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Introduction:
I don’t expect a show of hands on this one. I just want you to
think. For whom are you planning to vote in the upcoming
presidential election? Perhaps it is John McCain as he now leads
the Republican party. Or maybe you have become enamored with the
stardom of Barak Obama. Then again, maybe you are leaning outside
the box and are going to vote for Chuck Baldwin who is this
year’s Constitution Party nominee. He is staunchly pro-life,
will outlaw embryonic stem cell research, thinks a constitutional
amendment should be passed defining marriage as between a man and
a woman. Maybe you are leaning to the Libertarian party and plan
to vote for Robert Barr, Jr. He will put an end to the war in Iraq
and the military efforts in Afghanistan, thinks states should
decide regarding the definition of marriage, will put an end to
illegal immigration, opposes socialized medicine, wants to remove
entitlement programs and will uphold your right to bear arms. Or
maybe you lean to the other extreme and want to vote for the
Socialist Party nominee, Brian Moore. He will also remove troops
from Iraq and Afghanistan and outlaw all weapons of mass
destruction, he will provide a National healthcare plan, perhaps
most importantly he will legislate a 30 hour work week with six
weeks of paid vacation every year and a full pension and guarantee
all American families an income of $35,000 per adult per year. Or
maybe you remember Alan Keyes who once ran for Republican
nomination. He is running for President again, but as the nominee
for America’s Independent Party. He will promote an amendment to
protect marriage as between a man and woman, he will outlaw
abortion, repeal the 16th and 17th
amendments which will take away the government’s ability to tax
our income. He is in favor of limited government and specifically
states his dependence upon God. Or maybe you want to go way out on
a limb and vote for veritable unknown 42-year-old Steve Adams of
Lexington, KY, running as an independent. He is pro-life. Will
push for a marriage amendment and promises in his first 100 days
to work on producing a congressional report card to let us know
how our Senators and Representatives are voting. He will balance
the budget, secure Social Security, bring troops home, secure the
border and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Or maybe you are
leaning to one of the other 350 some odd candidates who have
announced their intent to run. Wow! According to Project Vote
Smart at votesmart.org, more than 350 people have announced their
intent to run for President and even more are thinking about it.
Interestingly, this doesn’t even include Christian and gospel
preacher Shane Scott who has publicly announced his bid for the
presidency on YouTube at ShaneforAmerica (Yes, he is just
joking…I think).
With all these candidates and almost all of them vying for
the vote of Christians, what are we to do? Is there a candidate we
should support because we are Christians? Or maybe we should back
up and take a look at this whole election thing in a different
light. Discussion: I.
Can a Christian vote? A.
I do not believe a Christian has to vote. There is no
command in Scripture for a Christian to be at all interested in
politics or government. I find it interesting despite the New
Testament’s complete silence about voting that some Christians
who have never talked to another person about the gospel, almost
never visit their sick brethren, rarely invite anyone into their
home will become sanctimonious in an election year and talk about
the Christian’s responsibility to vote. And then even further
about the Christian’s responsibility to vote for their favorite
candidate. Perhaps we are missing some of the Scripture’s actual
priorities for us. B.
Romans
13:1
and I
Peter 2:13-14
teaches that God establishes the governing authorities; we
do not. I recognize some brethren believe this means they
shouldn’t vote because that would mean they are trying to
establish government instead of letting God do so. Others simply
think this means voting is pointless because God will establish
the government He wants for whatever purpose He wants it to
accomplish, therefore our own vote doesn’t really count. I
respect that position, and as I said, I don’t think anyone has
to vote. C.
However, I think we need to remember God works through us.
Consider the salvation of souls. We know for certain that God does
the saving. That is God’s work. He saves souls. But consider I
Corinthians 3:5. God did the saving, but He worked through
men by giving them the opportunity to teach. Consider also the
great Old Testament example of Esther. No doubt, the point of
Esther is that God saved the Jews. However, Esther was not to sit
tight and simply say God would take care of it. Rather, Mordecai
said, “Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for
such a time as this” (Esther
4:14, ESV). When it was done, God would be praised for
this deliverance. If Esther did nothing, God would still
accomplish His will. However, the fact that God was the deliverer
did not mean God’s child must refuse to act or that her action
was pointless. Therefore, the claim that God is doing something,
does not mean men must stay uninvolved. The fact is, in a
democracy, God establishes the government, but He does so through
the votes of people. Who knows whether you have not come to the
United States for such a time as this that God through your vote
might install your candidate as president. Maybe not, but who
knows? II.
