A Message to Rich American Christians
Have you ever read the messages of the Old Testament prophets? Their prophetic utterings are distributed through virtually every book, from Genesis (Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Joseph) through the historical writings (Moses, Deborah, Samuel, David, Nathan, etc.), through the Psalms of David and Solomon to the sixteen prophets for whom the last books of the Old Testament are named.
It could be argued (and was so argued by Christ Himself in Matthew 22:35-40) that the messages of these prophets (especially those whose ministries were hosted by the Nation of Israel, God's Chosen People) revolve around two central themes: love for God and love for each other. What I find fascinating is how much more prophetic content in these books is given to love for each other, than to love for God. I suspect that this is due to a wonderful truth: our love for each other is the proof of our love for God.
If a man say, "I love God," And hateth his brother, he is a liar: For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, How can he love God Whom he hath not seen? -- The Apostle John, 1 John 4:20, KJV
Then He [Christ] will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either. -- The Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew 24:45, NASB
Mind you, there is no ambiguity as to how this love for each other is to be demonstrated, but is expressed in the Old Testament by four virtues:
Our obligation to support our widows (Isaiah 10:1,2)
Our obligation to raise and care for our orphans (i.e., the fatherless: Deut. 20:17)
Our obligation to sustain our poor (Lev. 25:35)
Our obligation to eliminate oppression wherever it is found (Zechariah 7:9,10)
In the New Testament Christ enumerates five more overlapping virtues that demonstrate love for one's neighbor, known or unknown (Matthew 25:31-46):
Satisfy the appetites of the hungry and the thirsty
Show hospitality to the stranger
Clothe the naked
Visit the sick
Come to those in prison
God's Message to His Chosen Nation of Israel was very clear (paraphrased):
"I have made your wealthy in this world's goods, and in return you have built me a wonderful sanctuary! Your worship and offerings honor Me; yet it honors Me more when you love and care for each other, which you have neglected. If you do not repent, I will sweep this sanctuary out of My Sight...and you along with it."
I believe with all my heart in the Gospel of Grace, which declares that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (etc., etc.). The problem arises when we declare the United States of America to be a "Nation under God" or a "Christian Nation," making ourselves either a replacement or an extension of the Nation of Israel, which was not founded upon the Gospel of Grace, but under the Old Covenant (Testament)...the Ten Commandments spoken to Israel by the Voice of God Himself (Exodus 20).
This Old Covenant--unlike the New Covenant based on Grace--has both BLESSINGS and CURSINGS: blessings for those who obey its commands along with curses and judgments for those who neglect and disobey its commands.
Those of us familiar with the Bible's prophecies regarding the End of Time (and this World) know that EVERY nation--even the modern Judaic-Political Nation of Israel, has been doomed to eternal destruction; destined by the Sovereignty of God to be replaced by His Own Kingdom...ruled by His Only-Begotten Son who is destined to descend from Heaven, swallowing up all political and nationalist entities into His Own Dominion (Revelation 11:5). This new Eternal Nation will not be based on political, nationalistic, legal or even ethnic boundaries, but on the Fullness of the Holy Spirit of God...
...The United States of America may have been founded on Judaic-Christian principles, but in no way and by no means can it be said to be filled with the Holy Spirit of Christ.
So when we American Christians claim to be blessed by God BECAUSE WE ARE AMERICANS and not because we are Christians, we are invoking the Wrath and Vengeance of Heaven down upon ourselves because we have NOT supported our widows...
...we have NOT raised and cared for our orphans...
...we have NOT sustained our poor and homeless...
...we have NOT eliminated oppression from our marketplaces and communities...
...we have NOT vanquished hunger and thirst from our needy...
...we have NOT shown hospitality to every stranger that has crossed our borders, seeking refuge...
...we have NOT clothed all of our naked...
...we have NOT relieved all of our sick from suffering...
...and we have NOT shown compassion for those who are in prison or those who have been released from prison and are seeking a better life.
It is time that we stopped celebrating our prosperity and start begging God for the hearts of compassion and empathy necessary to successfully address our fellow humans' deepest needs and crises--whether they are American or not.
Amen.