Be Active
As the year 2024 blossoms, we enter yet another election cycle in the United States of America. Over the course of this year, we will elect the president who will serve for the next four years. A total of thirty-four U.S. Senate seats are up for grabs which will dictate who gains control of the legislative branch. This is not mentioning the host of ballot issues, local officials, or the representatives in the House who will be elected. With a host of political and cultural turmoil over the last several years, 2024 should be eventful and perhaps even filled with surprises. It has always been and will always be vitally important for Christians to bring a distinctly biblical worldview to the voting booth, perhaps never more so than this year. One of the foundational points of that understanding is that believers in Christ should be involved in the world of politics.
Roughly 33% of eligible Americans did not vote in the 2020 presidential election.1 The reality that most Americans do not see the utmost importance of local politics is made evident by the reality that only 46% participated in the midterms in 2022.2 We as Christians must be involved in fulfilling our responsibility as citizens. Jesus called us to be salt and light in this world (Matthew 5:13-16). He charged us to go out and to disciple the nations by teaching the totality of what He has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). The Apostles and early church were known for proclaiming the Kingship of Christ as being above Caesar (Acts 17:7). Daniel and Joseph were both Old Testament figures involved in civil governments. Paul even used legal processes over the course of his ministry when needed to relieve persecution and promote righteousness (Acts 16 and 25). All of this working together demonstrates evidentially both a biblical history and command of believers engaging in the realm of civil government. Our very system of government is based on the principle that the people are to be actively engaged seeking their wellbeing according to a biblical standard which is why our founding fathers gave us so much responsibility in the electoral process. Christians have the blessed opportunity to promote righteousness for the good of their neighbors in the land. We must be more involved than ever before!
Be Biblical
It is not merely enough for followers of Christ to go to the voting booth, we must faithfully take the worldview grounded in God’s revelation to that booth and vote accordingly. In our fast-paced media culture it is all too easy for us to simply make voting decisions on the basis of emotions instead of deep thinking biblical application. Yet, we must do what is perhaps the most counter-cultural action of all and that is to both proclaim and live according to Christ’s Lordship over all areas including the public square. We need to value candidates who are born again Christians seeking to apply the Bible unashamedly in their position. Whenever there are no believing candidates, we seek to elect the one who most closely will govern according to what the Bible reveals to be true. Each of these will promote the most righteous magistrates in our land that is available to us.
Perhaps one of the trickiest areas for us is whenever actually issues or bills come on the ballot for which we must vote. My counsel is to read the language of the bill. Read it again and again. If you do not understand, ask multiple different pastors what they see and even message your local representatives. Then come back to the bill and read it again to see if their interpretations as to its meaning make sense. I cannot press this to much, it is vital to actually, literally read and understand the language of the bill. Tools such as Ballotpedia3 allow you to read the issues which will be presented on your ballot and analyze the text of these bills.Read them and evaluate them by the standard of Scripture. If they do not hold up as biblically consistent, vote them down. Do not let legislation move onto the record to establish unjust precedent which shall have to be overturned later down the road.
Be Wise and Grounded
With the mainstream media driving the insanity per normal, it is pressing that we maintain our wits about us during this election cycle. Remember that you cannot believe everything, or even most of what you hear on the mainstream outlets. Do your own research, dive deep into the matters at stake. In a world filled with insanity, be the person who not only refuses to lose their mind but is also a sound voice of reason from whom others can receive counsel. Not only should we as believers not be deceived by the lies of the world, we should be the ones who possess enough wisdom to actually give positive insight and counsel. That is because our faith is grounded in that which is unshakeable. Namely the eternal triumph of Christ and the everlasting truth of His Holy Word. So long as we stand on this foundation, we will not be moved one single inch by the insanity of the world around us.
This election cycle let us as Christians be actively engaged, biblically informed, and consistently wise as we seek to love our neighbors to the glory of Christ by fulfilling our duties as citizens. May we promote righteousness in our land and seek the welfare not only of our current moment but also of the next generation who will come after us. Our nation needs revival by the power of the Spirit of God and for the full counsel of His Word to be applied in everything. May we be busy about these duties to the praise of our Lord!
Sources
1 https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voter-turnout-2018-2022/
2 https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voter-turnout-2018-2022/
3 https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page
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