The promises of God are often sold –
Forsaken for a bowl of lentil stew
Or for a flag of red and white and blue.
But there it sits, with time collecting mold.

“If hope be hope it must continue to burn after it has put out every false hope.”
Karl Barth

One of the biggest mistakes Christians in exile make is to forget who “we” are. “We” are not defined by the nation in which we are exiled. As Christians in America, we must always remember that we are defined by Christ, not country. There is much evil in this world that needs to be confronted. But in confronting evil God did not elect a country or a president, God elected His Son Jesus Christ. God has placed Jesus as the head of His Church, not as the head of a human institution called “America”. America is not God’s chosen people. The people of God are defined by Christ, not the constitution. Thus, we confront evil not as Americans but as Christians. This means that the tools we use to confront evil are not the tools of nations but the tools of God.

When we see evil in the world – war, poverty, sexual immorality, and so on – our first response should not be: let’s elect a national leader to solve these problems. Our first response should not be as citizens of a country but as citizens of heaven. How must we, the church of Jesus Christ, respond? Or better, what is Jesus already doing to address this sin and evil? How can we participate in what God is doing?

This is not to say we abandon politics and human institutions, but it does mean that those avenues are peripheral and secondary to our work as the people of God. From a political vantage point, there is much room for debate – even among Christians – as to what the best policies are to deal with abortion, immigration, sexual ethics, and the like. There is no one “Christian” policy for how America ought to deal with these issues. But there are Christian ethics for how the Church ought to respond.

Namely, the Church is called to be the body of Christ, the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Below are ten passages of scripture that inform how we, as the Church of Jesus Christ, are called to live, and how we are to address the sin and evil of the world. As we enter this election week, do not forget who we are – we are the people of God, the Church of Jesus Christ.

1. “You must not take revenge nor hold a grudge against any of your people; instead, you must love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 19:18*

2. “Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.” – Leviticus 19:34

3. “Promote the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare.” – Jeremiah 29:7

4. “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you.” – Matthew 5:44

5. “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” – John 13:34-35

6. “I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.” – John 16:33

7. “Our citizenship is in heaven. We look forward to a savior that comes from there – the Lord Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 3:20

8. “We don’t have a permanent city here, but rather we are looking for the city that is still to come.” – Hebrews 13:14

9. “Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to grow angry. This is because an angry person doesn’t produce God’s righteousness.” – James 1:19-20

10. “Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Have respectful fear of God. Honor the emperor.” – 1 Peter 2:17

*All scripture passages are from the Common English Bible