Christians and the State

The nature of the State is in opposition to the nature of the Agape of Jesus. Where there are police, whose duty it is to arrest criminals, and armies, arsenals Of weapons of war, penitentiaries, etc;——and where would a State be without these necessary aids to its rule?—evidently Jesus Christ is not “ruling”, save in the hearts of individual persons, who as believing Christians, want to serve Christ within this State. The existence of the State as an institution is itself a Sign of the fact that Christ’s rule over men is not yet realized. We human beings need an order of the State, with police, soldiers, and compulsory laws, precisely because, and in so far as Christ does not rule over us. For the true rule of Christ is identical with free and generous love, free obedience to God, while the necessity for the dominion of the State always and everywhere points to the fact that men do not willingly do what is necessary for the well-being of all. The true dominion of Christ, and what we call the State, are fundamentally opposed.—Emil Brunner, The Christian Doctrine of Creation and Redemption, 302

<idle musing>
This is something that the so-called christian nationalists need to learn. You can't establish the kingdom of God on earth by force. It must well up from each heart. And I personally believe that can't happen until Christ comes again to establish his kingdom.

Of course, that doesn't mean we should just sit back and do nothing! We need to strive to establish justice and deliverance for the captive, but we also need to know that it is all partial—and fully by the power of God.
</idle musing>