Tag: kingdom of God

The Case Against Christians Saying the Pledge of Allegiance

On By Tyler BoydIn Uncategorized

Several years ago, I stopped saying the Pledge of Allegiance. I haven’t always objected to saying the Pledge. For years, I never questioned it. The Pledge was never preached against or discussed in Bible classes. Most Christians I knew joined in without hesitation. I was right there with them.

I never viewed the Pledge as a declaration of ultimate allegiance to government institutions. I knew governments often did ungodly things. Instead, I thought of myself as pledging allegiance to the good things the flag was supposed to represent: “liberty and justice for all” and “one nation under God.” As long as America stood for godly values, I could support her, while maintaining my ultimate allegiance to God alone.

Refusing to say the Pledge even felt disrespectful. Scripture commands Christians to honor governing authorities. As Paul writes:

Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Romans 13:7

Even now, though I no longer recite the Pledge, I still believe we must remain respectful. I am not suggesting that Christians should become anti-American activists or stage disruptive protests at sporting events. You can respectfully stand, remove your hat, and yet remain silent without placing your hand over your heart.

If you currently say the Pledge, I think I understand your perspective. But I do want to encourage you to think about what you’re saying. The more I did, the more convinced I became that the Pledge of Allegiance is fundamentally out of step with the gospel.

A Pledge is a Big Deal

Consider those first two words: “I pledge.”

A pledge is a promise, an oath, and a commitment of loyalty. That should immediately capture a Christian’s attention, especially in light of Jesus’ words during the Sermon on the Mount:

Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn. But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all… Let what you say simply be ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Matthew 5:33-37

While Christians have long debated whether Jesus was forbidding every formal oath or simply emphasizing the importance of absolute truthfulness, it is clear that promises and vows are serious spiritual matters. We should never make oaths casually, simply because tradition expects it or because everyone else is reciting them. If we’re going to pledge something, we ought to first pause and examine whether the oath is one we can truly keep.

What Does Biblical Faith Actually Mean?

Consider the biblical concept of faith. The Greek word translated as “faith” is pistis.

In modern culture, faith is often reduced to mere intellectual agreement. The confession, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” is frequently treated as simply giving mental assent to the truth of that statement. Sometimes, faith is even treated as the blind opposite of evidence.

That is not how the Bible uses the term. James reminds us that “even the demons believe – and shudder!” (James 2:19). Throughout Scripture, true faith is inseparable from faithfulness, loyalty, or even, allegiance.

We see this clearly in Hebrews 11:

  • By faith, Noah built an ark.
  • By faith, Abraham left his homeland.
  • By faith, Moses rejected Pharaoh’s court.
  • By faith, Israel marched around Jericho.

Faith is never presented as mere belief. It is demonstrated through loyalty, and loyalty includes acts of loyalty. Paul frames the entire book of Romans around “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5; 16:26). This phrase has proved quite tricky for those who think of faith as the opposite of works, but it makes perfect sense when we understand pistis as loyalty or allegiance.

This definition matches how the word was used at that time. For instance, in the historical book of 1 Maccabees, King Demetrius praises the Jewish people for maintaining their pistis:

Since you have kept your agreement with us and have continued your friendship with us, and have not sided with our enemies, we have heard of it and rejoiced. And now continue still to keep faith with us, and we will repay you with good for what you do for us.

1 Maccabees 10:25-27

King Demetrius was not thanking the Jews for believing he existed. He was thanking them for remaining politically loyal. In the ancient world, pistis meant allegiance.

The Gospel Calls for Allegiance to a King

Paul opens Romans by summarizing the gospel as a message “concerning [God’s] Son, who was descended from David” (Romans 1:3). This detail matters. David was Israel’s king and Jesus is presented as the One who has inherited his promised throne.

Therefore, Paul’s mission was to bring about “the obedience of faith among all the nations” (Romans 1:5). If faith means allegiance, then the gospel is a summons to people of all nations to give their loyalty to King Jesus.

The central Christian confession is that “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9). In the Roman world, “Lord” (Kyrios) was not merely a theological title. It was primarily a political term. To publicly confess Jesus as Lord was to implicitly declare that Caesar was not. That is why the early Christians were routinely accused of political treason:

They dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also… and they are acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus.”

