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Civis 001/2013
How Do We View the Nation?
“Nation is where God puts us to respond to His command (calling)” (Johannes Leimena)
With regard to “nation” in which we are part of it, the Bible puts us in a paradoxical position.
On the one hand, we are compelled to view the nation seriously with full conviction. Nation is where God puts us to respond to His command (calling). Therefore, we shouldn’t become a cosmopolitan or individuals without nationalities, like modern Xerxes.
The Apostle Paul says regarding this:
“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” (Acts 17:26)
On the other hand, the New Testament shows a concept of a nation in an eschatological perspective. The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:20:
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,” or in 1 Peter 2:11, “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, …”
We are called to become member of our nation and member of God’s people. This will surely bring a tension in our lives.
This series originates from the lecture by Dr. Johannes Leimena (1905-1977) in Sukabumi, West Java, in 1955, entitled “Responsible Citizenship”. Being a student activist in STOVIA medical school, he joined the committee for the 1928 Youth Congress which gave birth to the monumental Oath of Youth. Then he served as minister in 18 cabinets from 1946 to 1966, from Minister of Health until Vice Prime Minister. He was entrusted as the Acting President of the Republic of Indonesia for seven times when President Soekarno was overseas. The Bandung Plan that he drew up based on his experience as Minister of Health is the origin of today’s Community Health Center system. He also helped the founding of the Indonesian Christian Student Movement and the Council of Churches in Indonesia.