The Politics of Belonging
“Only conduct yourselves worthy of the gospel” Philippians 1:27
The Politics of Belonging
Conduct – What does conduct have to do with politics? In our era, we probably think that good conduct and politics are opposites. Politicians have earned a tarnished reputation. But the word Paul chooses here tells us something very important. It’s just hidden from our view because of the English translation. In a single word, Paul tells us that how we behave is a matter of our citizenship in the political structure of God’s government.
The root word is politeuo. Do you see the English “politic” here? This word means, “acting in accordance with the laws and customs of a political body”, “being a good citizen”. This tells us something incredibly important.
- We are not individuals, even in our Christian behavior. We are part of a body politic, a collection that becomes a living community, not just an aggregate of individuals.
- We are to live as a community, not as separate entities within the community.
- The life of a follower of The Way is a life of political involvement. Perhaps not the kind of politics we see in our contemporary aberrations, but certainly political in the sense that we are engaged and entangled as active citizens in God’s kingdom. Citizenship requires participation according to a code established by the government of God.
- Life with God is life under His moral government. That is the standard, the only standard.
Today, every Christian carries a green card. We are alien residents in this world. But we do belong to a kingdom, a government. And how we conduct ourselves should reflect our citizenship in that kingdom, even if we are temporarily assigned elsewhere.
How about you? Are you an individual in your walk or are you intentionally identifying with the community politics of God?
