Christianity and Christendom: The Issue of our Times

One of the more amazing things I've seen in response to the attacks on freedom, free speech, immigration invasion, gender insanity, and numerous other areas of life, is the recognition by those that aren't Christians, that the only hope they have is for a robust Christendom to rise up out of Christianity.

They understand the cradle of life resides in the womb of Christianity, and if a strong Christendom doesn't emerge and take hold in the U.S. and the rest of the world, it will be overrun by evil at unfathomable levels.

Now for Christians, the question becomes this: what is the difference between Christianity and Christendom? It's vital to understand it in our generation, and look to the Bible to find ways to apply it to the world we live in.

First we have to define Christianity. Christianity is represented by nothing more or less than those regenerated by faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection and ascension into heaven. The church is the corporate representation of these regenerated people, but it differs from Christendom.

While Christianity is birthed within the hearts of those putting faith in Jesus Christ, it is supposed to be worked out practically and visibly into the world. That practical outworking is what produces Christendom. Christendom is the parameters of life emerging from the application of the Biblical worldview of those professing Jesus Christ. The benefits of that can apply to all of those living within geographic locations where this is being applied. This is what those outside the faith or church see and are now seeking for. It represents an opportunity for the true believers in Jesus Christ to assume leadership and show the way.

A growing number of people understand that freedom only comes to nations, societies and localities that include a meaningful number of real Christians living out their faith in visible and practical ways; it's expressed through law, entertainment, media, and all other areas of life we participate in.

Christianity is birthed within people, while Christendom is the visible representation of working that faith out into the public square. Only those regenerated are Christians, while all people can enjoy the fruit of what is offered by them, which is what Christendom is representative of. Don't get thrown off or confused by the word 'Christendom.' It's just another way of saying the kingdom of God.

I'm bringing this up at this time because it reminds of the time when the Soviet Union fell and people in those nations - including Russia - asked Christians from the West for answers on how to live. The inability for the church to provide answers was deafening; the opportunity of a lifetime was squandered because in fact, there was very little the church knew then, or even knows now, that can provide the Biblical parameters for Christendom to rise in any country.

When Christians in the U.S. say we're a Christian country, what they really mean to say is that we are representative of Christendom; a country that is built upon Biblical principles. It obviously doesn't mean the majority of people are Christians. It means the reason for our long-term success and being a light to the nations of the world was directly because of the influence of the Bible and Christianity on the various institutions and people in the country.

Some like to quibble about whether or not some of the founding fathers were really Christians or not. The better thing to consider is what the foundation they were building the nation on came from. This is why it's important to separate Christianity from Christendom in our examination of them, as the two, while connected, are also separate.

Christendom takes in the majority of people of any nation, while Christianity only includes those that are truly regenerated or born again from above. Christianity starts from within and should be working its way out, while Christendom is specifically the outward result of that process.

What I've seen is people outside the faith calling for the resurgence of Christendom, which in reality is a call for Christians to take up the mantle of authority and responsibility, obeying the requirements of Jesus in the great commission, which is to teach the nations to obey all that He commanded them.

Matthew 28:17-20

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

We need to understand that the call of the so-called great commission was a comprehensive one. It went far beyond individual salvation to the salvation of nations. That's another way of saying Christianity in its full outworking, was to lead to a Christendom. It doesn't mean all people will be saved of course, but it does mean a nation can come under the blessings of God because it's built upon the foundation of Biblical truth.

In other words, Christianity is to take that which God has placed in it (including the laws written on the heart - which are also in the Scriptures) and build Christendom, or as we may want to call it - a Christian nation.

The creation and people of the world are eagerly waiting for us and the visible manifestation of the sons of God. It's time we rise up and show and give them hope that we are willing and able to do so.