Voices on the political right-wing have become louder recently in calling for more respect to be given to Christian values. This is positive as far as it goes, although God is not there to be co-opted into any political cause whether left or right wing, and using Christian words and imagery must be more than virtue-signalling. “Christian values” are not some nebulous form of niceness which coincides with nostalgia for a less complicated Britain of some decades back. The real value of “Christian values” appears when distinctively Christian truths are lived out in a distinctively Christian lifestyle, i.e., when devotion to the one living and true God expresses itself in the pursuit of godly living. It is when Christians are flourishing in godliness that the nation will be able to see real benefits in both the temporal (political, financial, social) and spiritual domains. This point was made by John Collins (1632?–1687), a fellow of Harvard who was appointed to preach in Scotland in the 1650s before pastoring in London (when he was ejected in 1662, he preached a powerful farewell sermon which was later published). In the following updated abridgement of a sermon on Isaiah 6:13, Collins draws on the metaphor in Isaiah’s prophecy which pictures a nation as a tree, and the Lord’s people in it as its solid trunk.

What kind of people count as Christians?

The really righteous of a nation are, under God, the strength of it — I mean those who have these features.

As far as doctrine goes, they keep to the only foundation which God has laid, the Lord Jesus Christ. They hold as much truth as is ncessary to the life of faith and power of godliness, and maintain no false doctrine which is inconsistent with these.

As far as practice goes, they fear God and work righteousness. They not only believe in Christ, but live in obedience to Him.

All true religion consists in faith and holiness — it glorifies God by believing and obeying.

Clearly, this excludes atheists (who have no religion), idolaters, heretics, and those who follow a false religion.

It also excludes:

• those who don’t know the first thing about Christian teachings, and don’t understand what they say they believe,
• those who lead profane lives, despise those who are good, and persecute powerful godliness,
• those who claim to be Christians, but only for worldly reasons.

In a word, it excludes all who lack true faith and real holiness, and indulge themselves in any known sins, whether more often and obvious, or more private and hidden.

What features do Christians have?

Isaiah decribes them as “the substance” or “stock” of a tree (Isa. 6:13). What does this mean?

Firm and durable

The stock of a tree is its most firm and durable part. The leaves may be shaken off, the branches dry and withered, and even lopped off, yet the stump still continues, and lives. It keeps its place and retains its sap.

When hypocrites and part-time believers fall away and stop taking an interest in Christianity, yet the godly shall continue, and hold their own, and keep their standing. They are all united to Christ, who is like the root of the tree, as well as to each other, as all part of the same stock, and so preserved in life by sap they derive from the root.

Growing

The stock propagates itself. Cut off all the branches, but the stem will shoot out again, and send out new leaves and fruit and seed, from which other trees will come.

The godly propagate their righteousness. They pass it on to others, beget children to God, are spiritual parents, and have spiritual offspring. Many are affected by their instruction, won over by their example, awakened by their warnings, overcome by their persuasion.

How are Christians beneficial to a nation?

It is common in horticulture for the tree to be spared for the sake of the stock. If the gardener finds a cluster or two of grapes on a vine, by those few he perceives that there is life in the tree, and some hope of more fruitfulness to come, and therefore he does not cut it down. “So will I do,” says the Lord, “for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all” (Isa. 65:8). He spares the rest — he does “not destroy them all, for his servants’ sakes,” — i.e., for the sake of the righteous among them.

In fact, the gardener looks after the tree for the sake of the stock. As long as there is life in the stock, he not only doesn’t dig it up, but he prunes it, and bestows on it whatever cost and labour it needs.

Many a blessing, both temporal and spiritual, comes to a nation for the sake of the godly in its midst.

Temporal blessings. God blessed Laban, even though he was an idolater, for Jacob’s sake (Genesis 30:30), and heathen Potiphar for Joseph’s sake (Genesis 39:5). God may give a people peace and plenty, so that His own servants may have their share in it, to encourage them in holiness. The reason why Babylon had such a long time of peace before its downfall was so that God’s people in it would have peace (Jeremiah 29:7).