What is God’s position? A.
Having established that you are allowed to vote if you so
choose, I want to move on to consider this idea that there is some
candidate out there that is God’s candidate. I am amazed at the
number of people who claim to be Christians who vote all over the
political spectrum, but they all act as if all Christian’s must
vote exactly like them. Really? Do we really know God’s position
on all the issues that play a part in the President’s role? B.
Consider the following issues and give me book, chapter and
verse on God’s position. 1.
State’s rights versus federalism? 2.
Education? 3.
Socialized medicine? 4.
Immigration? 5.
Healthcare? 6.
NAFTA? 7.
Taxes? 8.
The Patriot Act? 9.
Social Security? 10.
Personal Privacy vs. Government surveillance to protect
national security? 11.
The right to own a gun? 12.
Capitalism versus Socialism? 13.
Democracy versus Imperialism? 14.
Confederacy versus Union? 15.
Foreign policy? 16.
Energy policy? 17.
The environment? 18.
The line item veto? 19.
Defense spending? 20.
The trade embargo of Cuba? C.
Brothers and sisters, if our choice for the next president
is so important to God that we as Christians should vote for a
particular person because God wants us to, why hasn’t He filled
us in on His position on all these presidential issues? III.
But my issues matter to God? A.
No doubt, most Christians will point out they vote based on
values and moral issues about which God has expressed opinions.
Interestingly, they can’t seem to agree on which issues are the
ones upon which God really and truly wants us to base our vote. If
we take the two major parties, Republican Christians (and for all
you Democrats out there, Christians really can be Republicans) say
we need to vote based on the candidates’ positions on abortion
and homosexuality. No doubt, God considers harming the unborn
child the same as harming anyone else. See the Old Testament law
in Exodus
21:22-25. Obviously, God is opposed to the practice of
homosexuality. Romans
1:26-29 clearly states homosexual practice is against
nature and against God’s law. On the other hand, Democrat
Christians (and for all you Republicans out there, Christians
really can be Democrats) say we should focus on what the
candidates view is on caring for the poor. No doubt, taking care
of the poor is very important to God. Jesus said Christians should
sell their goods and give to the poor in Luke
12:33. When Paul received the right hand of fellowship
from James, Cephas and John to go work among the Gentiles, their
one statement was, “Remember the poor” (Galatians
2:10). You will recognize that when God established His
own nation, He actually levied a 10% tax on all the Israelites in
order to support not only the Levites, but the widows, fatherless
and sojourners (Deuteronomy
14:29). Have you ever read God’s policy through Nehemiah
when many in that kingdom had gotten overstretched with bad debt?
In Nehemiah
5:9-13, Nehemiah, the governor of Judah, commanded the
Jews to forgive the debts and give back the mortgaged property and
stop charging interest when folks borrowed. The people responded
that they would require nothing of the folks who had borrowed. God
is absolutely concerned about the care for the poor and has even
favored government and legal involvement in making sure the poor
were cared for. So, which of those issues is God really more
concerned about? Which should win out? B.
Further, does voting for a Presidential candidate actually
mean God’s will is going to be done about anything? Let’s take
one of the most often cited issues among Christians—abortion. I
will admit that it is an issue upon which my vote has been based
almost consistently. For six years we had a Republican president
and a Republican congress, many of whom were elected because they
garnered the pro-life votes of many Christians and abortion is
still legal. Yet, here they are again claiming they should get the
Christian vote because they are pro-life. Additionally, how many
people decided not to get an abortion because some of us voted for
the pro-life candidate? Not a single one. Does our vote actually
translate into God’s will being done? Apparently not. C.
