Are you planning to vote?
Or are you among the 40 million Christians that I’ve read about who are planning to sit on the sidelines? I hope you are not one of these irresponsible folks. Yes, we hold citizenship in God’s eternal Kingdom. We do because Jesus engaged in His Father’s government of the universe. In His humanity, like Daniel of old, who was determined not to be defiled by the King’s food (1:8), he determined to serve in the King’s government when appointed by the King. As a result, he served God by serving God’s people. He did so by serving in four human government administrations. Jesus purchased our redemption by serving in His Father’s government of the universe, and we, by God’s grace, contribute to purchasing ongoing freedom in this nation by being responsible citizens and intelligently voting based upon those who offer policies that best represent biblical values.
Remember, we are voting for public officials, not pastors, elders, or deacons in the church!
My beloved friend, Dr. Harry Reeder, reminded our congregation of this fact in the 2020 election cycle. Pastor Hamrick, who serves in the shadow of Washington, DC, offers a very historical and intelligent rationale for voting in his election day sermon. You may find it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl71IHzLOp4,
Our beloved president of emancipation, Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln’s now-famous “house divided” (Campaign speech in 1858 Republican National Convention) line, a principle articulated by Jesus when the religious leaders accused him of being dependent upon the Satanic power to heal a man of demon possession. Here is the account. “Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by [b]Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matthe12:22-28). Lincoln, a relatively nominal Christian, served our government because people elected him. As a result of his policy, we began the end of slavery and even fought a civil war to accomplish it. Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas, who was the Democrats’ candidate. The Democrats were the advocates of slavery.
Our Founding Father, George Washington, refused to be King
He saw and fought against the tyranny of one man exercising power over the people, and by refusing to become the King, he supported the people’s self-governing by electing their president. Yes, I know it was not a perfect system then, and many people did not qualify to vote, but we have matured as a nation and righted this mistake. The point here is that Washington led the way to a Republic that emerged because he did. Let us follow his lead by embracing our responsibility and let us continue to perfect it and not allow it to be radically destroyed. We do so by intelligently evaluating policies and voting accordingly.
Confronting my father
As a boy of nine or ten, I asked my father one day who this “they” to whom he keep referring that should fix the current social issues. He emphatically replied, “The government!” I replied, “But, Dad, In this country, we are the government.” Thank God I had social studies teachers who understood America. I did not have all the pieces put together, but I had the right pieces. My Dad had been a socialist in the 1920s and turned Democrat in the 1930s. Honesty, his politics continued to be socialist under the rubric of being a Democrat. Perhaps it is understandable since he was also a strong union man. But he and I both voted. I don’t think I’ve ever missed voting for major officeholders since I turned 18.
My Plea
My plea is this. If you are reading this and you plan to vote, please read about the policies of the major candidates and ask yourself whose policies best represent an intelligent investigation by biblical doctrine. Don’t be fooled by emotional feel-good promises. I love how the Lord appealed to Israel through Isaiah, “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool (Is 1:18). While there is an emotional element, the essence is an intelligent evaluation of His invitation of God’s policy.
Finally
One policy example. Which comes closer to a biblical standard.
One current candidate for President proposes a policy that nationally allows for an abortion at any time for any reason till the day of birth.
One current candidate for President proposes a national policy of holding every state responsible for its abortion laws, thereby providing for individual states voting to be abortion-free or limiting abortion.
While most Christians would desire a national abortion-free society, one of the above policies offers the better option to restrain abortion proliferation.
Yes, voting with such discernment can cause angst. However, not voting can cause even greater angst if the first option above becomes national policy. Now, you live with the policy and the knowledge that you bear responsibility for it since, by not voting, you voted for it.
Addendum
A Policy Makes a Difference. Here is a tib bit I picked up today playing news junkie scanning a variety of sources.
A judge found that a mourning father had deliberately disobeyed the order to not express disapproval of abortion within the space domain of such a clinic. The judge ordered him to pay 9,000 pounds, equivalent to $11,600. The court said that his act of silent prayer expressed disapproval of abortion. So, as of the action of this judge, the court has declared a precedent (policy) that even assumed silent thoughts can breach the law in the United Kingdom.
Just think for a moment that there is a bus stop in front of the abortion facility, and while waiting for the next scheduled bus in fifteen minutes, you decide to work through your daily prayer list, which you missed earlier today because you overslept. If you set your alarm, you can pray for ten minutes and be alerted to catch your ride. Well, it would likely not be a good idea if the thought police were nearby. Pray on the bus and donate to a charity instead of the government.