Acts 17:6-7

The early Christians were not revolutionaries, but they boldly announced that Jesus held all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). When this message was proclaimed throughout all nations, it was understood as a transfer of allegiance away from the competing authorities of those nations, to a life of loyalty to the commands of Jesus.

In fact, one of the reasons why baptism was so important is because it served as a pledge of allegiance. Peter describes baptism as:

…not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal [or pledge, NIV] to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:21

The word translated as “appeal” or “pledge” (eperotema) was used to refer to one’s formal answer, agreement, or vow to the terms of a legal contract. Baptism is a binding pledge of total loyalty made to God. If you are a Christian, you have already pledged your allegiance to a King.

Can Christians Have Dual Allegiance?

This brings us to the core issue: Can a Christian pledge allegiance to Christ and simultaneously pledge allegiance to the flag of an earthly kingdom?

Scripture has much to say about how Christians should relate to the governments. We are to submit to them (Romans 13:1-7), obey their laws (Titus 3:1), and pray for them (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Jeremiah even encouraged the Jewish exiles to “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile” (Jeremiah 29:7). Christians are to be good and peaceful citizens.

However, Jesus also taught that no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). He demanded loyalty greater than even our loyalty to our family (Luke 14:26). When the apostles were ordered to stop preaching Christ, they replied, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). When forced to choose, their loyalty was undivided.

Revelation’s Warning About Political Powers

The book of Revelation drives this point home with vivid imagery. John depicts the monstrous powers of political entities as “beasts” who were demanding absolute devotion. This image is drawn directly from Daniel 7.

John warned that those who “followed the beast” were, in reality, worshiping the dragon who empowered it with authority (Revelation 13:3-4). The beast promised safety, economic prosperity, and national peace. Yet, John does not advise Christians to pledge their allegiance to the good things these kingdoms stand for. Instead, he offers a sharp warning:

Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues.

Revelation 18:4

According to the book of Revelation, you cannot give your loyalty both to the Lamb and the Beast. One loyalty wholly excludes the other.

The Witness of the Early Martyrs

The final piece that reinforced this conviction for me came from reading about the early Christian martyrs. For the first three centuries, one of the primary reasons Christians were persecuted is because they refused to swear oaths of loyalty to Caesar.

When Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John, was arrested, Roman officials offered him freedom if he would simply “swear by the fortune of Caesar.” Polycarp refused. Instead he answered:

“Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

The Martyrdom of Polycarp 9

For Polycarp, pledging loyalty to Caesar was equivalent to blaspheming Christ. You can read the entire account here.

Similarly, during the trial of the Scillitan Martyrs in AD 180, a Christian named Speratus was pressured to swear allegiance to the emperor. He answered:

I do not acknowledge the authority of this world, but rather I serve that God whom no one has seen or can see with these eyes. I have never been guilty of theft, but whenever I buy, I pay the tax, because I acknowledge my Lord, the King of Kings, and ruler of all peoples.

The Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs

Speratus recognized Caesar’s legal authority, but he was executed because he refused to vow his allegiance to him. An additional Scillitan martyr named Donata likewise refused to pledge to Caesar with the following words:

Honor to Caesar in his capacity as Caesar, but fear to God.

You can read the entire first hand account of these martrys here.

Is reciting the Pledge of Allegiance a perfect parallel to what these Christians were being asked to do? Probably not. Romans often demanded sacrifices to pagan gods along with those pledges. Nobody is asking Americans to worship false gods along with the Pledge.

Even so, when you read about these early Christian martyrs, their objections focused not on Rome’s worship of other gods, but in the vow of allegiance to any king other than King Jesus. The ancient Christians viewed themselves as citizens of a heavenly kingdom. They honored earthly rulers, but because of their devotion to Jesus, they absolutely refused to swear vows of allegiance to them, even at the expense of their lives.

A Different Kingdom

Christians should respect their leaders, pray for them, and obey them whenever doing so does not require disobedience to God. But pledging allegiance is something different. It is a declaration of loyalty. As Christians, we have already made that declaration. Jesus is our King. The church’s mission is not to point people to America as the source of liberty and justice, but to point them to Jesus Christ as the true Savior of the world.

For that reason, I can no longer say the Pledge of Allegiance. If you are a Christian, I invite you to consider doing the same.

