“Loyalty” means different things to different people depending on the context in which the word is used. It’s a concept that we would all do well to think carefully about before committing ourselves to something, be it a nation, a religion or even to a family.
Loyalty is complicated when life demands loyalty to a variety of things at the same time. It may be that being loyal to one thing calls for disloyalty to something else. When that happens, I must decide where my basic loyalty lies, even if it means being disloyal to another important part of my life.
Obedience and support are the two major aspects of loyalty. Many things may demand my obedience and my support, but what I am loyal to will always claim first place. Life is about deciding day by day where my first loyalty lies.
It appears to me that three things compete for our primary loyalty. There is a call for loyalty to a political party or ideology. There is a call for loyalty to one’s country. And there is a call for loyalty to God. At times these three things are in conflict.
Loyalty to an ideology (political position) is different from loyalty to country. If that idea is recognized, then each time there is a change of political power there will be an opportunity for rebellion. Actually, if loyalty to an ideology is primary, then rebellion is almost mandatory. In some countries if one isn’t loyal to a particular party or ideology one is considered an enemy of the state. So far, we have avoided that horror in the United States, but there are signs that some people appear to equate loyalty to an ideology with loyalty to the nation. “Be loyal to the party or be an enemy.”
So far, people who claim loyalty to Jesus Christ have been spared having to decide between loyalty to country or loyalty to Christ. But some people assume the two are the same thing. They are not. I believe it will become more common for Christians to have to choose between loyalty to Jesus or loyalty to our nation. I believe I already see it happening, and unfortunately, loyalty to the Christ loses out.
Some people associate one ideology or political party with loyalty to Jesus. If someone doesn’t toe the line of that ideology, then they aren’t really Christians.
From my standpoint, loyalty to Christ is characterized by two things and only two things. Loyalty to Christ requires I first love God with everything I have.1 Everyone has an image of God, even those who claim there is no God. I’m not referring to a particular image of God. Loving a particular image of God isn’t what I’m talking about.
God is much greater than we can conceive of. I have to continually seek to know God. For me, this is the God who loves the world so much2 that God came in the person of Jesus Christ to redeem all of us and show us the way. Any love of a god which isn’t first and foremost a loving God and a redeeming God is love of a god other than God, the Father of Jesus Christ.
The second thing required is to “love our neighbor just like we love ourselves.”3 Our neighbor includes people who have different ideas than we have. It includes people who do things we really abhor. It includes people who look different and sound different from us. And, this is the big one, it requires we love people who haven’t understood God as we have and worship God in ways we don’t understand. If you think about it, that is exactly what Jesus did when he died for us while we were yet sinners.4 None of our ancestors were worshiping God as revealed in Jesus Christ when Christ went to the cross.
We need to examine everything we do in the light of these two verses. Are our attitude and actions expressing love of God and are our attitude and actions expressing love for our neighbor? Despite a common misconception, these are not first and second choices. The way I read scripture, loving God and loving your neighbor are actually two sides of the same coin. Where my loyalty lies involves considering these two things.
If what I say leaves you feeling uncomfortable, don’t expect me to make an apology. Most of growth as human beings is accompanied by discomfort. I love you too much to not say what I understand as truth.
Ross T Lucas 