A City Without Walls

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By David Brand

. . . remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)– remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

-Ephesians 2:11-13

At the very least, the above call to remembrance by the apostle Paul ought to remind Christians in every age that, apart from the grace of God, they are not so different from others. Being an American citizen is no exception to this rule.  Let us not complicate matters by confusing the church of Jesus Christ with either American citizenship or political party affiliation!  To be sure, the cost of being a Christian may be much higher in some other nations than in the United States of America.  Indeed, in very recent memory some in other nations have paid with their lives the cost of Christian discipleship.  They shared our Christian citizenship in the city of God but paid a much higher price than we have, though even in America Christians must still face the cost of discipleship.  Faithfulness to Christ may cause us to be excluded from certain circles—indeed even some political circles.  This is not to suggest that one political party has an exclusive claim on Christians.  There are issues unique to either party affiliation which cannot be skirted by professing Christians.  These issues may even make us uncomfortable with one another in church.  At the same time, what better place is there to live out the call to love our brethren than in a prayer meeting?  And what better place to seek resolution to political barriers than in God’s house?

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

-Isaiah 58:12-

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David C. Brand, a graduate of the College of Wooster, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Westminster Seminary of Philadelphia, is a contributing editor of the Christian Observer.  Dave’s Westminster thesis was published by the American Academy of Religion in 1991 under the title: Profile of the Last Puritan: Jonathan Edwards, Self-Love, and the Dawn of the Beatific and is currently available through Oxford University Press.  Dave and his wife Marilyn currently reside in Wooster, Ohio.  They have four grown children and eight grandchildren.

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