Introduction

Introduction: Discuss the following questions as a group...

• Why are you interested/engaged in politics?
• What parts of the Bible have shaped your political beliefs and actions?
• What reactions do you get when speaking as a politically engaged Christian to...?
  • Christians?
  • Non-Christians?

Where on the above grid are you?

• How happy are you about engaging with politics generally?
• How confident are you concerning how faith interacts with politics?

At the Politics Network we believe that Christ is Lord over all, and therefore matters of politics and governance matter to Him and can matter to us. If Christ is Lord of all then we can be confident that we can glorify Him in every aspect of our lives, using our skills and passions for the love of God and neighbour. But what basis is there Biblically for this position? How does politics and government have anything to do with our faith?

Passage: Psalm 8
Humanity as God’s appointed rulers

• What do we learn about the Lord?
• What role has been given to humanity?

If Christ is the Lord, as He claims in Matthew 21, then it is clear that Christ is ruler over all. Yet, introduced here is the idea that He has given power and responsibility to humanity to rule over His creation. Central to what it means to be human is the task to govern creation in submission to Christ.

• What difference does Psalm 8 make to our understanding of politics?

Passage: Colossians 1:15-23
Christ as God’s appointed Ruler

• What do we learn about the Son of God?

Think about timings! Why is it important to recognise these distinctions?

• What has Christ done?
• What is Christ doing?
• What will Christ do?

• What do we learn about governments and rulers here?
• What difference does it make to the world of politics that Christ died and rose again?

Government was made by Christ, for Christ, and is being redeemed by Christ for His good purposes. The Gospel’s redeeming power extends to politics and frees us to play a part in this reconciliation story as we seek to participate in a way that recognises and submits to Christ’s Lordship.

(See also 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:17 to explore the implications of God’s Gospel work for governance and our role in it)

Application:

• How does Christ’s supremacy change how you think about government and politics?
• What difference does it make to recognise that governance is one way in which we see the Gospel at work?
• Why can Christians get involved in politics? What would it look like to glorify Christ in politics (based on this session)?

Pray:

• Pray that as we begin this series looking at governance in the Bible, we would recognise Christ’s supremacy in all things and develop a deeper love for the Gospel as we see this play out.
• Give thanks to God that we can glorify Him through our politics. Pray that as we trace this theme through the Bible, we would grow in our understanding of what this might look like.