Unstained by the World

Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.

Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. (Gen 41: 41-46 NASB)

And all the accomplishments of his authority and strength, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation. (Esth 10: 2-3 NASB)

The king answered Daniel and said, “Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s court. (Dan 2: 47-49 NASB)

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (Jas 1:27)

WE are strangers in a strange land. We became foreigners in the world when we became part of God’s family. Until we die, or until He returns, we are forced to live in this world, in exile. For this reason we need to be on guard constantly that we don’t “go native” and return to the thinking of the world from which God has rescued us.

When we think of being “unstained by the world” we tend to focus on the obvious stains – the sins and vices that we enjoyed when we lived in the world and were slaves to its lusts. They trip us up constantly. But there are other, more subtle, ways the world stains and influences our thinking without our knowing.

This influence is evident in the belief among Christians that we can make the world more godly by human means. We want to pass laws and set up statutes that will make the world more God fearing. Christians in politics or public service are especially prone to this thinking. If it were possible to make men godly by force, the Messiah would have come as the Jews expected and would have overthrown Rome. Paul reminds us that the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against our very nature. Therefore, Christians in public positions need to exercise both caution and restraint.

Should Christians, then, become involved in politics and civic duties? Why not? There is nothing is Scripture to prohibit it. Part of being in the world is being actively engaged in life itself. Not being actively engaged keeps us from being effective ambassadors of Christ. It is very difficult to be a light of the world if we are shining in isolation, or to function as salt of the earth if we remain in the jar. We just have to be careful to avoid being stained by the world around us.

Fortunately, Scripture provides us with examples of godly men who served as political figures while in captivity. They served pagans, yet never abandoned or compromised their faith or their godliness. They wisely looked after the welfare of the nations they served, but they did not force Judaism onto the pagans. Rather by their very lives and dedication to God, they inspired others to accept and honor God. In the same way, Christians need to lead by example rather than compulsion.

All the godly men who held authority in pagan nations endured suffering for their faithful commitment to God. All were imprisoned at some point for putting God ahead of decree. Some were in fear for their lives. Yet God saw all of them through their trials and raised them up. Except in cases where they were sent as messengers from God, their message was not “You cannot do this because God opposes it.” Instead, they were steadfast in saying, “I cannot do this because God opposes it.” The nations were free to do as they would; only God’s people were under God’s law.

In the end, of course, God Himself punishes ungodliness. He doesn’t require us to be His enforcers. The entire world is under that judgment now. The entire world will be destroyed and pass away. All the things of this world are temporary and slated for destruction. There is no law we can enact, no rule we can enforce, no battle we can fight that will change this. The best we can do is be examples of faith and offer temperate advice so that like Mordecai, we work for the good of our people and the welfare of the nations.