Civic Righteousness

Can you adjust for me the relation of the believer to the present world-system and politics?

There is such a thing as a mere mechanical separation from the world. We are to remember that a distinction must be made between the world of men — humanity, that God so loved as to give His only begotten Son to redeem, and the world system organized under Satan in its forms social, political and commercial. The individual believer is in the world, but not of it. It is a scene through which he is passing and his attitude toward it should be that of his Lord and of the apostles, as we gather that attitude from their writings.

With these general principles to guide one, it seems clear that the Christian could take little part, if any, in schemes for the improvement of the unregenerate world. The whole scene is one awaiting judgment; but as our Lord met throngs of people, He healed the sick and fed the hungry without asking whether they believed on Him or not. In other words, He did works of mercy. To apply all this to the case, for instance, of licensing saloons in a village, seems very simple. We love men because our heavenly Father and our Redeemer loved and loves them, and whatever we can do to benefit them or to keep them from harm, we should gladly do. It is this relation of love, rather than of citizenship or participation in the ambitions and rewards of political movements and reform movements that governs the conduct of believers. If we could put up a fence that might prevent even a blind horse from falling into a pit, we should gladly do it. How much more should we lend a hand to put up a fence between the youth of a village and the open bar-room. In other words, our relation to everything is dominated by the law of love and of loving service. From time to time questions arise not easy of decision, but keeping the separate place in this attitude of loving helpfulness will, with prayer and the individual direction of the Spirit of God, enable us to keep in the pathway.

Is it not part of the mission of the church to correct the social evils of our day?

The church has but one mission, defined in Luke 24:47, 48; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; and the church works most powerfully toward the solution of social problems not by turning reformer, but by preaching the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. When Christ was on earth all the social problems — slavery, intemperance, prostitution, unequal distribution of wealth, oppression of the weak by the strong — were at their worst. To cure them He put into the world one message — the gospel, one means — regeneration, one agency, — the Holy Spirit in the church. The best help a pastor can bring to the social problems of his community is to humble himself before God, forsake his sins, receive the filling with the Holy Spirit, and preach a pure gospel in tender love.