Politics, Broken Promises, and Trust

“If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.”

Well, as everybody knows, the President broke his promise – millions of times. As the number of individual policy cancellations escalates, so does the outrage. The President was re-elected  based on a trust factor that is slipping away.

                                                 

The word of God warns about this: 

Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God. Psalm 146:3-5

My day planner has a pithy quote on each planning page. A couple days ago it was a Spanish writer, Baltasar Gracian y Morales, from the 17th century, who said, The sole advantage of power is that you can do more good. I had never heard of Senor Morales before, but he could have been an apologist for the Affordable Care Act. I wrote in my planner under this absurd statement, But you won’t want to, dummy.  

People on the political left trust that a big, centralized government will help more people, and do more good. As attractive as this idea apparently is, in the real world it has been disproven over and over, throughout history.

Give a few people power over the lives of others, and the “good” they do ends up being defined by their own selfish interests.

The Reelection of Obama and the Sovereign Rule of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ entered human history “in the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4). From the divine vantage point, it was exactly the right time and place for God to become flesh and dwell among us.

But let’s remember that the Savior came to a land and a people ruled by a despotic, corrupt regime. Rome was an iron fist and Palestine was in its inflexible grip. Slavery, economic injustice, governmental malfeasance, and a society devoid of moral restraints were the order of the day.

Jesus Christ was part of an oppressed minority, many of whom longed for a political solution to their problems. They were hoping the Messiah would be a charismatic leader who would throw off Roman tyranny and restore Jewish dynasty.

That their hopes were dashed politically is putting it mildly. Jesus didn’t just fail to win the popular vote or the electoral college. They killed him.

President Obama: Theologian in Chief?

A week ago Wednesday, President Obama hosted an Easter Prayer Breakfast at the White House for a group of Christian Clergy. The President spoke about Easter, and said,

"It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on the triumph of the resurrection, and to give thanks for the all-important gift of grace. And for me, and I’m sure for some of you, it’s also a chance to remember the tremendous sacrifice that led up to that day, and all that Christ endured--not just as a Son of God, but as a human being.” (My highlight)

I realize that all Presidents make mistakes. It would be wrong to criticize Mr. Obama for just one misstep. But for someone who claims to be a Christian, it's kind of important to get this right.

Jesus did not go to the cross because He was a son of God. He went to the cross, condemned for blasphemy, because He claimed to be the Son of God. Remember the exchange Christ had with the High Priest?

But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?" They answered, "He deserves death." Matthew 26:63-66

The Bible's idea of "sonship" is not the same as our Western society's. In Jewish culture, a male child was considered only a boy, not a son. He didn’t become a son until adulthood, and then sonship technically meant equality with the father.

Sonship also shows a person’s nature. For example in Scripture Barnabas is called “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36) because he had an encouraging nature. Or the volatile brothers James and John were described as “sons of thunder” (John 17:12) and unbelievers are called “sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). We Christians are called “sons of resurrection” (Luke 20:36). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has the very nature of Almighty God!

In other words, when Jesus is called the Son of God, it means He is equal with the Father and shares the divine nature.

Let’s help everyone, including our President, know that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God. In that very basic truth is our eternal hope.