[This is part 6 in a series on allegiance to God alone. See part one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, nine]

Leaving Egypt Ministries, Obadiah D. Morris

As we argued in part 1 of this series, justification before God is bound-up with having exclusive allegiance to Him. This means the individual must renounce their former, misguided allegiances to worldly powers that once held their spirit captive and seduced them into betraying God. They must no longer look with starry eyes upon flags, politicians, monuments of the State, or any of the idols and symbols of the kingdoms of this world. These things should all be dead to the man who has given his life over to the King of kings.

If men have not renounced their statism, ie., their ideological and spiritual support for the political systems of the world, it is questionable whether they have truly been changed by the Lord. How can one be truly converted without being shown the darkness of the world and its systems? How can anyone remain pledged to man-made governments and praise soldiers and police as heroes while claiming to be in Christ’s kingdom? These are the signs of a false convert — the spirit of a man who is still lost in the world, not fully given over to the Lord.

The transformation in Christ

As we have argued, God clearly commands His people to remain separate from the pagan-statists of the world. The people of the world reject God and elevate human rulers as their gods. Accordingly, God calls His people to be a distinct and set-apart people, living lives that are markedly different from the rest of the world (Deut 7:6-11, 14:2; Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Peter 2:9-12). 

It is puzzling that any professing Christian could still be deceived by the political powers of this world, continuing to engage in the same pagan practices as those who believe human government is an absolute necessity. Those in Christ are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). As Christians, we are called to put off our old ways and put on a new self, as described in Colossians 3:9-10. In light of this, it is contradictory for a Christian to pledge allegiance to the State or display its flag, as this is an expression of allegiance to worldly powers rather than to God alone. As Christians, we are called to abandon the worldly ways of thinking that may have once deceived us about the supposed grandeur and glory of earthly empires (Eph 4:22-24).

It is therefore contradictory for a Christian to maintain a statist political ideology that was shaped by secular influences, rather than by biblical principles. Christians are called to be set apart from the ways of the world (Rom 12:2). While we may have previously been influenced by the philosophies and practices of the world and its institutions, we are to be daily renewed and transformed, turning away from such errors (2 Cor 4:16). For those who have been reborn in Christ, the blind allegiance to nationalistic symbols and the glorification of earthly powers should be a thing of the past, as we shed our former ignorance and live according to God’s holy standards (1 Pet 1:14-16)

Those who remain entangled in the ways of the world and preoccupied with the kingdoms of men are arguably not truly in Christ’s kingdom. They have been compromised by the spiritual forces of evil, compelled to do the bidding of worldly powers, and remain in great need of repentance. Those who have truly turned to the Lord have repented from having anything to do with man’s counterfeit kingdoms.