A Vision Statement for Families and Students
A Christian nation—if we define it as a civil order that publicly covenants with God and acknowledges Christ as King—will look very different from both modern secular democracies and medieval Christendom. Scripture gives us a blueprint for what such a nation looks like when it walks in covenant faithfulness.
1. Exclusive Allegiance to God
The foundation of a Christian nation is the First Commandment:
- “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
- “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 33:12).
This means the civil order formally recognizes the Lord Jesus Christ as supreme ruler. Its laws, constitution, and symbols are not religiously “neutral” but explicitly Christian, rooted in God’s revealed Word. Idolatry and false worship are not tolerated in the public square, just as Israel was commanded to purge the land of Baal and Asherah worship (Deuteronomy 12:2–3; 2 Kings 23:4–7).
2. The Law of God as the Standard of Justice
A Christian nation acknowledges that law is never neutral. Every law reflects a moral authority. For a covenant nation, that authority must be God’s Word:
- “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7).
- “It is time for you to act, O LORD, for your law has been broken” (Psalm 119:126).
Civil magistrates are to rule as ministers of God (Romans 13:4), punishing what God calls evil and protecting what He calls good. This includes suppressing public blasphemy and false worship (Deuteronomy 13, 17), just as Josiah reformed Judah by tearing down pagan altars (2 Kings 23:4–20).
3. True Liberty Under Christ
Modern people think banning false religion means tyranny. Scripture says the opposite:
- “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
- “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
True liberty is freedom from sin’s bondage. Tolerating idolatry enslaves people to lies (Romans 1:21–25). A Christian nation aims not to coerce inward belief—only God can change the heart—but to order society so that truth is upheld in public, and false worship is not legitimized as if it were morally equal to the worship of Christ.
4. Family, Church, and State in Harmony
In a Christian nation, the three God-ordained spheres—family, church, and state—work together under God’s law:
- Families teach children diligently (Deuteronomy 6:7).
- Churches preach the gospel, disciple nations, and exercise spiritual discipline (Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Timothy 3:15).
- The State punishes evildoers and protects the righteous (Romans 13:1–4).
Each has limited authority, but all are bound to Christ as King. Civil rulers are not to run the church, nor the church to wield the sword, but both serve the same Lord in their own spheres.
5. National Accountability and Blessing
Nations are judged as nations:
- “The nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish” (Isaiah 60:12).
- “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way” (Psalm 2:12).
History shows God blesses nations that honor Him (2 Chronicles 31:21), and judges those that rebel (2 Kings 17:7–18). A Christian nation is not sinless, but it is repentant, reforming its institutions, and seeking to bring every area of life—law, education, economics, culture—under the lordship of Christ.
In Summary
A Christian nation looks like:
- Covenanted allegiance to Christ in its constitution and laws.
- Exclusive public worship of the one true God.
- Civil justice built on God’s law, not man-made relativism.
- Social order shaped by families, churches, and magistrates working in harmony under Christ.
- National blessing or curse depending on faithfulness to covenant.
It is not a utopia, nor a man-made theocracy, but a society acknowledging that “the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king” (Isaiah 33:22).