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The Two Types of Loyalty

Worldly vs. Godly Loyalty

-a strong feeling of support or allegiance.
Loyalty is allegiance or support to another person or institution. But I think there are two types of loyalties in life based on differing motivations.

Worldly loyalty is toward colleagues and friends and is based on desire to gain something in return, this allegiance is cheap and humanistic. This feeling of support is linked closely to hierarchy and is valuable within institutions and in most functioning societies (governments, companies and religious institutions.) If you want to get ahead then be loyal and learn how to display it often.

Any leader or institution that requires and thrives on this first type of loyalty must become divisive. I say that because he must exalt those who are loyal and oppress (or at least disregard) those who are disloyal (to one degree or another) in order to keep things orderly and under themselves.

There is also a Godly loyalty between people based upon love. This love binds the kingdom of God together. It makes healthy society work. It is misunderstood by most and is sometimes seen as weak and small. Loyalty based on love makes groups of people function effortlessly. Real love comes from another realm altogether and is a key feature of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Ask yourself a few questions:

  1. Are you loyal to people?
  2. Why are you loyal to the institutions or people that you are loyal to?
  3. Take away whatever benefit you are receiving (or hope to receive from it) and will it go away?

When all those benefits are stripped away all that will be left is loyalty based on love. Jesus Christ is the only source of love.

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Real Loyalty to Jesus Christ

Real loyalty to Jesus Christ is quite rare and typically provokes trouble.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness. Against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” – Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:12

Are You A Rebel?

Real loyalty to Jesus Christ (and not pious rhetoric) will almost always classify a person as a rebel. Even while they are complying and submitting to “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places“. This rebel label is a spiritual thing, when seen it typically infuriates authorities. They likely will not understand why a certain person seems like a threat. Not only do Jesus-loyalists anger those in authority they also anger people loyal to these rulers.

Evaluate Yourself

For Christian leaders, if we find ourselves getting angry at those we perceive disloyal, we may be opposing Jesus. It may be time to stand down, re-evaluate our allegiance and get to know the person.

This is the attitude I try to have toward earthly authorities, civil or religious:

“I will comply and submit to you to the extent that it not interfere with what Jesus Christ asks of me. (pats Trump/ Obama/ Pope (insert authority here) on the head). Let me be abundantly clear; Jesus Christ is the true Lord on this planet in every place.”

That attitude if lived out and applied everywhere will get a person in trouble. It may even get him killed.

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