Further, which of the candidates is really for God’s will
being done. Can anyone let me know which of the candidates is the
prohibition candidate (cf. Proverbs
31:4)? At one time, some Christians would have argued
tooth and toenail that a Christian could only vote for a guy if he
was really opposed to alcohol. Somewhere along the line we gave
that one up. Did we cease to be God-fearing Christians because we
quit voting based on that issue? Which of the candidates wants to
make sexual immorality illegal (cf. Hebrews
13:4)? Which one wants to make divorce unlawful except in
cases of sexual immorality (cf. Matthew
19:3-5)? Which one wants to enforce baptism for the
remission of sins (cf. Acts
2:38)? Which one wants to point out that churches are only
authorized by God to provide benevolent aid to Christians and then
only when their families can’t or won’t help (cf. Acts
4:32-37; I Timothy 5:16)? I guess I’m just unsure how we
can pick one or two biblical issues, ignore the rest and then act
like we are voting for God’s candidate. D.
Finally, do you remember what Jesus came in the world to
do? Jesus came into the world to establish His heavenly kingdom (Matthew
16:18-19; Mark 9:1). He did not come to establish policy
for earthly kingdoms. He did not direct Christians to change their
earthly kingdoms, but to spread the heavenly kingdom one person at
a time by teaching. According to Luke
19:10, Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost.
That is the job we are to carry on. To all Republicans, how many
people have ever been saved by the gospel of Jesus because you
voted for Ronald Reagan, George Bush or even John McCain? To all
Democrats, how many people have ever been saved by the gospel of
Jesus because you voted for Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton or Barak
Obama. For all you independents or third party endorsers, how many
people have ever been saved because you voted for Ross Perot, Ron
Paul or Chuck Baldwin? If people could be saved by the gospel
based on the politicians for whom we vote, then I’m sure God
would have told us for whom to vote. But God is not concerned
about national policy. He is concerned about His saints getting
the gospel out to one more person. IV.
God has not asked us to spread His will through political
means. A.
I think the heart of the matter comes down to this point.
So many Christians act like voting a certain way is our Christian
duty because God has called us to make our national laws
correspond with the Bible. Brothers and Sisters, that just isn’t
true. Interestingly enough, God never once told us to do anything
about national policies and laws. In fact, the only governmental
policy God remotely suggested we do anything about is found in I
Timothy 2:1-2. The only national policy God encourages us
to be really concerned about is whether or not the government
allows us to serve God peacefully. And then, the action He
encouraged us to take was not political but prayer. B.
Further, think back to when the New Testament was written.
Under what kind of government did the Christians live? The Romans
had ended the Republic some time before the birth of Jesus even
though they tried to maintain vestiges of it for a time. They were
under an emperor. I can’t help but notice God did not encourage
His children to do anything political to spread His will. In fact,
II
Corinthians 10:3-7 stands out to me. This is more than
just saying we don’t stick a gun to someone’s head and force
them to be baptized. The point behind this is our kingdom is not a
material one; therefore, we don’t use political machinations to
force someone to obey God at all. Instead, we persuade people with
reason from the Word. If that impacts the laws of our nation, then
so be it. The fact is, however, God never once asked His people to
do anything political about the laws of the land. He simply
commanded that we pray for those who rule over us (I
Timothy 2:1-2). And then He commanded us to submit to
them, whoever they ended up being (Romans
13:1) unless they ask us to disobey God (Acts
5:29). Finally, He commanded us to honor the governing
authority (I
Peter 2:17). Allow me to remind you this was written when
the governing authorities were anything but God-fearing. C.
Consider also Jesus’ statement in John
18:36. Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. Why on earth
do we keep trying to make America Jesus’ nation by acting like
there is a candidate for whom all Christians have to vote because
he/she will help the United States be a Christian nation. God did
not do away with His chosen national kingdom merely to get us to
try to set up another one. Brothers and sisters, Jesus did not die
to make America a Christian nation. He died so Americans could
become Christians (along with members of every other nation). Our
job, therefore, is not to make America a Christian nation, but to
take the gospel to our neighbors so they can be saved. Which do
you think God cares about more, what our law codes say or what our
people do? D.
When Paul had the opportunity to speak to policy makers,
was his goal to get them to pass God’s laws? No. His goal was to
teach them the gospel. See him before Felix in Acts
24, before Festus in Acts
25, before Agrippa in Acts
26. He didn’t petition them to establish biblically
based laws; he tried to teach them the gospel. No doubt, if these
men became Christians, their policies and laws might change. But
Paul’s point was not to change national policy, Paul’s goal
was to save individual souls. E.
