Jesus Our All in All (#7)

From chapter 7 of "Jesus Manifesto" by Frank Viola and Len Sweet:

A Collision of Two Empires

"Paul said that Jesus is 'head over all things (for) the church.' Notice, Jesus is head over all things not for the state but for the church...Some have made Jesus the chaplain of the American dream. Others have made Him the chaplain of the Democratic Party. Still others have made Jesus the chaplain of capitalism and Republicanism. All are equally blasphemous...

We must never avoid social issues. But the distinctive mark of a Christian is that you don't begin with a social or moral issue. You begin with God...You make the Light of the World, not culture, your reference point. Our time should be spent figuring out our relationship to Jesus and what He is doing in the world. Why? So we can join Him in what He's already doing. If we start anywhere else but Christ, we lose our way.

...Granted, there are times when the church should stand up prophetically and speak to power, saying, 'This is wrong because it outrages the image of God in human beings.' Slavery, sex trafficking, genocide, abortion, etc., are some of those issues. But such ministry is not what the church specializes in.

Don't misunderstand...Our relationship with Christ has intense public and social dimensions. But the social and political reform of the world through the powers that be has never been the agenda of the body of Christ...

Christianity is rooted in a Passion narrative in which the worst was done not by wicked people, but by good people in cahoots with district attorneys and justice departments. Jesus was executed not by some frenzied mob or rogue justice, but by the best religion, the most powerful state, and the most perfect legal system, functioning as they were designed to do...when justice becomes a goal in itself, or God is equated with justice, then we have moved from Christianity to another religion...

'Having faith' is less a knowledge of God's justice than trust in God's mercy. Christians want to live just lives, but we are justified not by works; we're justified by grace. Grace alone saves. The redemption story features the promise that where evil abounds, grace abounds more. God doesn't judge our lives in terms of our performance or success or length of service. All that matters in the end is the freewheeling generosity and audacious mercy of God. That's why whenever Jesus metes out justice, it turns out to be an unjust justice, a bending of the letter of the law to the spirit of the law.

Christians don't follow Christianity. The follow Christ. Jesus believed that the purpose of the Law was to structure a way of living together that He called 'love.' It is not law versus love. Rather, it is the law of love. The main theme in the preaching of Jesus was that life with the Father was all about love."

Lord Jesus, You are God's chosen Messiah, the only One Who will establish the kingdom of God on earth when You return. Thank You for showing us that our hope of justice lies only in You and Your kingdom to come, not in the religious or political systems of this age. Thank You that one day You will make all right; meanwhile, teach and empower us to live by Your life in an unjust world. Come by Your Spirit and free Your church from alliances with political parties and religious systems for Your sake and for the sake of a lost world that needs to see Your beauty in us. You are beautiful, dear Lamb of God!