MY ALLEGIANCE IS TO JESUS AND HIS GOSPEL.
Loyalty and allegiance are generally considered to be positive character qualities, as they should be. However, there may be times in our lives when our deepest loyalties are challenged, and we must choose between what is most important and what is of lesser importance. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). Of course, this is hyperbole: Jesus doesn’t want us to hate anybody, particularly those who are our closest family and friends. The context makes it clear that Jesus means that our love and allegiance to Him must be more important to us than anything or anybody else, and if it ever comes down to choosing between Him or anything/anybody else, we must choose Him. And to be clear, we’re not talking about just any Jesus; we’re talking about the Jesus and His Gospel revealed to us in the Scriptures.
This point is of utmost importance in a time of eroding faith, compromise, and outright apostasy. Our commitment and loving allegiance to Christ must be core, central to who we are and what our lives are about. That means that if and when others to whom I have owed loyalty and allegiance — be they family, friends, church, denominations, teachers and professors, spiritual leaders and one-time heroes, pastors, preachers, priests, country, political party, presidents and other political leaders, whoever/whatever — seeks to undermine Jesus Christ or faith in him, I must choose Jesus above that which seeks to pull me away from Him. Drifting toward compromise and eventual apostasy with my friends or family or political party or church or denomination is not acceptable or excusable.
“I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.”