Finally, do we think abortion, homosexuality, poverty and
all the other issues we bicker over politically were any less part
of the Roman culture? Homosexuality was such a part of the culture
Paul had to write against it specifically in passages like Romans
1:26-27. There were poor people all over the Roman Empire
and it was even worse then because socio-economic class was often
established at birth and could hardly be changed. Abortion and
infanticide were practiced among the Romans. Where are the
passages that show the Christians what to do about these political
atrocities that kept Rome from being a Christian Empire? They just
aren’t there. Instead we have passages like I
Corinthians 6:9-11. What was God’s answer to these moral
ills? Not changing national laws and policies but teaching
individuals the gospel so they can be saved and then redeemed from
their immorality. By the way, I think a great argument can be made
that one of the worst things that ever happened to Christ’s
church occurred when Rome supposedly became a Christian empire.
Why would we be so interested in that again? V.
Let’s get back to saving Americans by spreading the
Gospel. A.
I think it is sad that so many politicians play the
religion card. They all want us to know how Christian they are as
if that gives them God’s endorsement. What is worse, however, is
that we Christians often get caught up in it and act like our vote
has to line up with some kind of teaching from God because His
plans are dependent upon our national policy. That just isn’t in
the Bible. B.
I know it is hardly “religiously correct” to say this.
I know I am probably upsetting almost everyone who hears this
sermon because we so want to prove everyone has to vote like us to
serve God properly. But that just isn’t in the Word of God. The
fact is, I don’t think we can make one single claim from the
Bible that suggests God really cares how we vote. Our job in
serving Him is not about our nation’s laws and policies. Our job
is to get the gospel out. If you really want to further God’s
will regarding caring for the poor, get out and help someone who
is poor. If you really want to further God’s will regarding
abortion, teach people the gospel truth about sexual
responsibility and then help support them as they choose to keep a
baby if they have made a mistake. If you really want to further
God’s will regarding homosexuality, show love and concern for
someone who struggles with that sin as you help them overcome by
the grace of God. What good will it do if we change national
policy by our votes but never convince anyone to love God enough
to obey His will on these issues? C.
To be honest, I think one of the reasons we get so up in
arms about voting is because voting is so easy. We go into a
booth, push some buttons where no one can see us and try to elect
officials to pass laws to force people to obey God. Then we pat
ourselves on the back for doing our part in God’s fight against
immorality. We haven’t done anything in God’s fight against
immorality when we vote. We haven’t done anything in God’s
fight against immorality until we start talking to the immoral
about the freedom from sin they can have in Christ Jesus. Let’s
quit trying to save America by trying to make it pass
“Christian” laws and get back to trying to save Americans by
spreading the Gospel. Conclusion:
Brothers and Sisters, I don’t know that God cares whether
or not any nation is a Republic, a Democracy, a Monarchy or a
Dictatorship. However, my own personal view of politics is that a
Democratic Republic with the ability to elect representatives and
have a government that is of, by and for the people is the
greatest form of government that has ever blessed the earth. That,
however, is a political and social view, not a spiritual or
biblical one. I view the ability to vote for representatives who
think like me is one of the greatest privileges we have in our
country and I take it seriously. Frankly, I believe we are allowed
to favor a candidate for any reason or reasons we think are most
important to help protect and preserve our country. With that, I
recognize that because of experience and life circumstance, each
of us may see different issues as the most pressing ones in our
nation. The fact that you don’t see the same issues as pressing
as I do, doesn’t mean you are less of a Christian than I am and
vice versa. So then, for whom should Christians vote for
president, or any other office for that matter? The candidate they
think will most represent their opinions if elected based on
whatever issues they deem are most pressing. Before I end this lesson, I have no doubt someone who is not exactly happy with this sermon is going to come up when I’m through and try to get me to finally admit their candidate is the right one by saying, “I appreciate all you said, but don’t you think Christians should take their Bibles with them into the voting booth?” Of course I do, I think Christians should take their Bibles with them everywhere. I think Christians should let God’s moral law impact every decision they make. I just have recognized there are more biblical issues at play than the one upon which you or I have hung our electoral hats. Further, when you leave the voting booth, don’t think you have done God’s will about whatever issue caused you to vote the way you did, because God has never told you how to vote. He has told you how to live, how to teach and how to bring others to salvation through His Son. So, between now and November 4, if you want to really do something for God’s kingdom and even for our nation, quit trying to convince others to vote like you and start sharing the gospel message of salvation with them.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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