The Holy Land, Part 5: The Holy Land is Greater Than You May Think

On By Tyler BoydIn Holy land

In case you missed them, here’s the links to parts 1-4:
The Holy Land, Part 1: What Does it Really Mean to be Holy?
The Holy Land, Part 2: Who or What is Israel?
The Holy Land, Part 3: The Spiritual Significance of the Land
The Holy Land, Part 4: Did Israel Get Replaced?

One of the challenges in discussing the land promise is that the New Testament doesn’t address it as directly or explicitly as the Old Testament does. There’s no single, comprehensive statement that spells out exactly what became – or what will become – of God’s promise to give Abraham’s descendants a land. Because of this, some assume that the land promise no longer matters for Christians today – that it was once important for Old Testament Israel, but that it was quietly set aside once Israel was expanded to include all the faithful from every nation through Christ.

But that assumption may say more about our expectations than it does about the text of the New Testament itself.

The New Testament doesn’t ignore the concept of holy land. It does, however, reframe it.

It is important to remember that what made the land “holy” was not its geography or borders – it was the presence of God. In the Old Testament, Canaan was indeed set apart as God’s land because it was the place of His dominion and presence. It was holy, not because it belonged to Israel, but because it belonged to God.

So if we want to understand what happens to it in the New Testament, we should begin by asking: Where is God’s presence now? Where does He dwell? Where is His dominion exercised?  

While the New Testament doesn’t rehash the land promise in the same terms as the Old, it is far from silent about God’s kingdom, His dwelling place, or the scope of His reign. And when we follow those threads, a powerful truth emerges – one that shows us why the idea of “holy land” still matters today, but not in the same way many modern-day evangelicals assume. It matters, but in a transformed and expanded way.

Jesus Redefines Sacred Space

In John 4:19-20, a Samaritan woman asked Jesus a direct question about the geographical location where God should be worshiped.

 Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.

She was referring to Mount Gerizim, the center of Samaritan worship, while acknowledging the Jewish claim that worship should take place in God’s holy land, in Jerusalem. But Jesus’s response reframes the entire conversation:

Woman, believe me, that hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

John 4:21-24

Jesus was not dodging the question – He was reframing the concept of God’s sacred place of worship. No longer would worship be restricted to one sacred geographic location. Neither Mount Gerizim nor Jerusalem would remain central. Instead, worship would become geographically universal, unbound by borders, anchored not in one place, but in every place He is rightly worshiped – in spirit and in truth.

What Jesus promised in John 4 wasn’t a change in God’s plan – it was the fulfillment of it. From the beginning, God’s promise to Abraham was never meant to be confined to a single strip of land. Instead, it pointed toward a blessing that would extend to all nations through Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 22:18).

Even early in Genesis, God spoke in expansive, global terms. He told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the “dust of the earth” (Genesis 13:16) – an image not of a local settlement but of worldwide reach, a people far greater than the physical boundaries of Canaan could contain.

That’s why Paul, reflecting on this promise, could say its ultimate fulfillment was not limited to Canaan, but encompassed the entire world.

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

Romans 4:13

For Paul, the land of Canaan served as a symbol, a preview of a much greater inheritance. The true fulfillment of God’s promise was not in one land, but in the whole world, reserved as an inheritance for the faithful.

God’s Presence in His People

Through Christ, the blessing and inheritance once promised to Abraham has now been extended to all who are in Him. And with that expansion comes a radical redefinition of where God dwells. No longer is His presence confined to a physical temple in a single geographic location. The New Testament reveals something far greater: God’s temple is now His people.

Paul writes:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?

1 Corinthians 6:19

Elsewhere he declares:

For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.

2 Corinthians 6:16 (quoting from Leviticus 26:12)

And in the vision of the new creation, John hears these words:

Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

Revelation 21:3

Just as God once made His home in the land of Canaan, Paul now explains that “the Spirit of God dwells in you” (Romans 8:9). This means that God’s holy presence is no longer limited by borders or buildings – it is present wherever His people are. Wherever Christians are gathered together, submitting to God’s will, there is God’s dominion. That is holy ground.

The New Creation

What makes a land “holy” has never been geography alone – it is the presence of God that makes any place sacred. In the Old Testament, that presence dwelled in the land of Canaan, but through Christ, God’s presence is now among His people – people drawn from every nation. That shift radically reshapes how we think about the idea of a “holy land.”

