Introduction:
- If you’re a Christian involved in politics what drives you? What motivates you and shapes all that you do? An ideology? A good cause? Power itself?
- What sorts of characteristics do we see in politics today? Focus more on people’s behaviour and conduct than policies.
Our ambitions shape our behaviour. If you are motivated by power, then you will behave in whatever manner helps get you there. If you are motivated by a principle such as equality, then you will (at least in theory) treat those around you with equality. If your ambitions are to restore trust in politicians, then you will behave with honesty and integrity.
Some ambitions are good, and some are bad. But having a vision of your end goal or destiny, whatever it is, will inevitably have an impact on the way you conduct yourself publicly and privately.
So, the question is, what is your ambition? What is your driving force? How does this impact your behaviour?
Passage: 1 Peter 1:13-2:3
Look again at the passage... What commands does Peter give the believers?
- Set your hope on the grace to be brought to you (v13)
- Do not conform to the evil desires you had (v14)
- Be holy in all you do (v15)
- Live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear (v17)
- Love one another deeply (v22)
- Rid yourselves of all… (v1)
- Crave pure spiritual milk (v2)
What reason does he give? Look out for ‘therefore’ ‘so’ ‘for’ ‘so that’.
- The blessing of the coming inheritance (vv1-12)
- You don’t live in ignorance (v14)
- He who called you is holy (vv15-16)
- You call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially (v17)
- Purified to love one another (v22)
- Been born again of imperishable seed, endure like the word of the Lord (vv23-25)
- So, you may grow up in your salvation (v2)
What has happened to those Peter writes to?
- Made children, brought out of ignorance (v14)
- They have been redeemed (v18)
- They have been born again (v23)
- Tasted that the Lord is good (v3)
Peter reminds his brothers and sisters that they have undergone a radical transformation. They no longer live in ignorance but have been made God’s children, redeemed, born again. And in light of this radical transformation, their ambitions are to change.
Application:
Go through each command and consider what this would look like in a political context…
- What commands does Peter give the believers?
- Set your hope on the grace to be brought to you (v13)
- Do not conform to the evil desires you had (v14)
- Be holy in all you do (v15)
- Live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear (v17)
- Love one another deeply (v22) [be mindful this is a love between believers]
- Rid yourselves of all… (v1)
- Crave pure spiritual milk (v2)
- What might this look like politically? (Apply each of the previous commands to a political context)...
Their identity is to drive their ambitions and their conduct. What is our identity and how should this shape our political ambitions and conduct?
Key to any good political ambition is hope. Where does Peter encourage these Christians to place their hope? (v13 & 21)
What is this hope like?
- It is coming when Christ returns (v13)
- It is longstanding – Christ redeemed us and was chosen for this task before the creation of the world (vv18-20)
- It is imperishable (v23)
Application:
- How does this compare with the things we tend to put our hope in within the political world? Consider the following…
- An election
- A manifesto
- A leader or party
- When we consider vv24-25 how do we see the folly of such thinking?
- What might this mean for the following situations?
Micah is thrilled that the Tory party has just won its fifth successive election. He has spent hours and hours each week campaigning, poured his heart into canvassing, and is absolutely in love with the manifesto. He thinks that this result will finally break the resistance of the ‘blob’ and address the country’s issues. He believes that if Labour were to get into power the world would fall apart.
Jessica is standing for her local council. She has stated that her Christian faith leads her to advocate for orthodox marriage as the best basis for family and wider society. As a result, she is being hounded in the local newspaper and every time she opens Twitter all she gets is a torrent of abuse. She knows what she says is true, but the aggressive reaction is getting to her.
Ellie works as a SPAD for a government minister. The minister is one of the few standing against the introduction of euthanasia in the country. The minister has suggested bugging the office of the MP leading the campaign for assisted dying. They know that if they can get some good content they can, with a bit of spin, take the wind out of the sails of the campaign and possibly end it for good. Ellie knows it’s wrong, but this is their ‘only hope’ to stop the policy from being introduced.
Pray:
- Ask God to show Him what drives your ambitions and priorities. Ask for Him to convict you of where this leads you to behave outside of your identity in Christ.
- Pray that God would help you to place your hope in His grace and that you would stand firm as a result. Pray that God would bring politicians to share in this hope – perhaps start with your local MP.
- Pray that He would help you to live in light of your calling and implement some of your ideas from above.
