Ballots, Bureaucrats, and Believers

Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash

Asked about the propriety of paying taxes, Jesus’ startling response was, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17, ESV). He thus indicated that civic duty and religious duty are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Instead of one or the other, it is often possible to do both. When it comes to politics, with all its passion, polls, promises and poison, it’s good to be reminded where the Bible weighs in.

First, every nation sustains a relationship to God. “If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it” (Jer. 18:7-10). God warns “rulers of the earth” to “serve the Lord with fear” and “kiss the Son, lest he be angry” (Psalm 2:10-12). Those verses aren’t directed to Old Testament Israel, or the New Testament church. They’re plain commands to political leaders. Accurate assessment of a nation should be based on the moral character it exhibits before a holy God (not its form of government, military strength, economy, diversity, social programs, etc.).

Second, political leaders govern at God’s pleasure. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom. 13:1). That doesn’t mean every politician pleases God, but that divine authority underlies the concept of human government. The Lord can use saints as well as scoundrels. Jesus reminded the Roman governor Pilate that his authority was given from above (John 19:11). Pilate’s political decision against Jesus was sinful, but Pilate’s political office was not. No ruler learned the lesson in more spectacular fashion than Nebuchadnezzar that “the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will” (Dan. 5:21). We can accept the fact without knowing the particulars of how it gets done (cf. Deut. 29:29).

Third, all countries and their governments are under the gospel of Christ. He did say, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). If he is not over the countries, then why is he called “King of kings” (Rev. 19:16) and “King of the nations” (Rev. 15:3)? Paul states the resurrected Christ is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion” and specifically says Jesus’ rule is being exercised “in this age” (Eph. 1:21; cf. 1 Cor. 15:24). That means right now every politician is obligated to every demand of the gospel. Christ is King over Republicans, Democrats, atheists, Muslims, Hindus, Iran, Israel, Russia, China, etc.

This being the case, what should American Christians do about politicians and elections?

First, pray. Paul says to pray “for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:2). Our prayers don’t hinge on whether we voted for the politicians or approve of them. In fact, our concern is not so much for them as it is for the church. Have you ever noticed we’re to pray for earthly leaders because they do things that affect whether the Christian has a “peaceful and quiet life”? If the government isn’t going to actively promote the gospel (which it should be doing), then at least let the government leave Christians alone to quietly go about the Lord’s work. A blessed church is a blessing to the country.

Second, vote. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34). In our day, Christians are the righteous. Who else? No one. If Christians cannot help a country’s trajectory away from evil, then who will do it? Incredibly, there have been Christians in the past who said we should have nothing to do with government, that saints cannot participate in government. Should we just cede the nation to the devil? That sounds like advice the devil would give. Our constitutional republic affords Christians the opportunity to flex political muscle by voting. Why would we not? No one is saying that government is as important as the church, but we involve ourselves in a lot of things that are less important than the church (e.g. careers, hobbies, yardwork, sports, etc.). Imagine the folly of a Christian’s thinking, “I could try to make America better, but, after all, I’m not going to spend eternity in America, so why bother?” You do have an obligation to “let your light shine before others” here and now (Matt. 5:16), “in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15).

Remember also that God may overrule our votes. God sees all the pieces, holds all the cards, plays the long game. All we can do is try to exercise wise judgment with the little information we have. We don’t even know what will happen tomorrow, much less control what will be going on twenty years hence. God told Abram, “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Gen. 15:16) and waited till it was. Maybe the iniquity of the Americans is getting closer and closer to overflowing. God knows exactly where the line is and what he will do when it’s crossed. The Lord will accomplish his will, no matter the vote count. But, we still ought to vote—we don’t know but that saints in the land are the reason God is letting us continue this long.

When we vote, we should vote morality over lesser concerns. Respect for human life outweighs tax plans. Respect for marriage (refusing to accommodate the LGBTQ perversity agenda) is more important than foreign policy. Righteousness exalts a nation. The Democrats’ agenda is outright Satanic. If you would not vote for the devil himself, do not vote to empower Democrats. It doesn’t matter how Democrats were in the 1960’s, or how your parents or grandparents voted. Today’s Democrat party embraces a godless religion whose sacraments include child-murder and sexual anarchy, which they defend to the death.

But, you say, Republicans have gone far too squishy on abortion. That is true. And, if you cannot in good conscience vote for a Republican president who isn’t as staunchly pro-life as you are, I can respect that. However, even so, you should still vote since there are other state and local races to be decided. We’re not trying to elect members of the Lord’s church, and nor are we told to refrain from voting unless it’s for a saint. I don’t know of any Christians who’ll be on my ballot. Read the book of Judges and see what kinds of men God used on occasion to deliver his people (Samson was no paragon of moral perfection, but he dealt a deadly blow to the Philistines). Sadly, the question may be which party will do the least damage. For certain, Democrats, if they win, will not give Bible believers a seat at their table. They will only press their power to new levels of persecution against those who love the Lord. At least Republicans—even if they’re weak on the life issue—are not so fiercely hostile to Christian virtue. Surely, a Republican administration would have in its orbit people who respect the sanctity of human life and who might, with time, influence the party more in the right direction. Also, you cannot save a country that no longer exists. If Democrats are allowed to rule until the country as we knew it is no more, then there is no country left to save. What then? That’s reason to vote, even for candidates that may be less than ideal.

Whoever wins, American politics is bound to serve up plenty of disappointment. Our government, like our population, is largely unconcerned with God. But, for Christians, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). What a place it will be. No political parties, no political ads, no fundraising, no voting. We’ll have a King who is perfect, with a term that never expires, on a throne that cannot be conquered, in a country that cannot be improved, and it will last forever and ever. That’s not up for election.