Missing at the Ballot Box

I often encounter Christians who do not believe they should get involved in politics or government.  Unfortunately, this means that many of them do not exercise their right to vote.  That belief is difficult to understand.  In 1776, before placing their signatures on the Declaration of Independence, our Forefathers pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to ensure that we would have the right to choose our leaders.  Many of those men died, lost their families, their homes, and their fortunes because of their commitment.  However, even if we discount and push aside what our Forefathers sacrificed on our behalf since they were mere men, we cannot discount what God says. 

Do you know the Bible instructs believers to vote and utilize the freedom bestowed on them?  Moreover, do you realize the Bible instructs us to study the candidates to be certain of their character before we cast our votes for them?  Deuteronomy 1:13 asserts:

“Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.” (ESV)

Exodus 18:21 says:

“But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.” (ESV)

Because these are Old Testament passages, we might ask if they apply to us. They do!  We cannot select which parts of Scripture we want to apply and obey.  Believing the Bible is an all or nothing proposition.  God’s words spoken 2000 years ago are just as relevant today as they were to the Israelites heading to the Promised Land.  The verbs “choose” and “select” used in these passages mean “to pick out or make a choice among several options.”  God proclaims, “Elect who you want as your leaders.” 

According to MyFaithVotes.org, 25 million registered Christian voters in America typically do not vote in presidential elections.  The website continues to report that one third of Americans who claim Christ as their Savior do not vote on a consistent basis¹.  In November 2020, Christianity Today reported that the number of Christians registered to vote in the United States fell sharply since 2008², with the Pew Research Center denoting an actual 15% drop over those 12 years³.  Millions of Christians who could assert a godly influence on our government and our culture by voting through the lens of a biblical worldview are consistently missing at the ballot box. 

Christ followers opposed to involvement in politics or government will argue that politics are of the world and that believers should not participate in anything of the world.  That is opposite of Jesus’ teachings.  In John 17:15, Jesus did not pray that God would take His followers out of the world, but rather He asked God to protect them from evil because, until Jesus takes them home, this is the world in which they dwell.  Christians cannot continue to hide behind extra-biblical platitudes and Pharisaical postures.  Jesus’ Great Commission found in Matthew 28: 18-20 was not a suggestion.  Christians must stand for truth.  In my judgment, much of the blame for our culture’s moral decay falls at the feet of Christians, the Church, because we rejected our calling out of either fear of retribution or apathy.  In Matthew 5:13-14 Jesus taught that we are to be salt and light to the world.  His intention was for us to have godly influence on others and a positive impact on our world.  Running away from politics or hiding our heads in the sand from what we consider messy, hoping it goes away, is opposite of fulfilling a courageous call from Christ to make disciples. 

Unless providentially hindered from making it to the voting booth, no excuse exists for Christians to abstain from voting.  Claiming a spiritual or a biblical excuse to toss away our God-given right to vote is unsupportable.  Here are my recommendations for the November 8, 2022 mid-term election:

1. Resolve within yourself to vote, even if it means waiting in line, and ask God to provide wisdom.
2. Research the candidates before going to the voting center.  Multiple websites exist that provide candidate information but it does take time and effort to research.
3. Vote on Election Day rather than voting early if possible.  Voting on Election Day greatly reduces the possibility of vote manipulation. Remember, we do live in a broken world.
4. Pray for America asking God to give us godly leaders who are capable of doing the job well, who fear Him and who are trustworthy as Exodus 18:21 instructs.

We can make a difference for Christ, our posterity and ourselves by taking this responsibility seriously and showing up to vote.  Thank God, we still have the right to vote.  If we are not careful, that liberty may soon vanish.