Spiritual blessings. God gives the means of grace to a people — His Word and ordinances and the offers of salvation — especially for the sake of those who belong to Him. It is no small mercy to have an external gospel call, an offer of Christ. If people neglect their opportunities, forsake their own mercies, lose the benefit of the good they have had, it is their own fault — the privilege is no less in itself. But where God has nobody to call effectually, He does not usually send the gospel. Paul was forbidden to preach in Asia and was prevented from going into Bithynia (Acts 16:6–7), because God did not have any people there who were as yet to be called by His grace. But he was sent into Macedonia (v.10), because there God had work for him, several who were soon to be converted by his ministry. If Gd had not had a seed among the Macedonians, they might have still continued in the same darkness that others were in.

How are Christians the “strength” of a nation?

On what account are the Christians in a nation said to be its strength? What influence do they have on the welfare and security of a people?

They are precious to God

They are God’s favourites, His children, His jewels (Mal. 3:17), His treasure (Ex. 19:5), His portion (Deut. 32:9). They are the most closely related to Him, and most dearly beloved by Him.

Just as people will save their bags and boxes, which are of little worth, if their jewels are in them, so God will show the same concern for His people. Happy is that society where God has many friends, if the people are only wise enough to be friendly to them! It is a pity if the ones who are favoured by heaven are not also favoured by them!

They speak to God for their nation

Christians make use of their relationship with God for the people. They intercede with God for them by prayer. Moses interposed with God for Israel (Psalm 106:23), and Abraham prayed for Abimelech’s household (Genesis 20:17), and Samuel prayed for the Israelites (1 Samuel 12:23). The Christian part of a people are the praying part of them, and so they are the ones who do the most for them.

Grace will always out-pray nature. The prayer of others is only the voice of nature or conscience, but in the true believer it is the language of grace. Others make prayers; only believers pray prayers. Others pray in set forms, or with their gifts, but only believers pray “in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 20).

They have faith behind their pleas. They are indeed the only persons who have true faith, and it is faith especially that makes anyone plead with God, and make use of whatever arguments God’s Word warrants. The goodness of prayer is not to be judged by the artistic merit of its composition, or the elegance of its style, or the fervency of its expression, but by the workings of faith.

They do not participate in the wickedness which brings judgment

Christian people in a nation are often a means of stopping the current of wickedness which is ready to overflow a land with judgments, and to bring swift destruction on it. It is the sin of a nation which lays them open to wrath. If you want to keep off wrath, you must endeavour to keep out sin — if you want to hinder the effect, you must obviate the cause. It is the devil’s damnable policy to draw people into sin, so that he will expose them to punishment. The greatest enemies to a people, who go the quickest way to ruin them, are those who draw them into sin, and so into God’s displeasure.

Who is that most hinders sin, and prevents the place being inundated with sin, but the Christians in a nation? They speak against it, they bear testimony against it, if they have any authority they suppress it, and by their example they discourage it. None are so active, none so zealous, in opposing sin as those who are most holy. They not only fear sin in themselves, but labour to prevent it in others.

To prevent sin is their first priority, but if that cannot be, they lament it and mourn over it, and “sigh and cry for the abominations” of a land (Ezekiel 4:4). David “beheld the transgressors, and was grieved” (Psalm 119:158); “rivers of waters ran down his eyes, because they kept not God’s law” (v.136). Jeremiah “wept in secret places” for the pride of his people (Jeremiah 13:17). This does not directly stop the course of sin in a land, yet it is a kind of check to it.

While in this way they lay to heart the sins of others, they are not themselves partakers of these sins, nor do they share in the guilt. These sins are not universal in the nation, when there are at least some who testify their dislike of them by their sorrow for them. The more universal sin is, the more dangerous it is, and it is all the more likely to bring on judgments when the godly themselves become guilty, not exactly by committing it, yet by not mourning over it (which is a degree of fellowship with it). When they mourn for the sin committed by others, they free themselves from the guilt of approving or conniving at it or fellowshipping in it, and in this way they are instrumental in keeping off more general judgments.

They spread goodness

The Lord’s people not only inhibit the progress of sin in the nation, they propagate goodness to others, as well as promoting it in themselves. They do this by advice, warnings, and example. They make it their business not only to do good themselves but to make others good — to bring them to holiness as well as to keep them from sin.

Grace, wherever it is, is communicative. It spreads itself as far as it can. Those who love God see so much loveliness in Him that they long to persuade others to love Him too. Those who walk in God’s ways like them so much, and find so much peace and pleasantness in them, and know there is such a reward at the end of them, that they take every care to get others into the same ways. They know that the one they serve is generous enough and rich enough.

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