In the initial article in this series, we highlighted the perilous times we live in and outlined what we believe to be the approach Christian resistance ought to take. We began with repentance both individual and corporate. Last week we investigated how crucial the Word, the Spirit and prayer are to our efforts and I outlined some of my experiences as I have grown in this area of family life. Today we focus on one of the biggest issues the Church in the West faces, that of dualism.
We must confront the Church’s unholy dualism and learn once more to apply the lordship of Christ to all things.
What do we mean by dualism? Dualism, as the name suggests splits the world into two parts. In philosophy when we speak of dualism we mean the belief that there are two parts to humanity, the mind or spirit and the body. The Christian ought to subscribe to this sort of dualism. We are embodied souls. However, there is another sense in which dualism is a problem. The dualism I refer to is the belief that there is a sacred-secular divide. This view holds that there are some things that are spiritual, and some that are just neutral, profane or non-religious. It leads to an almost complete separation of the spiritual from the physical or material world and the personal from the public realm.
Now put like this, most Christians, I hope, will see dualism as a perverse lie of the devil. We know that the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it (Psalm 24:1). We know that true faith is not just spiritual in the sense of shunning the material world, but leads to good physical or earthy works as the apostles teach. But nonetheless, the Church in the West by and large have swallowed the lie of dualism.
Statements That Might Measure Our Dualism
Let me list some statements and think to yourself whether you would agree or disagree with them. Then think about whether your pastor would agree or disagree. What about the average Christian on the pew, or as we should perhaps say in these times of lockdown, couch?
- The Bible does not address schooling, so sending your children to government schools is legitimate for a Christian parent. Schools are just presenting facts about the world that we can all agree on.
- Law is not an aspect of the church’s teaching mandate, and ought not be tied to morality. Christians leaders ought not try to force their views of morality on others
- Religion and politics don’t mix. For the good of the country, Christians who are in politics ought not to let their private beliefs influence their political decisions
- There are many ways to national economic success. The Bible contains no explicit instructions on Economics so there is no real Christian approach. Regarding the economic situation of the individual, saving for the future and growing your wealth, although not completely bad, is a very real distraction from the faith and ought to be viewed with great suspicion. The best way to use your wealth for the kingdom is giving it to the church. Spending on more than the basic necessities of life ought to be avoided and all spare income given away.
- The pinnacle of service to God is full time paid Christian ministry because saving souls is the most important business on this earth. Our job in this world is to seek to see people saved from hell – worrying about society is like polishing the brass on a sinking Titanic. We are heaven bound. Earth is important in so far as we use time here to see people redeemed.
- For those who are laity, their most important service of God is found in personal evangelism and doing things for the local church institution. This is what the works of service spoken about by Ephesians 4:12 is talking about – welcoming visitors to the Sunday service, playing in the music team, making cups of teas and running the AV desk.
- The church has authority in the spiritual realm, the state in the physical realm, therefore meeting together on Zoom or in virtual church is an acceptable alternative when the government deems we are not allowed to meet physically.
We could go on and on with these kinds of statements. Dualism is rife, but now let us review these statements in order to highlight the modern Church’s dualism. We will conclude by assessing the damage that has been done by dualism.
Statement 1: On Education
While the Bible does not address the topic of modern schooling, it provides clear direction regarding the education of children. We learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7 & 9:10). God clearly requires parents and particularly fathers to be in charge of an all-encompassing God-centred education (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Ephesians 6:4). The Christian is to be transformed by the renewing of his mind (Romans 12:2) rather than be conformed to the pattern of this world and yet many Christian leaders think that they are in fact obeying God’s call to be salt and light by putting their children into an environment where they are going to be conformed to the pattern of this world. The fact that education is thought to be an area of neutrality is mind-blowing given the clear Scriptural principles on the matter. We will address this area of dualism with the detail it deserves in article seven of this series.
Statement 2: On Law
Christ’s final commission to his apostles is justly famous among Christians and called the Great Commission. Unfortunately, our understanding of the Commission is also tainted by our dualism. Christ commissions his apostles to make disciples of all nations who obey Christ’s commands (Matthew 28:16-20). The Church ought to teach its members God’s law and urge obedience to it. Instead in our desire to avoid works righteousness (which quite obviously Scripture condemns), we end up in an almost antinomian position of feeling very uncertain any time someone speaks of God’s law in a positive manner. Isn’t that just for Israel we wonder? Should we really be calling for laws against homosexual marriage, sodomy and for tighter divorce laws? Should we really seek to see these kinds of laws in the public sphere? Well, yes actually. If we believe Scripture, then we should say a hearty Amen! It’s a sign of the times that many Christians are more willing to submit to forced vaccines and mask mandates which are not part of God’s law, but balk at his laws against sodomy (for instance) and assume these should not be ultimately part of a good and godly society.
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11)
Keeping God’s law leads to individual and national blessing. Failure to keep his law leads to individual and national curse. This is clearly the witness of Scripture, and although we could spend much time proving this truth, for now, two examples will suffice. First of all, in Deuteronomy 28, we see that national blessing and cursing for God’s covenant people Israel was linked to obedience and disobedience. This is true also of other nations. The book of Habakkuk is in part a demonstration of this. Habakkuk complained to the Lord that God’s people were evil and God was ignoring it. God then told Habakkuk that the Chaldeans (Babylonians) would be his tool of punishment. Habakkuk then asked God how this could be since they were even worse than God’s people. God then assured him that they would not escape his curse either.
So ought Christians be encouraging pagans to keep God’s law? Yes. There is a name for this. Evangelism. We ought to proclaim the gospel to them. Repent (from law-breaking!) and turn to Christ in faith as Lord (the king, law-maker and judge) to whom we must give an account. As countries become more Christian, we ought to see a change in laws to reflect God’s law. Christians ought to seek to see that this occurs. In Leviticus 18:2-5, we see that God forbids Israel from looking to the pagan nations around them on questions of law. Rather they shall follow God’s law.
You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules
Law clearly reflects religious allegiance. The Bible teaches this, and we ought to hold to this truth. Law is not neutral, but a function of the God of the system.
Statement 3: On Politics
Related to the previous statement is the concept that religion and politics don’t mix. This is perhaps the stupidest statement of the lot. What perhaps began as a sensible idea (church leadership and state leadership ought to be separated spheres of authority) has morphed into a plainly ridiculous and impossible notion. What do we mean by religion and politics not mixing? For many, it means that people who are religious should not allow their religion to determine the way they conduct their political leadership. Think about that for two seconds and it should become obvious why this is an impossibility.
What do we mean by religion? The way the ruling elite define religion rules them out from being religious. They have conveniently assumed their own faith system to be objective truth and therefore neutral while Christians and others in more traditional belief systems are defined as religious. But this sleight of hand will not do.
Religion can be thought of as deeply held prior convictions about the world – presuppositions that undergird your approach to life. Even the so-called non-religious are religious in this sense, since even an atheist has presuppositions about the nature of reality, the nature of man and the nature of the good life. These are not neutral ‘out there’ facts. Moreover, the answers an individual gives to these big questions of life necessarily shape the way he lives. And this will necessarily shape the way he governs others. Beliefs have consequences.
Christians, like Christopher Luxon, who seems to agree with this statement, are ceding ground to the enemy. Pagan rebels against God are entirely happy to let their bedrock assumptions about reality, man and the good life impact their politics – thus abortion on demand, state absolutism, state-sanctioned theft in the form of welfare, homosexual ‘marriage’ and so on. It is these enemies of the gospel who have trained our Christian leaders and the average church member (in their ‘neutral’ schools) to think they ought to keep their faith out of the public sphere when it comes to politics. Word to the wise. When the enemy gives you warfare strategy, you ought to think twice before implementing it.
The Bible has plenty to say about what godly state government ought to look like, and it is a crying shame that the serious and thoughtful work of our forefathers in the faith on this issue has been shoved aside (in an all too typical modern evangelical chronological snobbery) for trite, ill-thought-out and frankly unbiblical answers on the state by lesser sons of greater sires.
But perhaps we ought not to be too hard on ourselves here. We and our leaders are the product of generations of disobedience in the area of education.
We could start by remembering Isaiah 9:6-7, often quoted at Christmas.
For to us a child is born,to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
When did this government start? When Christ crushed the serpent. Daniel places the kingdom commencing during the Roman Empire, and slowly but steadily growing from that point until it encompasses the whole earth (Danie 2:35,44-45). The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ…and He shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15). God’s people will reign with him (2 Timothy 2:12). Of course, gifted Christians ought to be involved in politics.
Continued tomorrow…