Six Reasons Why Christians Must Vote
We are now officially one week away from our general presidential election in the United States. This year has been touted as “the most important election of our lifetimes”. Many Christian leaders have publicly stated their endorsement of either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Pastor John MacArthur stated that he and the president “talked a little bit about why, certainly from a biblical standpoint, Christians could not vote Democratic.“ (https://bit.ly/2TuhA1k).
Then this week, Pastor John Piper posted an article essentially discouraging Christians from voting for Trump, saying, ”I remain baffled that so many Christians consider the sins of unrepentant sexual immorality, unrepentant boastfulness, unrepentant vulgarity, unrepentant factiousness, and the like, to be only toxic for our nation, while policies that endorse baby-killing, sex-switching, freedom-limiting, and socialistic overreach are viewed as deadly.“ (https://bit.ly/2TuhyXg).
What then should Christians do, if even prominent, Bible-expositing pastors disagree so sharply? What should our Biblical, Gospel-centered response be to elections, civic involvement, or politics? I believe there are six answers to those questions - Six Reasons Why Christians Must Vote:
1. Christians are dual citizens of God’s kingdom & kingdoms of the earth.
As Christians, we are in the world but not of the world. Because of the finished work of Christ, by grace through faith we are already citizens of heaven spiritually, but physically we are still citizens of particular nations. Paul said in Philippians 3:20: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:14 tells us that here we do not have a lasting city, so we are seeking the city from above. In Acts 22, Paul actually used the advantage of his Roman citizenship to seek to advance the proclamation of the Gospel when he was facing opposition to the message. So we don’t lose sight that in an ultimate sense we aren’t yet living in the Heavenly Jerusalem. But neither do we throw away the advantages given to us as national citizens if we can advance the work of Christ on earth.
2. Human government is a derived & limited authority as God’s agent to promote justice & goodness.
All throughout the Bible, God is highly concerned about tzedakah & mishpat: justice & righteousness (Amos 5:24, Psalm 33:5, 106:3). These include both retributive as well as distributive justice. That simply means government has the power to punish evildoers, as well as promoting welfare and provision for those in need. This means that whenever there is injustice and unrighteousness within government systems - what the Bible calls "unequal weights” or “dishonest scales” - these are a detestable abomination to the Lord, because the person in power has abused their God-given power and is no longer acting in the way he/she was given stewardship to advance tzedakah & mishpat.
Paul says in Romans 13:4 about the governing official: “He is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”
3. Christians do not have the luxury of being apolitical.
It would be nice if we could avoid politics altogether, but politics is simply another way of saying “policies”. Sometimes the policies of governing officials will promote justice and goodness, and other times they will promote injustice and evil. We aren’t told in the Bible to avoid politics - to be apolitical or anarchists. We are told (even by Jesus) to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17). Christians are to submit to governing authorities, pay taxes, and live as quiet, humble citizens (1 Thessalonians 4:11- 12) unless or until those governing authorities begin to enact policies or decrees that violate God’s justice or righteousness.
One arena this issue has come front-and-center for Christians has been the overreach of civic officials who have suspended the American government-initiated first-Amendment right to religious assembly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Even when lockdowns were enacted in areas where outbreaks were minimal, extended indefinitely, and the same precautionary measures were disregarded for peaceful protests (also a first Amendment right!) - most pastors/churches ubiquitously complied with these mandates. Sadly, it is estimated that 1 out of 5 churches will close permanently due to this uneven injunction (https://bit.ly/3oxNo3G).
Isaiah 10:1 says, “Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression”. Should pastors/churches continue to comply with these iniquitous decrees, even as they persist far beyond what is necessary and are unfairly targeting religious groups (https://bit.ly/3mqkbWv)? Where most pastors would stay silent and say “Let’s not get political” - I would say we must speak up and encourage our congregations to be active dual citizens who allow their voice to be heard.
4. No political party (or current candidate) fully represents the Biblical worldview.
Here’s where everyone will (probably) disagree with me. The Republican Party generally represents those who are conservative, capitalists, gun owners, and pro-life. They generally believe in small government, safe and secure borders, strong foreign policy, the nuclear family, and recognize the nation of Israel. They believe the environment is something we use, so we have to conserve it and take care of it, so that others can use it in the future (conservationism).
