Advent-ure 2021 December 8: None of Jesus’ Bones would be Broken - Psalm 34:20 (Christ Above All)

Wherever we live, we can recognize that there is a purpose for us, and we are called to exercise God's principles and display His love to those we are called to serve. Acts 17 records these words from the apostle Paul:
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.

25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'

This is a breathtaking narrative of the sovereignty of God.  When you stop to consider the majesty and might of God, the One who has given us life, and see His hand in the everyday lives of those who call on His name, we can reflect on how we can draw near to Him and allow Him to use us to display that love to the people whom He has called us to serve.  Our Savior came to a broken world to restore us to the Father - not a bone was broken when He died, and this can communicate how He wants to make all people whole through Himself.

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We acknowledge that Christ has come to make us whole - and to reflect to the world the benefits of His grace. It's Day 8 of 25 as we work our way through the Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure." Today, I am concentrating on a passage from Psalm 34, that points to another aspect of Christ's crucifixion. Let's pick up in verse 18:
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.

John related in chapter 19 of his book:
35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."

In Exodus 12, we find that the Passover Lamb was not to have any bones broken - that speaks to the perfection of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. 

Jesus came to a broken world to display the love of God and the redemption available through Him. We are in this broken world to reflect that love and to proclaim His redemptive truth.  That comes in the form of personal evangelism, as well as public witness.  I contend that it means we are to have a distinct, Biblical presence in the public square.

There was a tweet that was posted the day of the oral arguments in the Mississippi abortion case last week, and it said:

For many, like myself, a desire to overturn #RoeVWade is not evidence of Christian Nationalism (imposing distinctly Christian morals on society). It's an appeal to common decency and the common good that should resonate with religious and non-religious people alike.

There has been an unfortunate tendency that has emerged that vilifies Christians who want to have a vibrant, influential public witness.  Certainly, we should not force people to view spiritual matters our way, and governments should not force people to adopt a Biblical point of view, or else.  America is not a theocracy, but there are principles that have been integrated into the fabric of our nation.  I believe that we can become a better nation if people were to embrace Biblical truth.  Some would call that "Christian nationalism," I would call it an effective public witness.

The phrase, "Christian nationalism," has become quite toxic these days.  Former Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, who was chided by a U.S. Senator during his confirmation hearings for a lower office for his faith beliefs, wrote this at the Newsweek website:

A pattern has emerged. An academic, often from a theologically liberal persuasion, paints a caricature of "Christian nationalism" that is clearly outside the lines of orthodox Christianity. Celebrity pastors and writers then point to that distorted definition, label any related viewpoints as heresy and call for all evangelicals to practice discernment or repent of compromising political idolatry. They point to inappropriate, but mostly anomalous, displays of Christian symbolism in political settings. Few pause long enough to consider what millions of Christians might actually mean when we say that America is a "Christian nation," or champion viewpoints that accord with traditional nationalist principles.

Vaught goes on to present a well-reasoned picture of how we should see our relationship to our country.  I am not sure that we should be trying to own the phrase at this time, but when you see Christian believers who love God first and love our country facing criticism, it is important that we are not defined improperly.  So for the sake of this commentary, I want to offer this:

My own definition of "Christian nationalism" would be this: An orientation for engaging in the public square that recognizes America as a Christian nation, where our rights and duties are understood to come from God and where our primary responsibilities as citizens are for building and preserving the strength, prosperity and health of our own country. It is a commitment to an institutional separation between church and state, but not the separation of Christianity from its influence on government and society. It is a belief that our participation in the political system can lead to beneficial outcomes for our own communities, as well as individuals of all faiths.

I can track with that. Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy writes:

Increasing numbers of American Christians, especially Evangelicals, originally more on the left but now increasingly on the right, have become outspoken against nationalism, which is ostensibly idolatrous and at odds with the Gospel. There is of course much truth in their analysis, as many nationalisms in recent memory have calamitously claimed lordship for themselves that belongs only to God.

Christian critics of nationalism typically offer little to no political alternative to nationalism other than a vaguely global humanitarianism. Conservative Christians rightly prioritize the primary loyalty owed the church as the universal Body of Christ, without considering the subordinate but still very important role of nations in providing for essential human needs from a Christian perspective of justice, dignity, and compassion. If nations are ordained by God as ongoing providential tools, then Christians cannot be dismissive of them.

There are several principles I wish to explore here.

First of all, relating to today's Advent reading, we can admit that the whole, unbroken Christ, was sent in to a broken world to bring love and hope, and to govern our lives in the places where we live. As Paul teaches in Acts 17, "He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings..." You have been placed in a nation, a state, and a community in order to reflect the glory of God.

Loving your country and embracing God's purpose for a nation should not be termed in a negative way, using what has become an explosive term, "Christian nationalism."  We should not love our country above God.  But, when we love Him first, He teaches us how we are to regard our neighbor. 

This latest discussion online has stemmed from the Supreme Court arguments about a foundational principle of Scripture: that God is the Creator and He ordains all life. I do not apologize for standing on God's perspective on the sanctity of life.  An appeal to so-called "common decency" is an appeal to the authority of the Scriptures, which we should embrace and not back away from.  The term "common grace" has been used regarding our engagement in the public square. Remember the words of the late Chuck Colson, who, in an interview, said this:

Common grace is a term that’s fallen into disuse in modern times, but the reformers understood it to be God's grace spilled out in life for the benefit of non-believers as well as believers. Saving grace is grace which transforms us. Common grace is, to the just and the unjust alike, experienced when God's people do what God's people are supposed to do.

Our Savior, our perfect sacrifice, gave His life in order to restore a broken world and repair a broken relationship between God and humanity.