Exercise Your Right to Vote, But Don’t Neglect These Biblical Responsibilities (What In the World Wednesday)

Tuesday, November 3 is an election day in America. As a midterm election, there are lots of congressional seats up for grabs, gubernatorial races, and a litany of local matters on the ballot. 

It also means you’ve been bombarded with text messages and political ads. My wife and I voted early, which brought an end to the text messages (but unfortunately not the mail). Now there’s a motivation to vote early! 

While the text messages ended, the political grandstanding and debating on social media has not. And there is a fair amount of the content in my feed that comes from the Christian perspective. 

Much of it involves biblical debates over political platforms and key issues. Certainly there is a time and place for those discussions, but my desire is to call attention to something simple no one seems to be saying.

Exercise your right to vote, but let’s not neglect our Biblical responsibilities as Christians to the state. Allow me to explain.

Exercise Your Right to Vote

Some people question whether Christians should vote. For me, there’s no question.

While the Bible doesn't command us to vote, neither does it prohibit political participation. In fact, Paul exercised the rights afforded him as a Roman citizen (Acts 22:25–29). Our system of government gives us the opportunity to participate in choosing our leaders and influencing public policy through peaceful elections.

So, in short, my take on it is that as Christians in America, we can vote so we should vote.

But what’s interesting is that the Bible was written in historical and political contexts in which people had limited rights and a limited voice in the political process. Most of the people to whom the New Testament was originally addressed had no meaningful opportunity to choose their rulers. 

So, the Bible doesn’t refer specifically to our right to vote, but the Bible is clear about Christian responsibilities in relationship to the state. Again, exercise your right to vote, but don’t neglect these Biblical responsibilities. 

The Responsibility of Home (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Ephesians 6:4)

God’s design is for the family to carry foundational responsibilities in society. Reform doesn’t begin in the White House. Reform begins at my house, your house, our neighbor’s house. 

For the most part, rulers are a product of society. The person in the White House came out of someone’s home, shares our history, was shaped by our culture, and was influenced by our societal values.

We are paying attention to what’s happening in Washington. Are we paying attention to what’s happening at home?

The responsibility of raising children was never meant to be farmed out to the government. The most important lessons children learn should begin at home. That's where they learn to love God and others, respect authority, work, and contribute to something larger than themselves.

The Responsibility of Prayer (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

I am grateful for our Bill of Rights, particularly the freedoms of speech and religion. It is well within our rights to have a voice in the public square and express our opinion. But it is our Christian responsibility to pray for all who are in authority. 

You voted. Did you pray?

You expressed your opinion on social media. Did you pray?

I am going to vote for the people who I believe will give me the greatest opportunity to lead a peaceful and quiet life. But win or lose, it is my responsibility as a Christian to pray for whoever is in authority. 

The Responsibility to Respect Authority (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17)

Knowing the historical context of Roman rule and imminent Christian persecution makes these passages even more astounding. The first readers of these passages were living a hard life and having to live out a hard truth.

As Christians, we don’t do what we do because of who “they” are. We say, act, and do what we do because of who Christ is. You may not like who’s in charge of our country, but as Christians we are always under the authority of Christ.

Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 remind us that governing authorities are accountable to God, and so are we. We are called to respect authority, even when we disagree with those exercising it. And if obedience to Christ brings us into conflict with government, our conduct should still reflect the character of Christ. 

We may suffer evil from those who are in authority. We are never to be the source of it. 

The Responsibility of Community (Jeremiah 29:5-7)

The context of Jeremiah 29:5-7 is Israel in Babylonian exile. They certainly didn’t like where they lived – but God told them to make a life. Establish homes, families, plant gardens and seek the welfare of the city. 

We are not called to shelter in place but to be a blessing to our community. Non-Christians should be grateful for the presence of Christians. If a church closed down, the community ought to miss it because of the benefit it was to the community.

The Responsibility of the Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8)

Ultimately, every Christian is in exile. This may be our country, but this is not home (1 Peter 2:11). We are acutely aware that this life is not all there is. We have to live, work, eat, and do business in our community. Elections have consequences, so we want to vote for the people we think will give our communities the greatest opportunity to flourish.

While elections change things, one thing should never change. We are here to share the gospel. The eternal difference isn’t made at the ballot box. An eternal difference is made when a person hears the truth of the gospel, repents of sin, and turns by faith to Jesus Christ for salvation. Souls matter! 

CONCLUSION:

Next Tuesday, we have the privilege of voting. But when the election is over, our biblical responsibilities remain. Regardless of who wins, we are still called to pray, honor, serve, speak truthfully, and live as citizens of heaven.