Christians Dwelling in the City of Man

The political climate in America today demands that we as Christians understand our role in it. So many who profess Christ are tempted to go in one of two directions. The first is to jump entirely on the Trump bandwagon and view him as the political version of the Messiah figure who leads his people into a golden age. The other is to simply extract oneself completely from the political arena citing pious reasons that say something akin to ‘Jesus is my only King. I don’t care about politics.’ How soon we forget the lessons from Augustine, Luther, Kuyper and others that we as Christians have a dual citizenship; we are citizens of this world and of the world to come; citizens of the City of Man but also of the City of God. I have my dual passport to prove it.

What Christians need to understand is that they can be citizens (and vocally so) of both kingdoms because each kingdom runs on a different set of laws that do not contradict each other. Once this fact is understood, a believer will then find it possible to operate in both kingdoms without feeling a wave of internal angst. So what are these principles that rule the respective kingdoms?

First, the kingdom of this world - call it the City of Man, civil government - rests on natural law, or to say it simply, nature. One might even say the government runs on common sense, for law itself is that which comes naturally and rests on a universal consensus of the rational mind. If common sense or natural law is the governing principle of earthly kingdoms, then what are we as Christians to look for in a properly running government? Leaders who are pastors? I hope not. Nationwide festivals of worship to the living God? That has been tried before and failed, just ask Cromwell and Winthrop. Laws that legislate spiritual issues that cannot be seen by common sense, things like forced volunteerism or mandatory Bible reading? That will never work. No, the principle that governs good governments is that of justice, which is just another way of saying natural law. The apostle Paul in Romans chapter 13 outlined the role of government in clear and simple terms. It is the blueprint for today and we dare not take it further. Simply put, governments exist to reward the good and punish evil, good and evil being judged by human conscience and framed by consensus, something akin to Rousseau’s social contract. Governments that rule the City of Man do not exist to dabble in spiritual things, but natural things. But that is not bad, but good. The City of Man is not unimportant. God cares about order on earth as well as heaven. A Christian must never forget this.

I am not unaware that many Christians will rise up and object to this viewpoint. Some of this stems from a subtle Gnosticism that has infiltrated many Christian groups. That is, many Christians have been programmed to believe that ‘nature’ is inherently evil and spirit is essentially good. Many base this on Paul’s statement that the ‘natural man seeks not the things of the Spirit of God because they are foolishness to them.’ Or they turn to Paul’s statement in Ephesians that men are by nature children of wrath. Okay, yes, Paul did say these things, but remember in both cases he is speaking of salvation issues not earthly ones. It is quite true that in the spiritual realm nature can do nothing, though God does use natural things to connect to the spiritual at times (baptism, Holy Communion, the Bible). But in the main, natural things cannot find God, nor can they save a soul, nor can they understand the mission of Christ or the true nature of the Godhead. But does that mean nature is evil as it exists in the natural realm? On the contrary, in the City of Man nature is altogether good. Nature understands natural goodness, natural justice, natural kindness and a host of other ‘natural’ things. The natural realm need not run on spiritual principles to be good, it has its own set of virtues that work well in the natural realm. Civil government therefore runs on natural law and it need go no higher. History is a great testimony to this. Don’t we all know of societies that have run well in the past without any reference to Jesus Christ? And the reason they ran well was because they adhered to the common tenets of nature.

So now we come to the issues surrounding America in 2025. It is the duty of Christian citizens to view all that is happening through the lens of what was outlined above. Before jumping on or off any bandwagons, the thoughtful Christian must ask, “What is the Christian position on this issue as it pertains to the role of the civil government?” Now let us apply this principle as it pertains to a few of the current issues that face America today.

First, let us tackle transgender females participating in female athletics. This one is easy. Without having to pontificate on what the Bible says about transgenderism, the Christian or any rational human, ought to say, “This practice is contrary to nature.” Allowing a transgender female (biological male) to participate in woman’s sports defies the clear order of things. That is, it is wholly contrary to reason to have the physically stronger gender, created that way by God, or evolved that way by Natural Selection, to compete with the physically weaker gender and call it just. This is a purely natural, common sense analysis. Yet the religion of Hermaphrodites so blinds its votaries that it prefers to worship at an altar that destroys nature rather than forsake its god. That this view is religious by nature is proven by the fact that any five year old child would view men competing in woman’s sports to be an aberration, unnatural, something a wacky cult member would embrace. When common sense is jettisoned, religion is always standing close by in the shadows. Nature tells us that the genders are very different (no matter what you believe about their origins). Any government that supports the illogical confusion of genders has de facto escaped from reason and has abandoned its basic commission.

