at its most fundamental level, the Church does not follow, endorse, or align itself with any political ideology or position. Consequently, the Church must never corporately support or promote any ideology, hold political rallies, carry protest signs, form political gatherings, or—most importantly—use the pulpit to preach in support of political agendas.  However, individual believers, unlike the Church as an institution, may hold political opinions, support a political party, or participate in political activities.

Why is this permissible?  Because each believer, while being a citizen of the Kingdom of God and a member of the Church, is also a citizen of this earthly nation—Korea.  That is to say, believers are both sojourners in this world, looking forward to the Kingdom of God, and at the same time, citizens of the Republic of Korea, called to faithfully fulfill their earthly duties, responsibilities, and rights until the Lord returns.  Therefore, Christians have a rightful concern for their country. They have a duty to think carefully about whom to choose as president or legislators, which party to support, and to participate actively as responsible citizens.  In doing so, believers are not compromising their heavenly citizenship but living faithfully as members of both kingdoms—honoring God in heaven while acting responsibly on earth.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, when we live in this world, the groups we belong to are extremely important. For example, the school we graduated from, the workplace we attend, or the city we live in can significantly influence our lives. But there are two absolutely foundational groups that surpass all others in importance: our family and our nation. Unlike other groups, which can change and allow entry or exit, family and nation are groups we cannot leave until we die.

 

The nation, in particular, affects nearly every aspect of our lives. From the moment we are born and registered, to the schools we attend, the jobs we take, the communities we live in, and even our religious activities, the nation has a profound impact. Therefore, more than what university we attended or what job we hold, the country to which we belong and our citizenship in that country is far more crucial to our life and future.

 

No matter how prestigious a university we graduate from, if we live in a communist country, our lives could be miserable. Conversely, even if we are born into modest circumstances or with disabilities, if we live in a nation with a strong social safety system, freedom, equality, and justice, we can still live a fulfilling and happy life.

 

Therefore, it is vitally important to pay attention to what kind of nation we belong to, which political party governs it, what ideology that party upholds, and what policies it pursues. This is why the Bible instructs us to pray for our nation and its leaders.

 

However, there is an essential principle that Christians must never overlook: when expressing political opinions or participating in political activities, we must always do so in a lawful and orderly manner in accordance with the governance and order of the country. Simply put, Christians must submit to authorities as the Bible teaches, and must never use swords, weapons, or violence to express their views. Any act of violence, no matter how just or righteous it seems, can never be justified for a Christian.

 

Political decisions and the support of parties are too important to be made carelessly. We must never follow the crowd blindly or make hasty decisions without careful thought. Likewise, we must not only listen to the opinions of the party we support but must seek to understand opposing viewpoints as well.

 

Today, most media sources—newspapers, online news, and platforms like YouTube—are highly biased. Truly fair and impartial groups are rare, and fake news is widespread. Some media openly support the left, while others openly support the right. If we only consume media that aligns with our own preferences, we can unwittingly be brainwashed by biased reporting or false news.

 

To make wise and balanced judgments, we must study diligently. This includes studying history and understanding ideologies so that we know the historical roots and meanings of the left, right, and various factions. Similarly, when consuming news, we must not only rely on our preferred sources but also listen to opposing viewpoints to maintain balance.

 

However, even when we personally express political opinions or participate in politics, when we enter the Church, we must leave all political beliefs behind. Within the Church, there must be no political debates or conflicts arising from ideological differences. This is because the Church is not an organization pursuing any human ideology or political goal, but a holy community of believers who transcend all human ideologies, seeking only God’s Kingdom and righteousness in Christ.

 

All the ideologies and philosophies of this world ultimately stem from humanistic concerns: “How can humans live well together?” or “How can we build a good nation for people to live in?” Whether communism, socialism, liberalism, democracy, left-wing, or right-wing, these ideas all arise from the same humanistic concerns, though their methods and emphases differ. Those who emphasize opportunity and equality are called leftists, while those who emphasize freedom over equality are called rightists. Within these groups exist far-left, far-right, and other factions.

 

But the Church is neither left nor right; it does not advocate democracy or communism. The Church follows the Triune God alone, proclaiming the Kingdom of God established, governed, and completed by Him. The Church is a holy, cosmic community that transcends all worldly political or ideological allegiances.

 

Therefore, all worldly groups are temporary and will eventually fade with time. Only the Church exists eternally. While we must care for our families, workplaces, and nations as we live in this world, our primary concern must be our eternal destiny—whether we belong to the Church.

 

Conclusion

 

Today, I have shared with you a broad perspective on how we, as citizens of God’s two kingdoms, should relate to the world and live with the right identity. People in this world belong only to earthly nations, but we belong not only to this world but also to God’s Kingdom. This is a truth we must never forget.

Therefore, we should live responsibly within the world, exercising our duties, rights, and responsibilities under God’s common grace. Yet our ultimate focus must be on the everlasting, imperishable Kingdom of God, living our lives in devotion to God’s Kingdom and righteousness above all else.