The Democratic Party generally represents those who are more liberal, socialistic, pro-choice, and concerned for the marginalized and oppressed - including the black, Latino, Native American, and LGBTQ+ communities. They want to help those in poverty and provide systems that prevent racism, discrimination, and social injustice (https://bit.ly/3e1737e). Democrats believe the environment is to be saved, preserved, set aside, and protected from human abuse (environmentalism).
Do either of these platforms fully represent the Biblical worldview of justice and righteousness? No! On one hand we are protecting the sanctity of the life of the unborn instead of destroying those lives. But on the other hand we are seeking to help the marginalized and the alien find justice and asylum, instead of putting barriers in their way. (And before you @me, I am only referring to the two main parties that have the best chance of winning the election - third, fourth, and fifth party candidates not included…)
While we are talking about the candidates, on one side you have a seemingly adulterous, arrogant narcissist - and on the other side you have a career politician who seems out of touch and out of sound mind. Joe Biden is not the Messiah. Donald Trump is not the Messiah. But neither are they the AntiChrist! I’m not voting for a perfect political party, or for my Messiah. So neither candidate or party fully represents the Biblical worldview in totality. I like the Republican stand for life, and I like the Democratic stand for the oppressed. So who should we vote for? That leads us to the next two assumptions:
5. We must pray for & participate in civic activity and seek to promote our community’s good.
When Israel was invaded, defeated, and exiled by the Babylonian empire, the citizens were now in a place that was foreign and hostile to their beliefs. False prophets rose up among them, stating that we will be able to segregate and eventually get back home. But God, through the mouth of Jeremiah, challenges this separatist mindset:
“5Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:5-7).
Did you catch that? God’s instruction to His people was not for them to hide out in tents, unengaged in the affairs of the world, hoping that their deliverance would come in their generation! He instructs them to: Invest in real estate and plant gardens. Get married, and start families. Multiply your influence and population among these people who you live among. And seek the welfare of your community. Pray for it. Because as the city goes, so go you.
Our role as dual citizens is to pray for AND participate in civic activity as we seek to promote the good of our city, state, nation, and culture. We are to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16) and attractive to the lost around us (2 Corinthians 2:14-17) - living in such a way that unsaved people ask us probing questions to try and understand the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15).
6. We must vote for which values will best complement the Biblical worldview with our community’s good.
As Christians and citizens of earthly kingdoms, we have a wonderful privilege to participate in the election of governing officials at various levels of jurisdiction. Whenever there is a local or national election, Christians can and should be using this as an opportunity to pray and participate. We will never elect the perfect candidate or the perfect platform, but we can measure each party and candidate Biblically on where they will enact policies that promote justice and righteousness.
In this particular election, the question of the sanctity of life, sexuality and identity, religious liberties, race, health, the economy & environment, and future policies and postures will be on the ballot. We can and should review each party’s platform on these issues in light of the Word of God. When we vote, we need to consider what the Bible says (particularly in the book of Genesis) about gender, sexuality, marriage, race, and the environment. What intrinsic worth, dignity, and value does the Bible ascribe to each life, created in the image of God (Psalm 127:3, 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Genesis 1:26, 9:6)? Should we support the gender transition of 8-10 year old children when the Scriptures teach that God created us male & female (Genesis 1:27)? Is it Biblical to redistribute my wealth to others who didn’t earn it - or is it Biblical to work hard, prosper, provide for the poor while not coveting the property owned by someone else (Exodus 20:15, 17; Proverbs 14:31; 1 Tim. 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:10)? Election ramifications are important questions to consider - with our Bibles open.
My prayer is that we will vote for the candidate/party that best complements the Biblical worldview with our community’s good. Even as we do this, we acknowledge that our citizenship is ultimately in heaven. Thus, no matter who is elected, we look with anticipation toward the coming Millennial reign of Christ on the earth, when Isaiah 32:1 is truly fulfilled: “Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, And princes will rule with justice.”
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
-Pilgrim Benham
