John MacArthur on the Church and the Civil Government

The Church Must Stand Against Sin Without Trusting Politics

I think Christians ought to stand up against abortion and gay rights and the ERA and a lot of other things. I really believe that we ought to take our stand on those issues. But somehow what happens is in the midst of wanting to take the right and legal means to take a stand and preach and proclaim against sin, we get diverted into the illusion that we can change our country by effecting changes in the political system.

The reason I don't belong to the moral majority is because I'm not willing to alienate all the Democrats. Well what do I gain by that? Because politics isn't the issue. There's no such thing, by the way, folks, as a Christian country and there's no such thing as a Christian government.

Christ's Millennial Kingdom and the Limits of Government

Well there will be a Christian government in the millennium with Christ ruling. I don't expect my government to act in a Christian way. They have nothing to do with the church. There's no such thing as a Christian government, no such thing as a Christian nation, never has been, never will be until Christ establishes a worldwide theocratic kingdom.

All I expect out of my government is that I can get here when I want to get here, not get shot in the process, and that the water comes when I turn the faucet on. We want to do everything we can because we live in a democracy to bring about the best conditions that our people in this society may enjoy.

Avoiding the Temptation to Borrow From the Kingdom of Darkness

There's always the temptation to cross the divide between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness and borrow things from the kingdom of darkness that you think are going to aid you. I mean, Jerry Falwell believed that, right?

He believed that if we're going to reach the world, we've got to have a Christian president, a Christian Congress, and a Christian Senate. That has nothing to do with the kingdom of God. And what you do in terms of social change, lobbying hard and fast for social change and giving too much of your time to that has nothing to do with the kingdom of God.

Preaching Christ Crucified With Love and Compassion

That's why Paul said we preach Christ and Him crucified. There's a singularity in our focus. We do it with love and compassion.