Close Menu X
Navigate

Pastor Jay's Blog

You Will Know Them By Their Votes

 

When Jesus spoke those penetrating words in Matt 7:20, “you will know them by their fruits” he clearly was speaking about the outworking’s of a person’s whole life. But a part of our lives as Americans is that we get to vote. This means our voting is necessarily one of the fruits of our lives, by which our profession of faith will either be supported or refuted.

Christians vote because Christians are called to love their neighbor. Since votes eventually lead to policies, and policies eventually impact lives, Christians cannot shrug off the responsibility to vote. Let’s be clear though. Christians do not put their hope in government or politics. The gospel is the only power which regenerates hearts and changes eternities. That is the ultimate reality; the one which dominates and preoccupies the people of God. Yet, we still concern ourselves with the general good of those made in the image of God.

Voting matters because worldview matters. And, by the way, the 2016 vote matters immensely because the worldview implications will reverberate for generations. The person elected to office will possibly be choosing three Supreme Court justices, potentially even 4, and those selections will last for decades. The impact and consequences of those selections is seen in one horrifying example from the past: Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that resulted in the death of over 50 million babies. That happened because of worldview. Joe Carter summed up the worldview implications of the 2016 vote this way, “If there is a pro-abortion president in the White House and 60 pro-abortion lawmakers in the Senate, then they will block the appointment of any justices who might vote against pro-abortion laws. The result is that a pro-life loss in the next election may mean the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade will be lost for another two generations.” The life and death of your neighbor hangs in the balance, and your voting, your worldview, can tip the scales.

Every life and every culture is driven by some worldview. And since our country is governed by the people, the people of our nation determine which worldview we will operate by. So, which worldview will bring about the most good for people? We believe that only the biblical worldview provides the necessary conditions for logic, morality, and science. With a biblical worldview as a foundation, people flourish because they are operating in the world as God intended. This is true whether or not they realize its biblical roots.

Therefore, we are called to examine each candidate and determine which person will bring us closer to a biblical worldview. That is the goal. The goal is not creating a theocracy. We are not trying to make America a giant church with the president as the lead pastor. This means sometimes we will have to vote for the lesser of two evils. It can also be the unfortunate situation that a Christian is running against a non-believer, yet the non-believer is far more competent to run the country in a way that brings the most good according to a biblical worldview. There are incompetent Christians. Simply being a believer does not make you a good leader. As Martin Luther said, he would rather be governed by a smart Turk than a stupid Christian.

So what should we be looking for in a candidate? If the person professes to be a Christian, look for the fruits of new birth such as a fear of God and not a fear of man; a commitment to and protection of the sanctity of life; a protection of conscience and religious liberty; truthfulness, humility, and an ordered and faithful home life and marriage. If they are not a professing Christian, see if they nonetheless operate their lives by a morality shaped by a biblical worldview, even though they hold to an erroneous theological position. Morality matters. It is one of the first outworkings of a biblical worldview, whether they know it or not, and a leader who is not personally moral will not lead our nation toward morality. Morality will not get anyone into heaven, but it will keep a person and a nation on the earth for a lot longer.

Subordinate to morality, but still important, is competence. Look for competence and abilities such as knowledge, clear and forceful communication, convictional leadership, and productivity. If these features are not in place, the person will not be effective. They might be a fine Christian, but they are seeking the wrong job.

The predominate worldview of our nation will become clear in November. If it takes us far from truth and safety, then Christians reaffirm that they are citizens of a heavenly city, and we open our arms and the gospel to those beaten down and disillusioned with the consequences of their living and voting. If our nation goes in a direction that aligns with a biblical worldview, Christians simply reaffirm they are still citizens of a heavenly kingdom and rejoice that the gospel can spread a little easier for a while.

Leave a Comment

SPAM protection (do not modify):

Leave this field untouched:

Do not change this field:
Leave this field untouched: