In today’s society, it is accepted that the church and the government should be entirely separate. Most nations have it in their laws that religion has no place in political decision-making. However, for someone to be a true Christian, they must strive to have their faith affect every aspect of their life. Only in using the Bible for guidance will man be able to come close to living like Jesus Christ. Therefore, religion must be an inseparable part of politics and political decision-making.
The Bible offers much guidance on both how rulership should be viewed and how leadership should be selected. The church can teach the leaders of man how to properly carry out their duties in accordance to the Word of God. Equally, it can offer guidance to the common man on selecting the worthy as their leaders. 1 Timothy describes the proper kind of ruler as being “above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” (3:1-13). If this advice, among other similar warnings, was heeded, many untoward choices in the political arena could have been avoided.
Moreover, it is foolish to claim that politics is somehow separate from religion. The Bible teaches us that God “changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel, 2:21) and that “there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1-7). Thus, it is impossible to claim to have power without it being granted to you by God. To fully follow the path that you have been honored with, one must seek guidance from the church, which preaches the Word of God. Not doing so would be a misuse of the power granted to you, which may lead to many others being misled as well.
In conclusion, the Christian church should have a great impact on every decision that a person should have. The same ought to be said for any collective of people, including nations. When choosing their leaders and when leaders choose how to act, both must seek advice from the church to be able to follow the path designated to them by God.
Work Cited
Holy Bible. New International Version, Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.