A Choice Best Kept Between You and God Election Day

2Timothy 2: 23 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

Every year we face another election in this country that is supposed to be the "most important in our lifetime." Bluster aside; I do believe politically these elections become more important as we continue to head deeper into these end times. But what Christians often miss is that the reason they become more and more important is because time is running out on eternity. Jesus Christ is coming back for His church and with each passing day, the world heads towards an eternity apart from their Creator.

Inevitably this season routinely becomes about pursuing the ambitions of men in the temporal instead of a reminder of God and the eternal. Christians are looked upon by the world as intellectually inferior for 11 months out of the year; but October? That is when we have value to the world because we can cast a vote. And the world will stop at nothing to convince us that their candidate is the best Christian option available. They will drag out the social wedge issues to divide us against each other and rail against the sin du jour so we can somehow feel a bit better about our own failings as a people. I actually have no problem with advocating for the "lesser of two evils" as long as you do not lose sight of the fact that you are ultimately advocating for evil:

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5: 20

The sad truth is that neither political party cares about the cause of Christ. They care about power, greed, and control. Both parties. I do not want to discuss the virtues of either party because there is nothing of virtue in them. They do not have the things of God in mind but the things of men.

I can hear the Christo-political activists already complaining. Aren't we as Christians supposed to affect the culture around us? Absolutely. But how we do it is more important than the mere fact of doing it.

"You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. Matthew 5: 14-15 (NLT)

This is a favorite verse for many who espouse trying to affect Christian change in a secular culture but as always, context is paramount. And the following verse summarizes what Jesus is saying here:

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5: 16 (NLT)

Our witness to the world begins with our lives and how we lead them. We are supposed to be a shining light on a hill not so people will see us, but rather that they will see Christ in us. There are too many talking Christians and not enough walking Christians. You see, when you read the Gospels, you will see Jesus teaching us how to live our lives as His followers; not how to tell other people to live their lives. Paul correctly summarizes for us what the message has to be about:

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. 1Corinthians 2: 1-5

The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He was a well educated man who possessed great wisdom and knowledge of the religiosity of his time. He correctly recognized however that human wisdom does not bring anyone to the foot of the cross. He recognized that human wisdom cannot support faith only the power of God can. In all of my human wisdom I once offered the notion to my pastor that there were some sermons that were "salvation-based" and others dealing with spiritual maturity. From a human standpoint, that is filled with the wisdom of man. It is logical and practical. But he looked at me and said if any sermon cannot be brought back to Calvary's cross than it isn't worth preaching. And he was right.

Then should we vote at all? Absolutely. We live in a country where we have been blessed with a freedom not everyone in this world has. It is a blessing from God to be able to voice our concerns for this nation through our privilege to vote. It is not something that should be taken lightly. Should it be something that is taken in the context of what we believe? Absolutely again. We should be concerned with the positions candidates take on every issue, not just a select handful. We should be equally concerned about their character when we vote. The pitfall we often fall into however is in confusing the absolute truth of God's Word with any given candidate or political party. There are no righteous candidates:

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." The poison of vipers is on their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3: 9-18

This includes us beloved. None are righteous, not even one. The only righteousness we have is through the blood of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, sometimes things like elections can be so polarizing that we lose sight of these facts given to us in the Word of God. We can begin to think that somehow our vote is needed to help God and His purposes. Paul teaches otherwise:

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. Romans 13: 1(NLT)

The truth is that God does not belong to any party. The theology of Jesus Christ is extremely liberal in many areas, especially in light of the conservative party of His day the Pharisees. The letter of the law of God is extremely conservative in light of the decaying moral fabric of our times. God is above the frailties of human nature.

So, should we try to influence culture? Yes, but we do so with how we live our lives. It all has to come back to Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We should take Election Day as an opportunity to draw closer to God in prayer to see His will for this given election. There is an old truism that says you never discuss religion and politics in mixed company and that is because there are no greater dividing subjects in human history. When they converge as they do every Election Day for us, it becomes even more dangerous waters to navigate. That brings us to the key verse for today.

It does us no good to engage in foolish and stupid arguments because as Paul teaches, it will lead to quarrels. We have so much to agree about as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. There is so much that unites us and the devil wants us focusing on what divides us. Do not give in to the temptation to believe that your political stance has somehow adopted the absolute truth that we know only exists in the Word of God. Pray and vote as God leads you knowing and trusting the promises of God:

You can make many plans, but the L ord 's purpose will prevail. (Proverbs 19:21 (NLT)

No matter how you vote, the Lord's purpose will prevail. No matter who is running for office, the Lord's purpose will prevail. No matter who is elected, the Lord's purpose will prevail. None are righteous but Him. Only His plan prevails. And let's all agree and praise God for that this election season.

Reverend Anthony Wade October 29, 2010