by Chris Reeves
Synopsis: As Christians, we let our lights shine—at work, at home, at play, etc. If we choose to be active in the civil and political arena, Chris encourages us to support causes and campaigns that uphold a biblical worldview.
From the outset, let me say that I am not telling my brethren that they must vote in this upcoming election or any election. I have never, in my preaching, used the pulpit, the pen, or the paper to encourage brethren to “get out and vote.” You decide whether or not you, as a Christian, need to be a part of our current political process. Additionally, I am certainly not telling my brethren what political party with which to affiliate, should they choose to vote. That is a decision they must make with a good and informed conscience. What am I seeking to accomplish in this article? Simply this: If you choose to vote, please consider supporting a candidate that endorses policies that reflect biblical values and not human values.
Another preliminary matter to take into consideration is the politician himself. I do not know of many politicians, men or women, who are faithful and righteous New Testament Christians in every way. I do know of a faithful brother who once served as a small-town Mayor in Florida. Yet, this is the exception and not the rule. Most politicians I know who are running for some office at the local, state, or national level (Republican, Democrat, or Independent), have at least one thing about their ideology, characteristic, or lifestyle, that does not match with the word of God. So, when we vote for someone, we are not endorsing all he stands for; we are merely hoping he will win in order to enact or maintain policies that match with biblical values. Often we take the “lesser of two evils” approach in choosing our candidate. We know that a candidate is not perfect, but we also know that he will uphold some biblical values more than his opponent(s), so that’s why we vote for him.
As faithful Christians, we live by God’s word on a daily basis. We believe God’s word is to be followed in all areas of life. We believe and practice the three “whatsoevers:” “Whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31); “Whatsoever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord” (Col. 3:17); and, “Whatsoever you do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men” (Col. 3:23). In other words, we take our Christianity with us to work, to school, to the neighborhood, to the church building, to the recreational area, and yes, to the voting booth should we choose to go there. Let us now briefly consider some practices in our society that go against the values laid out in God’s word and that we should consider when it comes time to vote.
We are told in God’s word, in both testaments, that God is for life and not for death (Exod. 20:13; Rom. 13:9). One exception, of course, is capital punishment (Gen. 9:6; Exod. 21:12; Acts 25:11; Rom. 13:4). God does not want us to murder others, and yet, abortion, so popular in this country and around the world, is the gross murder of the unborn. According to recent statistics, 862,320 abortions were performed in 2017 in the United States and millions around the world. Abortion is against the biblical principles of life. We know from such passages as Matthew 1:18, 23, and Luke 1:41, 44 that the unborn growing inside the mother’s womb is a “child” and a “babe.” God forms the unborn in the womb (Job 31:15; Ps. 139:13-16), and this “child” and “babe” is a person just like any other person. Many candidates today are in favor of abortion, funding Planned Parenthood, using taxpayers’ money to fund abortion, etc. The current governor of Virginia is even in favor of killing a baby right after it is born, which is straight-up infanticide, and should be strongly denounced! A candidate who openly promotes abortion is not standing for biblical values and should never be supported by a Christian.
We are told in God’s word, in both testaments, that homosexuality is a sin (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Jude 7). It was practiced in Bible times, and it was condemned in those times as well. The LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) “community” may be popular today, but it is a sinful “community.” Calling it a “community” does not change what it is. Homosexuality is a “vile passion” that is “against nature” (Rom. 1:26-27), it will keep one out of the kingdom of heaven (1 Cor. 6:9-11), and it is contrary to God’s law (1 Tim. 1:8-11). As for the so-called “transgender” movement, we know (from the Bible, from genetics, and common sense) that there are just two genders. God made humanity, “male and female,” period (Gen. 1:27). There has been no change from this since the beginning of time. Just saying that you identify as “female” when you are a male (or vice versa) doesn’t make it so. Just saying that the earth is flat doesn’t make it so. A candidate who openly promotes homosexual and transgender lifestyles is not standing for biblical values and should never be supported by a Christian.
