This episode elaborates on the previous episode, principally focusing on Matthew 16:18-19, where believers are given the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Christ builds His Church by calling people out of the kingdom of darkness and placing them in the kingdom of Christ, through the person of the Holy Spirit. The "ekklesia," or church literally means "those called out of." Those who don't respond to the call carry on in the kingdom of darkness, and the natural locus of ungodly power is the state. This fact alone points to the inevitable conflict of kingdoms as both the Church and non-Christians seek to co-op the State to serve their respective interests. The history of Christian nationalism largely reflects widespread corruption in the Christian Church based on an unhealthy mixing of the kingdoms. Since Christ gave believers the keys to the kingdom of heaven, NOT those accessing worldly kingdoms, Christians should focus their efforts on reaching unbelievers through preaching the gospel. Setting up earthly "Christian" kingdoms amounts to making the Church another powerbroker, diluting and corrupting its mission. Believers instead should utilize their LEGITIMATE authority to make disciples, not presuming they have been given a mandate to FORCE Christ's other-worldly kingdom onto non-Christians. The episode finally addresses "binding and loosing" as it relates to the keys of the kingdom.
The Dynamic of Politics and Power in the Carnal Christian
This episode highlights potential abuse of power by carnal Christians in government. Sanctified believers identify substantially with Christian values and motivations, and the wisdom that characterizes their decisions is pure, gentle, reasonable, and without hypocrisy. (James 3:13-18) On the flip side, James warns believers that "strife and selfish ambition" are the fruits of earthly, natural, and demonic wisdom. Paul calls Corinthian believers "mere men" because their carnality was evident in strife and jealousy. (1 Corinthians 3:3) Taken together these Scriptures are a sobering reminder that Christians can operate according to a demonic agenda when they engage worldly and carnal values. Coupled together with the corrupting allure of power, carnal Christians in government tend to operate according to wisdom that is "earthly, natural, and demonic," instead of the wisdom from above, that is "pure, gentle, reasonable, and without hypocrisy." Partisan and demonizing rhetoric from professing Christians in government underscores the prevalent carnality that is sadly justified by an appeal to Christianity. A so-called "Christian state" would only exacerbate the present hypocrisy.
Clash of the Kingdoms
This episode mostly contrasts the essential characteristics of the kingdom of darkness and those of the kingdom of Christ, pointing to inevitable conflict in a so-called "Christian state." All men are naturally born into the kingdom of darkness, driven by "the big three," "the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life." (1 John 2:16) Once a person becomes a Christian, he/she progressively identifies more with the Kingdom "big three": "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17) Unfortunately many believers in the U.S. are at best "carnal Christians," in which worldly identity markers largely predominate over Kingdom characteristics. The episode then posits a grossly optimistic scenario in which 51% of American believes are substantially sanctified, motivated and identifying with the kingdom of Christ. Specifically Christian laws generated by a "Christian state" would inevitably produce a clash of the kingdoms, where the Big 3 of each would naturally collide in the public sphere. The ostensible solution, enshrined in the establishment clause of the Constitution, prohibits Congress from setting up a national church-state establishment presiding over all.
Government, its Institution and Purpose
To properly answer a question on Christian nationalism, one needs to know the Biblical reason behind the institution of government along with its purpose. Government was instituted in Genesis 9:6 in response to the astronomical murder rate prior to the flood. Government was called to execute murderers, and Paul would later describe its purpose, "to bring wrath on the one who practices evil." (Romans 13:4) Very critically, the government that Christians were called to submit to was the Roman Empire led by Nero, and all examples of government authority instituted by God in the New Testament are secular. Nevertheless Christians are obliged to submit themselves based on universal apprehension of the moral law. Based on the moral law alone (apart from "Christian" law), secular princes execute justice, which prescribes penalties for breaking the law. Additionally, Christ Himself, facing unjust execution, nevertheless acknowledged Pilate had authority over Him because it was given ultimately by God. (John 19:11) The biblical description of government that emerges is one in which God accomplishes His purposes of restraining evil through secular governments, and this conclusion should inform the answer regarding Christian nationalism.
