Being Citizens of Heaven First
“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:11-15, NIV)
Sometimes, we Christians have a bad habit of applying our personal politics too liberally to scripture. And I get it, this country was founded on Christian principles. It’s woven into the foundations of what we once were and there are many in the Church today that are desperately wanting to see our nation return to its Christian values.
But sometimes, for the sake of an argument, we go too far.
I hate being political, and I’d prefer not to comment on these things in devotions because this platform is not and never has been about political undertones. It has always and will always be about Christ. But sometimes, when things come to my attention, I feel convicted to take a moment on it.
I have seen a post on my social media timelines that make me cringe, and it surrounds the verdict of the Trump trial. The post says something to the effect of, “My Jesus was wrongly convicted in a trial, and He was crucified for it. I still follow Him.”
How sacrilegious an idea. How blasphemous a notion.
It doesn’t matter how you lean politically. No politician, no pastor, no celebrity, no person at all should ever be put on the same level as Jesus Christ, His ministry, or His finished work on the cross. What a misuse and a violation of His great love and power to save His people.
True, Jesus was put on trial. But that trial had a purpose and ultimately led to the cross where He died for our sins. He may have been deemed guilty of punishment, but trial and that punishment should have been ours, not His. The only difference is, if we stood that trial, we’d stand guilty every time– guilty of our sin, our ungratefulness, our wickedness, and our fallen nature. Our blood shed on a cross would have been rightful punishment for a crime we fully committed. And that blood would never have paid the price for it. It would have been a sacrifice that could never match the depth of the offense; and would be just the beginning of our punishment for sin, unable to save ourselves in the slightest.
That’s why Jesus is our ultimate mediator. The only one who could override the old covenant and establish a new one. His blood is the only blood that could be offered that would speak once and for all over generations of animal sacrifices that could only temporarily and outwardly cleanse and sanctify; could only offer but mere moments in God’s presence before sin could creep in again.
Only Jesus’ blood could save once and for all and seal a new covenant, a new inheritance, and an eternal salvation for His people. And yes, that trial may have seemed like a sham trial to condemn an innocent man, but God still used it as a means to do something good, y’know, set the stage for Jesus’ death, victorious resurrection, and generations of pursuing us to rescue us from our sins.
To compare former President Trump’s trial to Jesus’ in any way is an insult to that propitiation of our sins. Whether innocent or guilty for the accused crime, Trump is still a fallen man, dead in His sin, and hopeless to save without Christ. He is unable to save a single person– including himself– nor can he make anything great again without the sovereign ordination of the one, true God.
It shows a misunderstanding of Christ’s sacrifice and an irreverence for it. As Christians, we need to be careful about what we say, online and in person. We need to make sure we’re not cheapening Christ’s preeminence in order to push our political, social, or personal ideals along. Christ needs to be above all. His Gospel needs to be above all, and our magnifying His name to all people and nations needs to take precedence over any other ideology we hold.
As C.S. Lewis says, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and help others to do the same.”
We should set our eyes on God’s Kingdom and how to build it even while we are still here. It doesn’t matter who sits in the Oval Office after this November. This country, our government, and everything happening on this earth is doomed to pass away. None of it is eternal, and therefore, it should not become more important in our hearts.
If our attentions are set on a politician or an election or a political decision over our ultimate commission to go and make disciples– to exemplify and show others the One who is much greater and worthy for us to follow– then we need to take a step back and search our hearts. We need to repent.
We should follow Christ before anyone else, and we should be sure to guard His finished work on the cross and behold it as unmatched, incomparable, and sacred. We need to be citizens of Heaven first and foremost and to make sure that witness comes before any other in our lives.