From the beginning of time, God has always wanted His people to work (Gen. 2:15). Work is good for the mind and the body. Laziness and slothfulness are condemned in both testaments (Prov. 6:10-11; 10:4-5; 2 Thess. 3:6-15). Not taking care of your own is against biblical values (1 Tim. 5:8). Socialism, now being promoted by some of our politicians and favored by about 20% of Americans, encourages the very thing that God opposes. Socialism says that government (supported by taxes from the hardworking middle class) will pay for things like healthcare and education for everyone. With socialism, everyone, including the lazy and the illegal, is taken care of by the government. You get something for doing nothing. How great is that? However, socialism not only results in economic disaster and governmental oppression, but it also deflates the human spirit and leads to chaos. Socialism is an empty fantasy that does not work in the end (Prov. 12:11; 13:4). Socialism is a welfare state which promotes laziness, and laziness promotes a sinful lifestyle (1 Tim. 5:11-14). When you are up and working hard each week, you don’t have the time or the inclination to get into trouble. We are to work to take care of our needs (1 Thess. 4:11-12; Eph. 4:28), not wait for the government to give us “free” (remember, nothing is truly “free”) handouts. A candidate who openly promotes socialism is not standing for biblical values and should never be supported by a Christian.
From the beginning of time, God has always wanted His people to follow law (Gen. 2:16-17). Law and order are good for any society, and God wants people to be obedient to law (Rom. 13:1-8; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13-17). The one exception, of course, is when laws of men contradict laws of God, in which case we must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Law and order bring peace, prosperity, and protection to any people. Lawless behavior only hurts people. “Lawless” people are unruly, ungodly, and unholy (1 Tim. 1:9). There are political leaders in this country today who are advocating lawlessness. They mock our laws and our legal system. They overturn laws that are already “on the books” and have been for many years. There are mayors, governors, legislators, judges, presidential candidates, district attorneys, etc., who protect illegal aliens and punish law-abiding citizens. These same people are trying to abolish law enforcement agencies that have a lawful right to arrest illegals. They say we should no longer use the word “illegal.” These same individuals are going soft on crime, turning a blind eye to criminality in their cities or states, and releasing criminals from prison before their sentence is done. This is insane! Punishing you and me while coddling the lawbreaker is becoming the “new normal” in this nation. A candidate who openly promotes lawless behavior is not standing for biblical values and should never be supported by a Christian.
God wants a person to keep his mind sober (Titus 2:1-6; 1 Pet. 5:8), God wants a person to be self-controlled (Gal. 5:23), and God wants a person to honor Him with his body and mind (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:19-20). The proper and controlled use of a drug for medicinal purposes is one thing. However, the illegal and uncontrolled use of drugs, prescription or otherwise, goes against sobriety, self-control, and the honorable use of the body. Many politicians today are promoting the legalizing of marijuana for recreational use. The areas where this is happening are “going to pot.” Some mayors, governors, etc., are even supplying clean needles to drug users and “safe places” where they can inject. Law enforcement in some cities run by ungodly liberals are told not to arrest drug users, so these drug users “shoot up” in public and then throw their needles down on the ground. Yes, the sale of pot raises a tremendous amount of cash revenue for the state, but at what terrible cost to the individual and community? Illegal use of drugs is killing thousands every year, and the media typically does not bring attention to it. Did you know that over 67,000 people died in 2018 of drug overdoses? More and more young people are now getting hooked on drugs (pot, crack, heroin, meth, fentanyl, etc.) and losing control of their minds and bodies. Many lose their own lives. I have been personally acquainted with even Christians who have taken their own lives due to drug-related problems. In areas where drug use is promoted, crime goes up, and work/education/healthcare/family goes down. A candidate who openly promotes drug use for recreational purposes is not standing for biblical values and should never be supported by a Christian.
Brethren, these ungodly practices and “such like” (Gal. 5:21) are all wrong and should never be promoted or practiced in this country or anywhere else. We must come to grips with the reality that many politicians running for office today simply are not godly individuals. We are slowly moving away from the “Christian nation” that we once knew, to an atheistic, secular, humanistic nation. Many of the political leaders around us running for office may be “good people,” but they are not godly people. There is a difference. These ungodly people are always going to try and bring their ungodly ideas into the arena of public policy.
In many cases, they have already succeeded. What are we to do about this? We can try to change the thinking of our politicians with the truth of the gospel. If that doesn’t work, at least we can withhold our support from them. As faithful Christians, let us be careful to never give our consent, either directly or indirectly, to any wrong doing (Rom. 1:31; Eph. 5:11).
Author Bio: Chris preaches for the Warfield Blvd. church of Christ in Clarksville, TN. His Bible study website is thegoodteacher.com. He can be reached at chrisreevesmail@gmail.com.
