Driving down the road, or walking around the neighborhood, one can’t help but notice the yard signs—election season is here. Presidential election season, to be precise, and a polarizing cycle at that. As a citizen of Christ’s kingdom, I don’t vote. But that doesn’t stop me from having opinions about the candidates. Unless you’ve completely ignored the news for the past eight or so years, you probably have opinions too. The question is what we’re going to do with them.
Last month, I came to a place where I realized I needed to sit down and take a hard look at how I view politics. I say that I believe God is in control of all things, including elections, and that He raises into power who He wills, but do my day-to-day thought patterns reflect this? I do not know what the outcome of the election will be. If, when the races are called, the results are not to my liking, will I accept them with a deep-seated faith that God’s permissive will has allowed it? Do I believe that anything God allows, He is able to use for His glory and that He will give us grace to bear whatever lies ahead? Am I seeking first the kingdom of God, or am I worrying about tomorrow?
I have my preferences, but do I have the humility to admit that I may be mistaken in my assessment of what is the lesser of evils (for no politician or party is an untainted good), and that the dashing of my hopes may in fact be the grace of God intervening for our good? On the flip side, the church sometimes advances most in times of adversity. None of us wish for adversity, but am I surrendered to the will of God if he chooses to allow it? The purposes of God and the success of His kingdom is not inextricably tied to the continued flourishing of these United States. Kingdoms, nations, and empires have risen and fallen throughout history, yet God’s kingdom has remained. It is natural and good to wish for the continued existence and health of one’s earthly nation, particularly when it is one that has allowed such religious freedom—the Bible explicitly commands us to pray “for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life” (1 Timothy 2:2, NKJV). But God has also judged and destroyed nations, and I cannot honestly say that America is undeserving of judgment. I hope and pray that she may yet stand, but the final determination by right belongs to God.
When looking at the big picture, how consequential is this election? We are bombarded with the message that the election is all-important. Politicians blame the “other side” for everything from the crime rates, to the price of necessities, to the division and polarization in the country. The opinion columns are full of hand-wringing about what will happen if so-and-so is elected. Taken all together, you’d get the sense that politics is the source of—or the solution to—nearly every problem facing humanity. But the Bible says differently. It roots humanity’s problems in Adam’s fall, and points to their solution in the death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus Christ. But if we aren’t careful, we can start to view politics from the world’s perspective. I intellectually know that Christ is the answer to the world’s problems, but I still have to check my habits. Do I care as much about what is happening in the kingdom of God as I care about what’s happening in politics? Am I more concerned about the troubling trends I see in the church or the troubling trends in this country? Do I put more energy into edifying the church or being an armchair political pundit? Am I more willing to share my political opinions or my faith?
Jesus came to earth over two thousand years ago, born in humble circumstances. He attained no political office, He commanded no military, yet He changed the course of world history. When the light of His gospel shines forth from His church through acts of love and service, morally exemplary lives, and the faithful proclamation of the truth, it has the power to heal the broken, lift up the poor, and redeem even the worst of sinners. We are the body of Christ, the hands and feet of Jesus in this world today. We cannot afford to lose focus and be sidetracked by the political turbulence of our day. Rather, the turmoil of this world should remind us that we are looking forward to the day when Christ will return and set the world to rights—when it will be said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelations 11:15, ESV). But until then, we have work to do.
Thank you, Ryan. We need reminders to check our actions and thinking to see if they line up with what we say that we believe.
“As a citizen of Christ’s kingdom, I don’t vote…” This is one of the most tragic and misguided things I have ever heard a Christ-follower say. Although we are “in the world, yet not of the world,” we are also called to be “salt and light.” That is not just limited to personal holiness and witnessing. That means bearing witness to the truth wherever it may be found, and nowhere in scripture does that exclude government and politics. When Paul called his readers to “pray for those in authority over us,” it was in a different era where people did not have the right or privilege to vote as individual citizens. We do, and we can make a difference, especially within the context of our Constitutional Republic. Is God sovereign? Absolutely! He knows the end from the beginning, and yet He calls on us to choose! If what we do does not matter, then He would not have placed the tree in the Garden and instructed Adam and Eve to “not eat.” The very thrust of the gospel is, “repent and believe!” which is the ultimate choice!
You are correct in that how we conduct ourselves in this life matters. We must be consistent, but does that not also extend to being salt and light within society? Are we not to oppose behavior and policies that are antithetical to the truth of God? If you truly believe in the sovereignty of God, does it not also stand to reason that He is responsible for bringing our Constitutional form of Democracy which gives us an opportunity to make a difference regarding policies that are no longer morally indifferent? When government bureaucrats and politicians establish such policies and laud them as virtues, how consistent are we being if we refrain from opposing such policies with our ability to vote?
In 1 Cor. 5:6 Paul said, “Do you not know that a little leaven, leavens the whole lump of dough?” He used the same analogy in Gal. 5:9. Sin is infectious whether in the church or society. As a matter of fact, what becomes acceptable within broader society often seeps into the church. This is as true today as it was in the 1st Century. Weak discipleship has resulted in a modern church filled with moral compromise making things acceptable which should be repulsive. This includes those who do not understand that elections have consequences. If our choices as citizens does not matter, then why did Jesus say, “Woe to you Chorazin. Woe to you Bethsaida!” In the end, whole societies will be judged, not just individual behavior! God is indeed sovereign, yet He uses our choices to affect His end. This is a miracle beyond our comprehension, but make no mistake; the choices we make do matter! Elections have profound consequences, especially for our democratic republic at this moment in time. There is no “lesser of two evils.” This statement is total nonsense. There is one party whose policies are explicitly evil, yet they are lauded as virtuous! They now call good evil and evil good. Yes, I am talking about abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, transgender ideology and a host of other policies that undermine everything that is good right and decent within society. The Democratic party is no longer the party of labor and social justice; it is the party of the anti-Christ. Their core policies are antithetical to a biblical worldview. This has been orchestrated by spiritual forces of darkness. The Republican party is not a party of saints; no political party is, but that is not the point! They are, however, the polar opposite of what the Democrats represent. Bottom line is not voting isn’t spiritual, it is unspiritual. Regardless of the final outcome, all of heaven is a witness to our actions and we will all render an account on the last day. To not vote is to abdicate our responsibility to stand in opposition to the rising tide of evil within our society. Like leaven, sin is infectious, but by casing our vote in the direction for the best possible outcome, we can also function as a preservative within society.