I shared my thoughts on this topic on social media back in 2020. I felt impressed to share it on the blog now.
I hear so many Christians say the Church should not get involved in politics. Others believe that we’re becoming too involved in politics. I also hear that if we need to solely focus on ministry. That we will not be a witness to unbelievers by pointing out sin. There is a balance. Yes, we have to focus on ministry. God must at all times remain our priority. However, I just can’t help but believe we as the Church have a moral obligation, and Biblical mandate to be involved in politics. At least the bare minimum of voting in elections and speaking up in regard to Biblical truths. Jesus told us that we are the salt and light of the world.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:13-16
We are not meant to blend in with the world. We are not meant to look and sound like the world. We are meant to stand out. We are supposed to be different – look differently, speak differently, live differently. Light does not look like the darkness. Salt is used as a preservative and instead of preserving a godly culture, we’re allowing the decay of our society and culture at record speed.
The Church is failing in the United States of America. We are failing to be the salt and the light. It’s said that silence is consent. Well, the Church’s silence is deafening and we’re consenting to absolute evils in this nation. The world is celebrating evil openly and the political left is advocating for these evils to be the law of the land. What about abortion is godly? What about same-sex marriage is godly? What about denying two genders is godly? Where is the godliness in encouraging children to believe they are a different gender/sex? Where is the godliness in sex changes? Especially for young children? What is godly about legally taking children from parents who refuse to “affirm” their child’s wrong beliefs about their sex? What is godly about socialism? What is godly about forcing people to fund abortions? What is godly about a one-world government? What is godly about the political left’s platform?
The Church needs to wake up! We have been deceived and have become complacent in the enemy’s schemes. When we decide it’s not our place to get politically involved in our country, we are allowing the world to be the standard in which we live. When we decide to just be quiet and “love our neighbor” we are actually assisting in their spiritual rot and death. How will unbelievers know they are living in sin if the Church doesn’t tell them? How does the world know right from wrong if the Church hides its light under a basket? How does our neighbor know they need a Savior if we just accept them as they are and don’t judge their lifestyle? How do we go out and make disciples and change nations if we’re too cowardly to go out and speak the truth? Jesus was perfectly fine to tell people to “go and sin no more.” Why aren’t we? Jesus didn’t have a problem telling the woman at the well that she has had five husbands and the man she’s living with now is not her husband. He pointed out her sin. He didn’t say, “oh, it’s okay that you have had multiple marriages and are now living an ungodly lifestyle. You do you, girl.” No, He confronted her. Why? Because He loved her enough to tell her she was wrong. When my daughter doesn’t read a word correctly I don’t allow her to continue reading incorrectly. I stop her and correct her. I don’t correct her because I’m mean, I correct her because I love her enough to want her to be able to read well! Her life will be vastly better if she gets corrected and told how to read properly. I’d rather her feelings be hurt for a bit than her never learn an important truth. I’m not suggesting we go out and be unnecessarily rude and hurtful to people, but we also cannot remain silent out of fear that someone’s feelings might be hurt. Everyone today is easily offended. And it’s not the Church’s job to not offend. It’s the Church’s job to speak the truth in love, but we have to speak the truth. And sadly, the majority of Christians don’t even know the truth! Most people who call themselves Christians don’t know exactly when or if abortion is justifiable. Most Christians think it’s acceptable for people to love whomever they are attracted to. Most Christians think it’s ungodly to have borders. I could go on and on, but my point is simply that the Church is failing because we are not committed enough to even learn the truth for ourselves let alone have the boldness to say it out loud.
We as Americans have the unique privilege and duty to participate in our government. We have the privilege and duty to determine the state of our country, its well-being, and the well-being of its citizens. We get to choose the laws we live by which determines the culture and society we live in. We can choose a government that believes government should be limited in its power over its citizens, or we can choose a government that controls the way we live. We can choose a government that allows us to raise our children the way we as parents see fit, or we can choose a government that believes it should control our children and raise them how it sees fit. We can choose laws that will endorse freedom, or choose laws that create slaves. We can choose godly laws or ungodly laws. We have the power, but by voting for immoral platforms or not voting at all, we give up that power. We need to vote for platforms and policies, not individuals. There will never be a candidate that you will agree with 100% on every single issue. There will never be a candidate who looks and acts just like Jesus. Candidates are not perfect people. Why is the Church as a whole obsessed with only voting for “perfect” candidates? There are no perfect people therefore no perfect candidates. People will always fall short of the glory of God. People will always make mistakes. People will always fail. Stop looking for Jesus on the ballot! He’s not there and He never will be! However, Jesus can be seen in the platforms and policies of candidates, and He can also be absent from platforms and policies.
Church, we need to vote for candidates with the most godly platforms and policies. If a platform advocates for the death of innocent life, then Jesus is absent from that platform. If a platform promotes laws that will restrict the Church, then Jesus is absent from that platform. Do not vote for that candidate!
John 10:10 and Deuteronomy 30:19 lay it out pretty well for us – if it has life in it, it’s Jesus and choose it; if it has death in it, it’s not from Jesus and reject it.
We also need to be informed and not just look to social media, the mainstream media, or even friends and family. We need to do our own research and seek truth with the help of the Spirit of God. So many ballot issues are worded to cause confusion and misunderstanding, so it’s important to know what’s actually on the ballot that we’re voting for. We also need to look into each candidate and not just believe everything we read or hear on social media. Haven’t you ever been lied about? Hasn’t anyone ever told lies about you just to ruin your reputation? Yet, we don’t think candidates would ever lie about their opponents. Fact-check these people and their campaigns.
So why is it important that Christians vote in elections? We are the salt and light. We should be the head and not the tail. We should be determining the way our country goes – godly direction or ungodly? We should be determining whether we live in a society that is moral or immoral. We are commanded to go and make disciples, but we can’t do very well if we’re not allowed to live by the Bible in our free country. We are limiting what we can do and say by not voting. We are limiting how far we can reach the lost when we decide we have no place in politics. And yes, the Church in Acts was able to do SO much in a world that heavily persecuted them, but we are not currently living in a country where we don’t have a say. We currently live in a free nation and are willingly handing that over to the ungodly. The early Church didn’t have the luxury and freedom to vote for their rulers and laws – we do!
John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days…”
Jeremiah 29:7 “And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”
Proverbs 31:8-9 “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”
Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
I Peter 2:15-16 “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.”
Fearless Joy 