In a couple of days Americans will go to the polls and pull a lever to elect a new President of the United States of America. We are truly a privileged people. Christians in centuries past had to put up with maniacal dictators who persecuted and martyred our forbears. Even today there are places in the world where believers are suppressed and oppressed. Because of our freedoms I hope you will avail yourself of the right to vote. Being a good Christian means being a good citizen, rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, so go and vote on Tuesday, November 4th.
A sample of internet sites from and for believers will yield a multitude of reasons to vote for one candidate or another. Many times we are told to pray and seek the Lord’s leading as to who we should vote for. I do believe we should pray. However, I don’t think we should so much seek a leading as we should seek discernment. We need discernment to see through the media’s hoopla and the candidates’ smoke and mirrors. They are, after all, politicians. But there is more.
As Christians we have been given the infallible, life-changing, inspired Word of God. From these Scriptures we can discern, at best, which candidate we should vote for or, at worst, which candidate not to vote for. It seems to me that there are five timeless truths in Scripture that give us the guidance we need.
These truths are:
Principle #1 - A commitment to a pro-life position – All life is sacred because we are all made equally in the image of God (Genesis 1:27-28). The life of the innocent unborn is indeed precious. The Scriptures teach us that God supervises our creation in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16) and that He has a purpose for us from before we were born (Jeremiah 1:5). In Amos 1:13, God promised to judge the Ammonites for their mistreatment of the unborn. God is clearly on the side of the unborn, so the person we vote for should be fully of that persuasion as well, both in their personal and political convictions.
Principle #2 - A commitment to a pro-traditional family position – From the time of Creation, God has defined marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman; Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve or Eve and Elaine (Genesis 2:22-25). Same sex marriage and or polygamous marriages are outside of God’s design. A society cannot survive without strong traditional families. Every effort should be made to hold this Biblical model up as the standard. What’s more, any perversion of God’s original design for the family is both dangerous and destructive to a society. The person we pull the lever for should share God’s view of marriage and the family.
Principle #3 - A commitment to a pro-Israel position – God promised Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you. And I will curse him who curses you.” This Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional and carries through to today. It behooves our nation then to bless Israel, to support her. This is a Biblical conviction we should embrace and hold to. It doesn’t mean we don’t confront Israel’s evils and faults. Israel doesn’t get a free pass to do whatever it pleases. However, it is clear that the Jewish nation is still the apple of God’s eye and we and the person we vote for should see them that way.
Principle #4 - A commitment to a pro-Judeo/Christian values position – Proverbs 14:34 tells us that “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people”. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount reflect what the Lord means by righteousness. Psalm 94:20 asks, “Shall the throne of iniquity which devises evil by law, have fellowship with You?” The Lord says He will have no part with the kingdom/nation that legislates evil behavior. As Christians, we should support those who share our values. We live in a pluralistic country, but we are under no obligation to vote for those who don’t share our Judeo/Christian values. These values are a major foundation for the goodness of our land.
Principle #5 - A commitment to a pro-compassion position -- Psalm 9:17-18 tells us, “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.” It is clear that God cares about the poor and needy. The Church should have that same concern and so should those we vote for. Turning our back on those who are genuinely in need can result in God turning His back on us as a nation.
I encourage you to use these five simple principles to determine which candidate would best reflect our Christian values. As believers in Jesus Christ we are told to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. Thus, we don’t vote a political party but our Savior’s priorities. We cannot vote our color, but His creed. We don’t vote our ethnicity but His ethics. We don’t merely vote for “A Change we can believe in”, we vote according to “God’s Word that we can count on.” We don’t vote “Country First”, we vote “Christ’s Kingdom First.” We don’t even vote according to our pocketbook, but rather, we must vote according to His principles. And in the end, our prayer is not for what we want but what He Wills.
If you aren’t sure where a candidate stands, Google that candidate and the principles above. This time around, let’s be sure we search the Scriptures, search the internet, search our hearts and on Tuesday, search out our polling place.
As a citizen of the United States of America I am grateful for the privilege of voting to elect a president and other public officials. As a citizen of heaven I am grateful for the knowledge that the Lord ultimately selects our leaders. Daniel 2:20 tells us that the Lord “changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings”. First, foremost and always though, you and I are committed to follow one person, our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is our only real Hope both now and eternally.
Dave Watson, An Urban Christian
