Vote (if you do) as though You Weren’t Voting
There seems to be a trend developing among Christians during this season of campaigns, debates, and news coverage. On the one hand, there are those Christians who seem quite angry and fearful that we are “losing our country,” as if our hope and joy ultimately rests on a certain person or an election. On the other hand, there are some that have simply thrown in their towel on America and are resigned to give up since America is “headed toward judgment anyways.”
So, how can we navigate this political storm? How do we think through our place in America? Here are four principles to help us think through whether or not and how we should vote.
Vote (or not) in Accord with Your Conscience
But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.––Romans 14:23
First, we must act in accord with our own consciences and recognize others' consciences. The verse above comes at the conclusion of a chapter talking about how “each one must be convinced in his own mind” about various convictions and preferences. There are many wisdom calls we need to make in the broken and complex world we live in. Sometimes we assume that differences must equal division. They don’t have to if we all act with this principle in mind. How do we form our consciences as we seek to live wisely?
We should read the Bible, we should pray, and we should speak to other wise believers about these things as we seek to make decisions on second and third tier issues of practical living. While we don’t use our pulpit to tell you which party or candidate to vote for, if you’re in any way confused on where we stand on the clear moral issues of the Bible that relate to particular platforms, feel free to ask us––but we hope we’ve been clear! Things like how or whether to vote certainly do not fall in line with first tier issues (first tier simply means the things essential to be a true believer of Jesus!) of Christian belief or practice. This does not mean they’re unimportant, it just means that they require wisdom and we likely won’t be perfectly aligned. Our consciences should be shaped by, formed by, and tethered to the word of God––while we pray and seek others’ wisdom as well.
If you feel it is a responsibility to vote out of love––you should vote. If you don’t feel you can vote out of love––you shouldn’t vote. The same goes with how we vote. We must act in accord with and recognize others’ consciences as we seek to live in Christian wisdom and unity. If an election or a ballot box ruins our Christian unity as a church, it might actually just reveal that we weren’t united over the right things to begin with.
Vote (if you do) Out of Love
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”––Matthew 22:37–39
As believers in Christ, our greatest two commandments in following him are to love the Lord our God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. To live in a country where we have the right to place our vote for a candidate we think will be most beneficial for the good of its people is a unique privilege.
To take the stance that “America is heading toward judgment anyways” so why even participate is misinformed and out of step with christianity. It’s misinformed because according to Romans 1, judgment is happening when God gives people over to their sins. There is plenty of sanctioned sin in America, so we are already living in God’s judgment in some areas of our nation. And it’s out of step with christianity because Jesus did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Christians are free to serve and love the world around them––even their (political) enemies.
As believers, we are called to care for the good of our neighbor and especially their eternal good. We are called to want to rescue people from judgment. We are called to want to restore and bring healing to places of brokenness and destruction.
Participating by voting is not the ultimate way we do this. The ultimate way we do this is by preaching the message of the cross, which seems foolish to the world (1 Corinthians 1). Our ultimate citizenship and the citizenship we want for others is in heaven through Christ. But, we are also citizens of America and, especially as Christians, we have the privilege here to act out of love for our neighbor by voting for the choice we think has the best chance to bring about good or by carefully articulating why we feel compelled by the gospel and our conscience to not vote at all. Complaining about our country while not participating in the process at all seems out of step with Christian love.
Vote (if you do) as though You Weren’t Voting
This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.––1 Corinthians 7:29–31
Paul is trying to help the Corinthians figure out how to navigate these situations that come about by living in the world. And he sets forth a principle that cuts down the middle of both sides of the Christian political scene we are witnessing today. He doesn’t tell them to dive all “all in” to worldly endeavors so that their hope and trust are in them and thus they are totally crushed when things don’t go their way. He also doesn’t tell them to give up altogether.
The principle is that if you have a wife, if you are mourning, if you are rejoicing, if you are buying goods, and we could say if you are voting, live your life as if you weren’t dependent on those things or placing your hope in those things. He says, “the time has grown very short” and “the present form of this world is passing away.”
In other words, don’t let your concerns, relationships, emotions, and dealings with the world be merely worldly. Of course we should love our wives, but with a view to eternity. Of course we should mourn losses, but with a view to eternity. Of course we should deal with the world, but with a view to eternity. The same goes for voting or not voting. Because the time here is short and this world is passing away, placing your vote in the ballot box should feel much less ultimate that placing your faith in Christ. But, Paul doesn’t tell us to disengage, but rather to engage with eternity and the shortness of this life in mind.
Vote (if you do) as unto the Lord
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.––Colossians 3:23
In voting out of love and in voting with eternity in mind, we are voting as unto the Lord and not for men.
As we love our neighbors, we are showing that despite our frustrations and the effort it takes, we want to act in a way that honors the Lord and his will for our lives. As we engage in the culture, and yet do so with eternity in mind, we are showing that we want to honor the Lord in our lives and that our ultimate trust is in him and not the ballot box.
We vote (if we do) for the person who will move America in ways that we think are most consistent with the way the Bible defines greatness: such as humility, love for neighbor, servant leadership, protection of the weak and defenseless, and the reality that all people are made in the image of God and therefore should be treated with dignity. We vote prayerfully with our Bibles (metaphorically) open.
In other words, we don’t vote based on a political party as our savior, we vote with our first allegiance to Christ our Savior and our hope firmly on him, we vote for someone we think will bring Christ’s righteousness to bear most on our country, and we do that because we want to honor Christ by voting in a way that will love our neighbors well by rescuing as many as possible from judgment.
So, Christian, vote out of love, (if you vote) do so according to your conscience, vote as though you were not voting, and vote as unto the Lord and not to men.
If you’re wanting more resources on how to process through these things, please ask us for the recording of the Sunday school class we had in the Spring, or pick up the book we walked through in that class (How the Nations Rage by Jonathan Leeman), and prayerfully read this book with the Bible open as he works through various passages of scripture to make his case. Let me end with just a few questions to help us calibrate our hearts as we approach a potentially very divisive time and seek to be a more-than-ever unified church.
Do I find myself able to rest in Jesus even in the midst of a divisive and worrisome political season––or will my rest come if the candidate I hope to win takes office?
Am I going to vote (if I do) according to principles I see in the Bible?
Do I find myself growing angry or frustrated easily with people I perceive disagree with me (especially brothers and sisters in Christ), or am I able to have healthy, humble, and heartfelt conversations about these things without angst or anger?
Do I have first tier (gospel-level!) emotions over a second or third tier issue (like voting)? Do I have third tier emotions over first tier issues (like the gospel of Jesus and seeking to follow him daily)?
Is the focus of my heart distracted from Jesus in this season, or am I growing in my love and joy in him?
Have I resigned myself to giving up and completely disengaging with the world or my neighbors––or am I still eager to engage, discuss, love, and influence the world for the places I want to see the goodness, beauty, and truth of Jesus take place?