Christianity: the Recasting of Earthly Citizenship
The most common definition of Christian nationalism is the merging of fleshly and spiritual identities, even to the point where one's fleshly (national) citizenship is on par with that of one's heavenly citizenship. Yet this marrying of the 2 citizenships doesn't take into account the Biblical consequences of heavenly citizenship, in which all other identities (nationality, race, class, sex, etc.) become secondary and so-called obligations to those identities should be renegotiated. Paul insists that kingdom citizenship amounted to a transfer from the kingdom of darkness into kingdom of His beloved Son. (Colossians 1:13) The kingdom of darkness that we once participated in was headed by Satan who wielded his power through people dominated by "the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life." (1 John 2:16) The vast majority of people at any given time in history are enslaved to their lusts, so John isn't exaggerating when he contends that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." (1 John 5:19) The nation-state is the natural place for the exercise of power by lust-driven, demonically manipulated members of the kingdom of darkness. Since Christians have been transferred from this kingdom into Christ's kingdom, their primary identity is that of kingdom citizens and all secondary identities come under the Lordship of Christ in the process of sanctification. Our national citizenship obligations are renegotiated, rendering us "aliens" (1 Peter 1:1), who partake of Christ's otherworldly kingdom (John 18:36), and "ambassadors" to worldly members of the kingdom of darkness. (2 Corinthians 5:20) Christian nationalism therefore amounts to an insurmountable conflict of interest of 2 opposing kingdoms with completely different goals and means.
You Worship what You Serve
This episode narrowly focuses on the condition of fallen mankind in which the image of corruptible man is worshipped, principally through self-centered lusts. This idolatrous worship taints all so-called "good works" that proceed out of man as he prioritizes his lusts. Immediately after describing the great exchange, in which mankind exchanges the glory of God for an image in the form of corruptible man (Rom. 1:23-25), Paul declares that God gives man over to his lusts. God allows him to pursue, in the words of John, "the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the lust for reputation ("the boastful pride of life") (1 John 2:16) While most unbelievers would never admit that they worship themselves, the continuous servicing of the "lusts of deceit" reveal the true object of worship. We worship what we predominantly serve (Mt. 4:10), and "the image in the form of corruptible man" is practically indistinguishable from the lusts that consume him. Critically, the service of his lusts, colors all his "good works," even rendering them disgusting. Isaiah therefore concludes that "all our righteous deeds are as filthy rags." (Is. 64:6)
Starving for the Will of God
This episode closes out detailing the positive encounter with God's law that believers should ideally experience. Many unfortunately rarely get beyond the first encounter with God's law, which brings conviction and crisis as they grapple with the demands of God on their lives. While the psalmist clearly wrestled with God's law, ultimately resulting in confession and repentance, the vast majority of his descriptions are very positive. The psalmist describes the law as his delight (v. 77) as he anticipates discovering "wonderful things" in God's law.(18) The psalmist at one point is starving for God's law (v. 20) and considers the Law his food. Christ Himself noted that "His food" was to do the will of the Father. (John 4:34) Such expressions underscore the path to true fulfillment. When we cultivate our longing for God and His law/His will, we discover that this second encounter with God and His Law/will results in incomparable satisfaction.
Biblical repentance goes deeper than you might think
This episode goes deeper into the depth of spiritual death in which all mankind participates. Spiritual death does not simply refer to outward transgressions, but also describes the spiritual state of the inner man that produced them. Paul says in Colossians 2:13 that we were "dead in our trespasses AND the uncircumcision of our flesh," indicating that spiritual death is descriptive of both the acts themselves (dead works) and the one who is uncircumcised in the flesh. So when one repents of dead works, he also has a change of mind about the self that produced them characterized by death. The solution to spiritual deadness is the circumcision of Christ, the supernatural cutting away of the flesh in regeneration.
Identity Politics Rooted in Idolatry
This episode provides the grand Biblical narrative of mankind's problem: mankind was originally called to rule on God's behalf based on the image of God in man, but because of the fall, has exchanged the truth of God for a lie, being consumed by idolatrous worship of himself and his own desires. Identity politics' exaltation of secondary characteristics into primary ones (race, class, sex, etc.) is a natural bi-product of the Great Exchange, in which unregenerate man exchanges the truth of God for a lie, an image in the form of corruptible man. The Biblical solution to mankind's problem centers on the remaking of mankind into the image of Christ.
Identity Politics and the Bible: addressing symptoms vs. universal sin
This episode tackles the deficient view of sin in identity politics, where the depravity of human nature is not addressed. Identity politics focuses on symptoms of oppression without dealing with the sinful root of universal human depravity .