THE FLAG ON THE CHURCH.
By W. N. G.
CAN a church that musters under a worldly banner be a church of Christ? Of His disciples He says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” In the same connection He says, “The world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” When a man marches under a banner, he signifies that he is of whatever that banner represents; just so is any company or organization. All the governments of earth are “of the world.” Civil government was ordained for the world, and will come to an end when Christ comes to set up His kingdom, which will “fill the whole earth.” Of all the governments of the world, there will be no place found for them. How, then, can a church place itself under the flag of any government of the world and claim the protection of Him who has given fair warning that He is coming to destroy that government? The Lord gave warning that He was going to destroy Sodom, and those who preferred to give their service to Sodom were destroyed with Sodom. So with Jerusalem; warning was given that it would be destroyed, and all who cast their lot with Jerusalem were destroyed with it. It will be just so with those who indicate by their worldly banners that they are of the world. When the world and its governments are finally overthrown, those who gather under their banners will fall in the general collapse. It matters not under which of the national banners one may choose to march, if that be his choice of citizenship, he unites his fate with that of the government so chosen. If he join himself to a worldly government, the fate of that government must be his fate. If he join himself to the government of God, he will share the glory and the life of that government. God has not selected the stars and stripes, nor the red and yellow bars, nor the cross of St. George, nor the dragon on a blue field, as his particular ensign. Not any nor all of them are any part of the kingdom of heaven. These and all others are the tokens of a selfish human rivalry everywhere prevalent in the world. They indicate government by force. They represent a force that is ready to kill and destroy in retaliation for wrongs or injuries, real or imaginary. In their very nature they can not be Christian; for Christ has told His disciples emphatically not to resist evil. Then can a Christian or a Christian church consistently raise a banner that says to the world, We stand for retaliation, for strife, for revenge, for bloodshed, for conquest? No, most emphatically, no. Christ was offered all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, but He refused them. They were nothing to Him; for it was His purpose to destroy them all in His own good time. A great multitude of people once thought to make Him a king, but He declined; for His kingdom is not of this world, nor is His banner the banner of any worldly power. “His banner over me is love,” and His law is, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” His doctrine is, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” No one can follow out these Heaven-born principles while marching under the banner of blood and carnage, or while urging men on to the field of slaughter. No; the carnal battlefield is a thing of the world, and Christians can have no part in it. The apostle Paul made the true Christian decision when he said, “I determined not to know anything save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” W. N. G.