Sham Loyalty

Only God and truth deserve our loyalty. Period. I cannot emphasize this more. All other loyalties are blind--even to family. Not to your company or church or country or any other person or thing. Not even to your discipler in Christ. And especially not to a politician. Only to God and truth. [Image above by Goh Rhy Yan, Unsplash].

Loyalty to Parents

We should love and obey our parents not out of loyalty to them but out of faithfulness to God. Jeremiah the prophet was for truth when he dared criticize the sins of their fathers which their sons and daughters had suffered.

Our fathers sinned, and are no more; It is we who have borne their iniquities. [Lamentations 5]

Can anyone today honestly dare criticize the founders of their church if they err? Or do we whitewash everything and save their faces? I know a lot of folks who criticize the wrongs of other church's leadership or founders but not their own. Loyalty to godless leaders or churches does not count in heaven.

Even God commanded Ezekiel to "judge the abominations of their fathers," [20'.4]. God does not require loyalty to your family or parents to the point of covering up for their sins (which is usually how people see loyalty to family is) but he does expect loyalty to his precepts and principles on family and obeying and respecting parents. If parents err, children should turn around and follow God.

“But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things..." [Ezekiel 18.14]

But obedience to God on matters of obedience to parents can be quite radical. Isaac just submitted to Abraham while the latter was about to offer him as burnt sacrifice. Both father and son acted in obedience to God. Loyalty to God and truth should indeed be grounded on an intimate, supernatural and solid relationship with God founded deeply in his spoken, revealed Word.

But many righteous kings of Judah detested the wickedness of their fathers by demolishing what they had achieved and doing the complete opposite of what their fathers did. King Hezekiah is a good example here. He did a very radical thing by openly criticizing what their fathers had done and especially undoing the wrongs his father King Ahaz did.

6 Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. 7 They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 9 This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. [2 Chronicles 29]

But watch Abner, son of King Saul. He disobeyed the wrong commands of his father and had the right spiritual insight to see David as the next king (not himself). And yet he remained loyal to his father until death, not leaving his side during the fierce and deadly battle against the Philistines. Why? Because fighting the Philistines was in line with God's will for the kingdom of Israel. Though God did not fulfill that in Saul's kingship due to his wickedness, HE did it in David's.

Loyalty to Company or Church

They often stress loyalty to company as a good trait in employees. But if you're a serious Jesus follower (and a nonjoiner) your attitude to your company should be governed by your faithfulness to God alone. Paul the apostle wrote a lot about serving your boss well to please God, but the bible does not teach anything on being loyal to bosses or the company.

But the bible does say that: "Bad company corrupts good character," [1 Corinthians 15.33], and I seriously believe it applies to your job as well (not just to the kind of friends you keep). So the more you shouldn't give your loyalty to such. Some companies practice deceitful advertising or marketing or tamper with product quality for more profits. Or practice unfair labor practices. Don't be loyal to them. Do your job well, by all means, but don't be loyal to the company, especially with its wrong policies.

The only church that deserves your loyalty is the glorious and spiritual church of Jesus Christ, which is without spot or wrinkle or any other blemish, holy and pure. Church denominations and independent churches are definitely not included.

Loyalty to Country

The bible says submit to the governing authorities, but there are powerful instances in the bible when God required allegiance to him when there was conflict between him and the authorities. Which means we have to rely on his present spoken Word (the Now Word) on this matter. Peter and the apostles said they "would rather obey God than men" when they were prohibited by the Sanhedrin from preaching about Jesus [Acts 5.29].

Jeremiah was tasked to preach against his own country, urging the government to surrender to King Nebuchadnezzar than to fight him. And Rahab the prostitute from Jericho was told to betray her country and hide two enemy spies which led to the downfall of Jericho.

Thus, instead of loyalty to country, we should be faithful to what God tells us.

Loyalty to Your Discipler

Be obedient to your discipler or father in faith, but don't be loyal. The prophet Samuel was obedient to Eli the priest who served as his "discipler" for a while. But when God judged Eli, Samuel had to side with God and pronounce God's judgment on him. Though the Pharisees were the acknowledged religious leaders in Jesus' time (even he said so), Jesus told his disciples to leave them because they were blind guides. Any guide that is blind, we should leave.

Loyalty to Politicians

Only fools do so. Submit to the authorities (uphold the Constitution) but NOT politicians. Most politicians serve their benefactors or sponsors, not the country or citizenry--though they're skilled to look like they do. Most are deceptive manipulators. They're all the same (pro administration or the opposition) and this is so unfortunate. During elections, I try to choose the lesser evils. We have no choice.

We support the right things they do once they are in power but we should call attention to their wrongs (or criticize them). We do not rebel or take part in any destabilization, but neither should we be blind to their errors, corruption and atrocities.

Only God and truth deserve our unswerving loyalty.