Apologetics

A Rant

by Dudley Harris
09/11/15
Not For Sale
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"A Rant"

Greetings!

I have some things that I cannot leave unsaid.

I am a Christian.

I am an American. This has nothing to do with me being a Christian; it just happens to be where I was born. If I had been born in Syria my hope is that someone would have told me about Jesus so that I could become a Christian. Being born in America does not make me a Christian.

I love our American constitution. However, there is nothing in it that is "Christian", just American. If the constitution were in any way Christian, Americans would be the only ones saved. You don’t have to have an American constitution to go to heaven. It makes life on earth easier to tolerate but it does nothing for your relationship with God or His Kingdom.

The right to free speech afforded us in our constitution is not a Christian right. Christians in China have no such right, yet they love God. People in Egypt are dying daily because of their stand for Christ. They have no state-given right of free speech. 

Americans are not God's chosen people. The Bible was not written exclusively for Americans. There were no Americans when the Bible was written. One does not have to become an American in order to be saved. Our mission efforts should never become attempts to bring American culture to a foreign land; only the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Just to be clear, I love my country. I’m not looking to renounce my citizenship. I just want to clearly define the line between the Kingdom of Heaven and nationalism.

I am also not endorsing dualism. That is the concept of separating our “spiritual life” from our “natural life.” I am a Christian and it is reflected in everything that I do.

America is not a Christian nation. We are a nation founded on Christian principles. Because laws have been passed that are contrary to Christian principles, our Christian heritage has eroded. You cannot legislate Christianity, only Christian principles. 

The Church (big “C”) cannot be destroyed by any law passed in Washington, D.C. or any state capital. Our churches (little “c”) can be greatly affected by laws. The Kingdom of God is not affected by anything man does.

Some have developed a view of God that makes Him out to be a conservative Republican. God is neither conservative nor Republican; He is God! A disciple of Jesus is neither conservative nor Republican. If you add ANYTHING as a requirement to being a child of God you have missed the truth.

Look at the passage in the Book of Acts known as “The Council at Jerusalem”. Some wanted to add circumcision as a requirement to being saved. It was rejected. Anything beyond being identified with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating at the right had of Father is beyond grace, and therefore unnecessary for salvation.

I realize there are volumes written on this same argument so I do not claim this to be even a fair treatise of the subject, but I hope you at least hear my heart. This weekend evaluate your understanding of your faith in God, and see if anything has been “added to” that really is not essential for your relationship with Father. If so, repent.

Written by Dudley M. Harris (c) 2014 Kurios Publishing.