How To Be a Christian Patriot

As Christians, we declare Jesus to be Lord—which is saying that our citizenship is in the kingdom of God, and Jesus is our King.  However, we still acknowledge that we live in this country and we are tied up in the welfare of this country, for good or for ill.  And many Christians still want to acknowledge that they love their country and want to seek its best.  It may not be perfect, but it’s what we got, until the kingdom of God comes.  So how do we show this love?  How can we declare ourselves to be patriotic as a part of our nation, even though our citizenship is in heaven?  To be a patriot doesn't mean voting for a certain party, or holding certain political views, or even supporting the troops in a particular way.  Ultimately, to be a patriot is no different than loving our neighbor as ourselves.  We need to act for the benefit of those around us.  How can we love our neighbors who live in our nation?

1.      Pray for This Country

In the first century, it was the duty of all Christians and Jews to pray for the Emperor, and the Scriptures acknowledge this in I Timothy 2:2 and Jeremiah 29:7.  Even so, we should pray for the nation we live in and for there to be security and peace there.  If we see God give those around us peace, then we too may experience that peace.  We should also pray for the leaders in the country so God would guide them with wisdom and righteousness.

2.      Honor the Government

The Scripture clearly says that we should honor the government in which we live, including our leaders (I Peter 2:17; Romans 13:7).  This means that we offer due respect to our leaders—which means that we cannot be insulting them or gossiping about them.  Also it means that we pay our taxes as they require.  Paying taxes isn’t just our national duty, it’s our Christian one.

3.      Obey the Laws

To be a good Christian, as well as a good member of our country, we need to obey every law—even the inconvenient ones.  This can be complicated at times, and it may even require some work or sacrifice on our part, but it is what we do as people who honor God’s authority (Romans 13:1).  The only time we disobey the government is if they are asking us to disobey Jesus.  If our two authorities clearly come in conflict—and this happens only in rare cases—then we must choose Jesus as our Lord.

4.      Seek the Welfare of this Country

The Scripture says that wherever we live, we must do good to everyone, and assist the people wherever we are living  (Jeremiah 29:7; Galatians 6:10).  This means that we will work toward the well-being of this country as best we can, doing service among our neighbors and community.

5.      Assist the Needy in This Country

One of the best ways that we can seek the welfare for the whole nation in which we live, is to assist the needy.  God says and has shown that he will judge nations if they oppress the needy and poor (Ezekiel 16:49-50; Psalm 82).  But if we, in the nation where we live, help the needy, then God will not be so likely to judge our nation.  In fact, the Lord will bless us greatly if we help the needy and that blessing will overflow to our community!  (Proverbs 14:21; Psalm 41:1-3)

6.      Warn This Country away from Judgment

If you want to be an extra good patriot, then let the nation know when they are especially disobeying God, and are being threatened with his judgement.  As citizens of God’s kingdom, we do not have the right to command the nation what to do, just to give it the opportunity to change it’s ways, even as Jonah did with Nineveh  (Jonah 3; II Chronicles 19:10).  Thus if the country is increasing in its sin before God, and even making it difficult not to sin, then the good patriot will warn the nation of their plight.

This means we need to encourage the country to be just, to help the poor, to love each other and to seek peace.  If a country seeks war, ignores the poor, kills the innocent and has injustice in the courts then it will be judged by God.  A good patriot does all they can to keep their nation away from these evils. 

7.      Invite Citizens of this Nation to the Kingdom of God

The best way, though, to grant peace and health to your country is to welcome it’s citizens into God’s kingdom by acknowledging Jesus as Lord.  If we truly want the best for the people of the nation we live in, we will invite them to receive of God’s blessings, which are far greater than anything else we will gain in this world  (Psalm 33:12).  To obtain this kingdom of rest and peace and righteousness and joy in the Holy Spirit, then we will need to teach them to be disciples of Jesus and to live the life of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20).  In this way, we will offer the greatest gift to our fellow countrymen (and women).

Look for Ways To Bless the Nation You Live In