In Light of the Vertical

 Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,
    and the writers who keep writing oppression,
 to turn aside the needy from justice
    and to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
    and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
What will you do on the day of punishment,
    in the ruin that will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
    and where will you leave your wealth?
Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
    or fall among the slain.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.  Isaiah 10:1-4

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
    is God in his holy habitation. Psalm 68:5

Do not rob the poor, because he is poor,
    or crush the afflicted at the gate,
for the Lord will plead their cause
    and rob of life those who rob them.  Proverbs 22:22-23

 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.  Deuteronomy 10:17-19

Since the election, many of my friends, and even family, have wondered if I’ve ‘done gone and lost my mind’ because I have posted numerous articles and opinions which are critical of the current administration’s actions and policies. It has been suggested that I am off topic, the only real topic of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Some have thought that I am putting my trust in politics and politicians instead of God, expecting our nation and its leaders to fulfill the directives of scripture.  Others have made it clear that they believe taking a public political position will alienate people and might close their minds to anything “spiritual” I might have to say.  And, many think that I just can’t get over the fact that my candidate did not win the election and that I simply have a bad case of “sour grapes.”  (To that last one I have to say that I did not really have a candidate that didn’t win, I had an anti-candidate who won.)

Because I have never been particularly political, I am not bold by nature, and I care more than I really should about what others think of me, I have been brought up short by these criticisms, and have regularly retreated to ponder the truth of what was said or implied. 

For many years, I have had only one message, that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in the finished work of Christ alone.  I was highly suspicious of any talk, not just political, that hinted at how Christians should live, because I had been blinded for half my life by churches whose primary proclamation was Christian Living, where Christ was merely a footnote in the prequel. That deadly emphasis had kept me from having any assurance in Christ.  It kept my focus on me and left me either feeling, self-righteously, that I was doing pretty well, or, despondently, that I was a failure and a fraud. 

God’s revelation to me that my obedience did not save me, but, rather, that it was Christ’s obedience and his punishment for me, in my stead, which saved me, changed my entire life!  I was not willing to be confused again, or to risk confusing others, by engaging in any conversation about living in light of the cross. 

Then, two things happened.  The first was that I began to grasp the idea of the vertical and horizontal planes in relation to God and humankind.  The vertical plane is my relationship with God.  It represents the It-is-finished standing of salvation, accomplished by Christ for me, to which I contributed nothing but my sin.  It is a completed, historical fact.  I am secure in Christ.

The horizontal plane represents my relationship with those around me.  The way I relate to the world flows out of my vertical, settled relationship with God.  The vertical plane has an effect on the horizontal (the way I live).  The fact that I am secure in Christ and have been given undeserved grace and mercy will generate in me a desire to show that same grace and mercy to those around me.  The horizontal plane, however, does not in any way affect my settled relationship with God in the vertical plane.  My behavior in the horizontal will not “unsave” me.  God still watches over me, guides my feet, leads me, convicts me and sometimes disciplines me in regards to my behavior, but that is because I am his child.  My place in the family is not threatened.

The second thing was the election.

I have already mentioned that I have never been very interested in politics.  I’ve had my views which I almost never expressed, and I always voted my conscience; but, when every other election was over I paid little to no attention to what happened after I left the voting booth.  I’m not suggesting that’s a good or a bad thing, it’s just the truth.  But, for me, and for many others, this election was different.  I can’t explain it necessarily, but I haven’t been able to ignore it either.  It has created in me a sense of urgency, a need to speak up, to sound a warning.  No matter how hard I’ve tried to “let it go”, I can’t. 

I have been told that the policies this administration is proposing are not very different from previous administrations, from both political parties.  My research tells me this is, to some extent, true. I have been told by many who voted for this president that they felt the same urgency regarding the previous administration, and I believe them and respect their experience.  I know that some who voted for Trump are greatly encouraged by his seemingly miraculous win and have found hope, in that win, that his presidency will be a blessing for our country.  I have also heard many say they were so distressed by the choices they had in this election that they cried as they cast their votes.  Feelings are on the surface and are raw in a way that I have never before witnessed.  Regardless of how things may have been in the past, for me, things are different now.

I cannot answer for what anyone else believes they must do or not do in regards to living horizontally in light of the vertical.  I only know that as I watch my country moving in the direction of self-protectionism and pursuing fiscal policies in such a way that widows, orphans, the poor, afflicted, and even sojourners are being put and/or left in harm’s way, I cannot be silent. I must speak up for them, I must stand with them, and I must do whatever I can to help them.