In today’s world, patriotism often stirs strong emotions and opinions. For believers, it’s important to explore what the Bible says about patriotism and how we can align our love for our country with our faith.
The Bible encourages us to be responsible citizens and to honor the authorities placed over us. In Romans 13:1-7, we are reminded of the importance of submitting to governing authorities because they are established by God. This implies that patriotism, in its essence, involves respect for the governmental structures that exist within a nation.
Moreover, the Bible calls us to pray for our leaders and those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2). This act of intercession is a form of patriotic duty, as it seeks the welfare of the nation by invoking God’s guidance upon its leaders.
However, the Bible also teaches us to prioritize our ultimate allegiance to God. Jesus himself stated that we should “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). This underscores the need to maintain a balance between our love for country and our devotion to God.
The Bible encourages believers to engage in patriotic acts that promote justice, peace, and the common good. It calls us to be responsible citizens who contribute positively to our nation while always recognizing that our true citizenship is in heaven.
Romans 13:1
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God”
Proverbs 14:34
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people”
Acts 17:26
“And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation”
Jeremiah 29:7
“And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace”
Ezekiel 22:30
“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none”
1 Timothy 2:1-2
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”
Psalm 33:12
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord ; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance”
1 Peter 2:17
“Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king”
Daniel 2:21
“And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding”
Matthew 22:21
“They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s”
Titus 3:1
“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”
Isaiah 60:12
“For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted”
2 Chronicles 7:14
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”
1 Kings 2:3
“And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself”
Deuteronomy 28:1-2
“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God”
Psalm 122:6
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee”
Isaiah 62:6-7
“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord , keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth”
Proverbs 24:21
“My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change”
1 Peter 2:13-14
“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well”
Proverbs 11:14
“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety”
Proverbs 28:2
“For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged”
Ecclesiastes 10:20
“Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter”
Romans 13:7
“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour”
1 Samuel 12:14
“If ye will fear the Lord , and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord , then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God”
2 Samuel 23:3
“The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God”
Ezekiel 45:9
“Thus saith the Lord God ; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord God”
Leviticus 19:18
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord”
Proverbs 21:1
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord , as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will”
Psalm 137:5
“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning”
Acts 5:29
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men”
Hebrews 13:17
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you”
Ephesians 4:3
“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
Romans 12:18
“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men”
Colossians 3:14
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness”
1 Corinthians 1:10
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”
Philippians 2:2
“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind”
Ephesians 4:13
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”
Psalm 133:1
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity”
1 Corinthians 12:12
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ”
Romans 15:5
“Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus”
Ephesians 4:2
“With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love”
Philippians 2:3
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves”
Galatians 3:28
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus”
Ephesians 4:32
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”
John 13:34
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another”
Romans 12:10
“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another”
1 Thessalonians 5:11
“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do”
Ephesians 5:21
“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God”