What about the issue of sovereign, national, borders? Again, let nature have its word. Borders are boundaries. Where in human endeavor are boundaries not useful… and sensible? Families? Corporations? Education? Politics? Entertainment? Boundaries bring security to people groups. Boundaries cause differentiation and differentiation creates community and community forges identity and identity brings security. The greatest safety net in all of nature is to say, “I belong to such and such a community.” Boundaries allow us to say, “We are not them and they are not us.” That is not a racist concept but natural and healthy one. Anytime you say “I am not such and such,” you are also saying, “I am such and such.” We all must belong to something. I am not Danish, nor Ethiopian, nor Female, nor Progressive, nor Catholic. But in not being all these things I know I am safely something else. These are the things that define who I am. This need for boundaries is why young men join gangs. When society consists of amorphous, borderless blobs, trouble and chaos always looms on the horizon. Consider the Tower of Babel. Yes, humanity had its one shot of existing as a borderless blob and and what came of it was an open revolt against God. This further reminds us that borders not only define us; they also weaken us. Consider this. No one Army of Nations rules the world. Nobody always gets their way. Groups fight all the time. How horrible it would be if America was all Republican or all Democrat, all conservative or all liberal, all activists or all pacifists. If everybody thought the same way about everything we would be sinfully empowered to conquer the only thing left to conquer, the Most High God Himself. Boundaries keep us small and weak. The distribution of languages at Babel was God’s was of saying ‘go fight among yourselves and stop fighting Me.’ Genesis chapter 11:1-9 tells all about this divine coup if you wish to read it.

The application? It is perfectly right for America to protect her sovereign borders, not because America is a such a great place, but because America must have its identity in order to participate in the orderly arrangement of the world. If a government therefore ignores borders and allows anyone to enter them at any time the sovereignty of that nation is undermined and it moves toward the chaos of becoming a Babel. Order is maintained, not by having one strong universal power, but by having many smaller and weaker powers all vying for their own identity. This is why America has three branches of government. A brilliant move by our forefathers. And never forget that these men were, by and large, not Christian. The Enlightenment is simply the application of natural law in the City of Man and it is generally helpful. It is only dangerous when it moves into the City of God.

What about government spending? Governments are tasked to protect their people, reward those who do good, to punish evil doers, to protect the most vulnerable, and to tax in order to pay for things that contribute to the common weal, things like armies, roads, social programs, prisons, and water. When the government spends money that it does not have, and when it spends money that has nothing to do with its natural mission, then that government has usurped its raison d’etre and is no longer a properly functioning entity. Once again we find that spending is not a biblical issue but a common sense issue. Mathematics and sheer common sense tell us that it is harmful to spend more money than is made. Call it stealing, call it whatever you want, it makes no sense. When governments spend more money than what they have or when they spend money on things that don’t align with their natural function they are assuming an unnatural role. Taking more water out of a lake than what flows in it, eventually leaves a swamp. A non-Christian bookkeeper is a suitable critic of this practice. We don’t need the Bible to affirm this or any other natural law.

The bottom line here is that we as Christians must put on our natural, legal, rational hat when evaluating governments. Yes, our biblical convictions play the role of conscience and gives us deeper framework for analysis. But strictly speaking the City of Man can run quite well if the leaders will simply digest a little common sense. If governments need a model to find, then look to the family. It is a microcosm of how a government should run; indeed, it is a picture of government itself. As to gender issues, families do not treat sons and daughters the same, nor should they. To do so is to mash together that which is naturally different. Gloria Steinem may be gnashing her teeth at this point, but I believe I have nature on my side. What about the issues of boundaries? Do you know of a family that has open boundaries? Beds are for whoever gets there first, front doors are eternally unlocked, keys to the family car belong to anyone who can find them. The fact is, families thrive because they are not the family next door. Families thrive because they have individual identity. Families thrive because one does not move in with the neighbor’s spouse. In families, rules are made, beds are designated, and back yards are the family haven. Boundaries are good for families…. and for nations. And what about spending in families? As I grew up I can’t count the number of gallons of powdered milk my sisters and I drank. My parents refused to spend more than they had. To them it was sheer common sense not to spend more than they had. It was sheer survival. Perhaps they did not know basic economics but they knew enough to spend within their means. And they weren’t even Christians. Yes, governments should do the same.

I speak to you as a Christian who lives in present America. You are asking, “What do I do in this volatile political climate? Hate Trump? Adore Trump? Ignore Trump.” No, no, no. Rather, put on your City of Man hat and begin assessing all that is happening by the standards of pure common sense, by the orderly rules of nature. When Trump or anyone else does something good, applaud it, whether you like the agent or not. And yes, even if a leader has been unchaste personally, and yet has the natural horse sense to do things that are in compliance with nature, then thank God. Hammurabi, Marcus Aurelius and George Washington are God’s gifts to the City of Man. We call this common grace. And for this we must give thanks. On the other hand, when leaders, even those we like personally, do things that are contrary to nature we must be able to stand on natural principle and oppose those views.

The bottom line is this. When God so blesses a nation with leaders who follow common sense natural principles, they should applaud such men whether those leaders believe in the deity of Christ or not. So Christian always remember that you exist like every other human being in the City of Man. And as a citizen of that city always support that which contributes to the basic contours of nature. Support boundaries, support genders, support fiscal sense, support generosity, support justice, support and embrace balance of power. And yes, when issues arise that violently attack the transcendent principles of the City of God (like slavery, abortion) then put on your citizen’s cap and fight on. As a rule, may the Christian be the sensible, yes the most natural, citizen in the City of Man. This is what God has called Christians to be. Follow Paul’s advice, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.” And never forget when Christians are sensible and peacemaking in culture, the good that comes from it may well leech out into the spiritual realm and bring spiritual revival. It has happened before and by God’s grace it could happen again in our nation. To this end we pray.