One kingdom or two kingdoms?

I believe a significant juncture point in the debate on whether or not America is a "Christian nation" lies precisely in what constitutes for a binding relationship with God.

The living God is king over all the nations. They are His by right. He still deals with nations and their corruption. He hasn't checked out of the business of settling matters with them and us.

I am studying Is 7-9 this am and God is prophesying through Isaiah that He will bring judgment on Damascus and Samaria part. because they belonged to God by covenant. They were God's people in the sense that mattered for particular judgment. They were not God's people in the sense that they were the remnant, or the truly faith-filled and faithful ones.

We have to maintain those two senses throughout Scripture--there is a way to be God's child and be held in special judgment for spurning His great gifts, and then there is a way to be a child of God and get it. If we try, as many Christians do, to abandon the concept of people belonging to God who yet fall away, then we aren't in accord with Scripture. On the other hand, if we try and abandon that God does preserve that remnant or those truly saved, then we are out of accord with Scripture too.

The biblical answer, like so many things, lies in the middle. "Once saved, always saved baby." Amen. But who is truly saved? Ah, be careful here. Let the secret things be God's and let us take up the signs and seals (baptism, fruit, repentance etc) in which to evaluate others and ourselves.

We don't have reason to doubt for us and for others. God is not capricious. His "bar" is low. Salvation is simply by faith in the gospel. What matters is our present and persevering faith by grace alone as believed on in demonstrated works by us. Our faith's actions are built on Christ's faithfulness. We prove that we really have genuine faith by working it out. This is the way God's world works.

So, tying this back to America as a Christian nation.. God can and does deal with special judgment on America precisely because so many belong to God through baptism, active profession, and attendance to His binding covenant meal--The Lord's Supper. In this sense, we are still a Christian nation.

God judges the household of faith first (I Peter 4:17).

Famine, disease, and poverty will come a plenty if we Christians in this nation do not repent and cast our idols away. The curses of the covenant apply to us because we outnumber the pagans in this nation by baptism, profession and all the hypocritical connection by covenant breakers within the church.