If God’s presence is no longer confined to one location but dwells with all who are in Christ, then the holiness once associated with a specific strip of land has now been extended as far as His people reach. In other words, God’s holy land has gone global! This being the case, it would be out of step with the teachings of the New Testament to single out Palestine as uniquely “holy” under the reign of Christ. To do so would suggest that God’s dwelling place is still geographically limited – that He does not dwell wherever His people live and worship in spirit and truth.

The problem with calling modern-day Israel “The Holy Land” isn’t that it assigns too much importance to their land – but that it imagines far too little about God’s Kingdom. God’s reign is no longer confined. It is greater – infinitely greater – and that expansion is the very fulfillment of what the prophets anticipated:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:14 (cf. Numbers 14:21; Psalm 72:19; Isaiah 6:3)

Jesus confirmed this global scope during the Sermon on the Mount. Quoting from Psalm 37:11, He announced the inheritance that awaited the meek:

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

He was not speaking of the present, broken world – a world enslaved by sin, violence, and decay. Rather He was pointing to something far greater. The author of Hebrews captures this cosmic transformation:

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem… Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.
This phrase, “Yet once more” indicates the removal of things that are shaken – that is the things that have been made – in order that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Hebrews 12:22, 26-28

Peter echoes the same theme. He reminds us that the current heavens and earth are being preserved for judgment in fire (2 Peter 3:7). This judgment, however, is what ushers in what has always been promised:

But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

2 Peter 3:13

The land promise has not been discarded – it has been fulfilled, deepened, and universalized. What began as a parcel of land for Abraham’s descendants now culminates in a new world for the people of Christ. As Paul puts it, this is nothing less than a new creation (Galatians 6:15), the true and final “holy land” where righteousness dwells and where God makes His home with His people.

Understanding the fulfillment of the land promise reminds us that the church is not defined by borders or geography, but by the presence of God among His people. Wherever God dwells with His people, that is holy ground. As we go into all the world – making disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching obedience to Christ – we are conquering enemy territory and extending God’s holy land. This truth fuels our mission, deepens our unity across every nation, and lifts our eyes beyond the passing kingdoms of this world to the one kingdom that will not be shaken.

The Parable of the Camel’s Nose

On By Tyler BoydIn Christian Living, Christian's Relationship to Government, Kingdom Life

In the middle of a desert, where the winds blew sharp, and the nights were bitterly cold, a man found refuge inside his small, but sturdy tent. It was only a tent, but his modest shelter was a blessing from the frigid elements outside. As he lay upon his mat, bundled under thick blankets, he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Not far from the tent, his camel stood tethered to a post. The animal was accustomed to the desert’s harsh nights, but even camels can feel the stinging discomfort of the cold wind. The camel shifted uncomfortably. Seeking relief, the camel moved closer to the man’s tent.

With the most subtle move, the camel pressed its nose ever so slightly into the edge of the tent flap, where a faint bit of warmth seeped out for the camel to enjoy. The man stirred at the sound of the rustle, but saw only the camel’s nose sticking slightly into the tent. He thought to himself, “It’s just the nose. It’s doing no harm.” He rolled over and quickly slipped back into sleep.

But the camel didn’t stop there. Enjoying the warmth and encouraged by the man’s inaction, it pushed its head further inside. The tent flap fell open slightly, and the camel’s large eyes peered into the tent, surveying what was inside. The man, startled by the intrusion, woke again. “What is this?” the man said to himself, now seeing the camel’s head fully inside.

He considered shooing the camel away, but being so snug and comfortable under his blankets, the man reasoned, “It’s only the head, and it’s cold tonight. The cold drift of air won’t bother me since I’m under these warm blankets.” With that, he turned over and closed his eyes.

Only a few minutes passed, however, and the camel, emboldened, pressed further in. It’s long neck and front legs slipped inside, causing the tent to pull sharply as the small doorway stretched to accommodate the large creature. As the cold air rushed in the fully open flap, the man woke, now cramped, finding no room to stretch. “Enough!” he cried, sitting up.

