Biblical Citizenship 101

How Then Should We Live?

By Dr. Gary Miller

In 1976, Francis A. Schaeffer, an influential evangelical theologian and Presbyterian pastor, published How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture. In the book and its companion film series, Schaeffer traced the development of Western civilization and warned that a culture loses its moral footing when human beings replace God as the ultimate source of truth.

Fifty years later, his question is as urgent as ever: How then should we live? For Christians in America, that question reaches beyond personal morality and Sunday worship. How should we live in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, cities, and nation? Should we volunteer, attend public meetings, advocate for just policies, vote, or run for office? How can we be salt and light without confusing the Kingdom of God with the kingdoms of this world?

Biblical citizenship is not a political slogan. It is the daily practice of living under the lordship of Jesus Christ while faithfully accepting responsibility for the community and nation in which God has placed us. It avoids two equal and opposite errors: political idolatry, which treats earthly power as ultimate, and political withdrawal, which abandons the public square to others.

1. Remember Which Kingdom Comes First

   Christians live with dual citizenship. We are citizens of the United States, but our primary and eternal citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20; Ephesians 2:19). Our highest allegiance is not to a political party, public official, movement, or nation. It is to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

   Patriotism can be a proper expression of gratitude for God’s providence and for the freedoms we have received. But patriotism must never become worship. We do not use Scripture to justify everything our nation does; we measure our nation, our leaders, our parties, and ourselves by the truth of Scripture.

   
   

2. Honor Authority—But Never Above God

   Scripture teaches believers to respect governing authorities, obey lawful commands, pay taxes, and pray for those who lead (Romans 13:1–7; 1 Peter 2:13–17; 1 Timothy 2:1–2). Christians should be known as honest, peaceful, responsible, and constructive citizens—not as people who despise authority whenever an election does not go their way.

   
   

   Yet human authority is never absolute. When government commands what God forbids or forbids what God commands, the Christian must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Such resistance should be principled rather than impulsive, courageous rather than contemptuous, and peaceful rather than violent. Biblical submission is not blind compliance; it is obedience to earthly authority under the higher authority of God.

   
   

3. Seek the Good of the Community

   God instructed His people in exile to seek the welfare of the city where He had placed them (Jeremiah 29:7). That principle still matters. Loving our neighbor has a public dimension. Laws, schools, public safety, economic policies, and local institutions affect real people—children, families, the unborn, the poor, the elderly, the vulnerable, and generations yet to come.

   
   

   Christians should therefore care about justice, righteousness, religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, strong families, honest government, wise stewardship, and equal protection under the law. We seek influence not for domination, privilege, or revenge, but so that truth, justice, and human flourishing may be advanced for everyone.

   
   

4. Exercise the Influence God Has Entrusted to You

   In a representative republic, citizenship is a stewardship. Voting is not the maximum expression of civic responsibility; it is often the minimum. Faithful citizens learn the issues, evaluate candidates carefully, communicate with public officials, attend local meetings, serve on boards and commissions, volunteer in their communities, support worthy organizations, and—when called and qualified—seek public office.

   
   

   Not every Christian will engage in the same way, but indifference is not a spiritual gift. When good people refuse to participate, decisions affecting their neighbors are still made—simply without their wisdom, conviction, or influence. Our responsibility is not to control every outcome, but to be faithful with the opportunities God gives us.

   
   

5. Speak the Truth in a Christlike Manner

   The methods of biblical citizenship must be as Christian as its goals. We must not lie, slander, manipulate, dehumanize opponents, or spread claims we have not verified. We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), to be slow to anger (James 1:19–20), and to let our speech be gracious (Colossians 4:6).

   
   

   Political disagreement does not cancel the command to love our neighbor. The person across the aisle is not beyond the reach of God, and winning an argument is not worth damaging our witness. Courage without love becomes cruelty. Love without truth becomes sentimentality. Biblical citizenship requires both conviction and character.

   
   

6. Keep the Gospel Above Partisanship

   Politics matters, but it cannot save. Elections cannot regenerate the human heart, and legislation cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit. Good laws can restrain evil, protect life, punish wrongdoing, and promote justice, but lasting renewal requires transformed people.

   
   

   The church must never become the religious arm of a political party, and the pulpit must not be reduced to a campaign platform. At the same time, preaching the whole counsel of God will inevitably address moral questions that have public consequences. The church should disciple believers to think biblically about every area of life—including government—while keeping evangelism, worship, discipleship, holiness, and service at the center of its mission.

Start Where You Live

Biblical citizenship begins close to home. A practical starting point may include:

• Pray regularly for national, state, and local leaders—even those with whom you strongly disagree.

• Learn how your local government, school district, and civic institutions actually work.

• Vote in every election, including local and primary elections, after careful biblical and factual evaluation.

• Choose one local need—such as foster care, homelessness, education, public safety, pregnancy support, or care for the elderly—and serve consistently.

• Build respectful relationships with neighbors, community leaders, and elected officials before a crisis arises.

• Prayerfully consider whether God may be calling you to serve on a board, commission, campaign, or in public office.

Resources for Further Study

Programs such as Patriot Academy’s Biblical Citizenship course combine constitutional instruction with a biblical worldview and encourage informed civic participation. The Nehemiah Institute’s PEERS assessment is designed to help Christians examine whether their thinking about politics, economics, education, religion, and society is consistently grounded in Scripture. As with any resource, both should be evaluated carefully in light of the Bible.

Bottom Line

Biblical citizenship recognizes that the church and the state have distinct God-given roles, but it does not require Christians to withdraw from public life. We are called to be heavenly minded and earthly faithful—loyal to Christ, respectful toward authority, courageous in conscience, truthful in speech, loving toward our neighbors, and diligent in doing good.

America is not the Kingdom of God. No nation is. But our citizenship in heaven does not release us from our earthly responsibilities; it equips us to fulfill them. The question remains: How then should we live? We should live as faithful ambassadors of Christ wherever He has placed us—including the public square.