But it was too late. The camel didn’t stop. Inch by inch, it pulled its entire body into the tent. The man struggled to fight back, pushing on the camel and yelling for it to get out, but he and the tent were now completely overtaken by the animal. The camel’s hefty bulk pushed on the tent poles, stretched the fabric, and then finally, the tent collapsed into a thin layer of canvas draped over the huge animal’s back. The man sat, shivering, wide-eyed, realizing too late what happened. Now finding himself outside in the bitter wind, he realized he should have never allowed the camel to stick its nose in the tent.

Beware of Incrementalism

What begins as a small, seemingly reasonable concession sometimes leads to dangerous compromises. The camel’s nose illustrates how small compromises, when left unchecked, can lead to significant, dangerous, and sometimes unintended outcomes.

 This is especially important to remember when it comes to matters of Christian doctrine. Compromising on the clear teachings of Scripture, even in response to seemingly reasonable hypotheticals, can lead to a slow, but significant erosion of truth. Consider the following argument:

“What if someone on their way to the church building to be baptized dies in a tragic accident? Surely a just and loving God wouldn’t condemn such a person to eternity in hell.”

The reasoning seems compassionate and reasonable. But once we allow for exceptions to God’s explicit command of baptism (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21, etc.), it is easy for the reasoning to progress further.

“If God can save someone in extreme circumstances without baptism, perhaps baptism isn’t necessary in other situations either. Maybe it’s not essential at all, as long as someone has faith and good intentions.”

Soon baptism, an act consistently taught and practiced throughout the New Testament, is reduced to a mere symbol. The necessity of following Scripture’s numerous teachings regarding it’s importance are discarded.

To avoid such a collapse, we must remain resolutely committed to Scripture, even when faced with difficult hypotheticals. While we can certainly acknowledge God’s mercy and grace, and wrestle with the implications of God’s character in exceptional cases, our responsibility is to uphold His revealed commands.

The Camel’s Nose in Political Engagement

The principle also applies to Christians and political engagement. The argument often begins innocently:

“It’s not sinful or idolatrous for a Christian to vote against a policy that harms their neighbors. It’s not idolatrous to desire rulers who fear God. We can care about church and politics. We can align with a political party and still trust in Jesus.”

Perhaps this reasoning holds in theory. But what follows? Political involvement has a way of drawing the heart deeper and deeper into the world’s systems, fostering a reliance upon human solutions rather than divine provision.

“If voting is permissible,” the reasoning often goes, “why not campaigning? If campaigning, why not encouraging churches to work together to wield greater political influence?”

Soon, the focus and efforts of the church shift entirely from proclaiming the unshakable gospel to promoting the shifting platforms of political parties. Loyalty to Christ mingles with loyalty to earthly rulers. The priorities of God’s kingdom are overshadowed by earthly agendas. The real world power of the gospel to transform the world is minimized in exchange for what feels like the more practical and efficient methods of earthly kingdoms.

The Bible warns against trusting in human rulers (Psalm 33:16-17). Jesus commanded his disciples to refuse to seek power the way the unbelieving world does (Matthew 20:25-28). Jesus rejected the devil’s offer of worldly kingdoms (Luke 4:6-8). When he was on trial before Pilate, he declared that His kingdom is “not of this world,: evidence by the fact that his disciples refuse to fight for power in the ways that are characteristic of earthly kingdoms (John 18:36-37). Paul encouraged Christians to avoid being entangled in civilian affairs, likening them to soldiers stationed in a foreign land (2 Timothy 2:3-4).

Perhaps we can look at the camel’s nose pushing slightly into the tent, and to accept that a small, measured degrees of political involvement are not idolatrous. But as followers of Christ, we must remain vigilant. Our ultimate allegiance must remain with Jesus, whom we confess to be the world’s true Lord.

Know The Boundaries

This is not a call for legalism so that Christians can begin making laws about political engagement (or any other matter of doctrine) in areas where Scripture remains silent. Nor is this an excuse for avoiding sincere, but difficult questions. Westling with the implications of Scripture and its application is good and important. However, we must recognize the danger of allowing worldly reasoning to undermine God’s clear teachings.

Far too often, conversations about Christian doctrine shift from honestly wresting with the implications of Scripture to a question of how far we can let the camel’s nose into the tent. Perhaps we should pause and reconsider whether it is wise to allow it in at all. As disciples of Christ, we have made a commitment to hold fast to the teachings and examples of our Lord. Let us hold fast to Him, trusting His wisdom, and resist the temptation to compromise, even in seemingly small ways.