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The Christian and Election Season - 11.3.2024 Bulletin
The Christian and Election Season
Once every four years in November our country chooses which candidate is going to lead our nation as president for the next four years. While this is not the only person we elect on that day, it is certainly the most important and attracts the most attention. In the months, or even the entire year leading up to election day there is great debate over which candidate is better suited to lead our country. This debate at times can become very heated. Even after the election is over and we know which candidate will be sworn into office, there are still heated debates. One side is happy the other side is upset. It is a very tiring process that really never ends.
The Bible is not silent on how the Christian should view the government. In Matthew 22.15-22, the Pharisees are trying to entangle Jesus in His words regarding the temple tax. They asked Him, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Jesus first responds by asking the Pharisees, “Whose likeness and inscription” is on the coin they gave Him. To which they replied, Caesar. Jesus then tells them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” The Christian has an obligation to obey and respect the government and its leaders, not just the leaders we more or less align with. I know that can be a tough pill to swallow. After all, it was God who created the government in the first place, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13.1). Verses 2-7 of Romans 13 go on to explain how Christians are expected to be good citizens and stewards to the government they are subjected to. Over the years there have been good leaders and bad leaders, but regardless Christians are to respect their authority, because they have been appointed by God (Romans 13.2).
Jesus also said in His response to the Pharisees, “to God the things that are God’s.” While the Christian has allegiance to their government, we have a greater allegiance to God. We are to be obedient and submissive to the government up until the point where the government interferes with us being submissive to God. When Peter and the apostles were commanded not to preach by the council, they did so anyway because “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5.29). Obedience to God trumps all else. Earthly leadership is temporary, God’s rule is eternal, it lasts forever.
It is in God’s eternal reign the Christian can find comfort and peace amidst political turmoil. All political leaders in this country and around the world are servants of God (Romans 13.4, 6). We are not going to know how, but God is working out His plan through them. The good and bad leaders God uses. Political unrest and turmoil have been around since the beginning of time and will exist to the end of time. There will always be wickedness and evil around us. There will always be trying times. There will always be times when we don’t understand why things are the way they are. Just because these exist doesn’t mean God isn’t still in control. One of the most comforting scriptures to me is Habakkuk 1.5. During the time of Habakkuk, the wickedness of Judah was great, and in verse 4, Habakkuk says, “So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.” What is God’s response? “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told” (1.5). We can’t see behind the curtain; we can’t know the interworking’s of God’s plan. What can we know? God has a plan, and He is working it out as He sees fit. He later tells Habakkuk, “the righteous shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2.4). That is our job. That is how we find peace and comfort in a world of chaos and distress.
So, during the election season let us not get so deep in the weeds of the politics that we miss the greater picture, God is in control, not the politicians. We should pray for our leaders to lead in a way God sees fit, even if they are not the ones we voted for. We should pray for good to win and rise and evil to be cast low and defeated. We should pray for faith and trust in God’s plan for our country and the world even when we don’t understand it. Never stop believing that God is working. If we put our faith in politicians, we will be repeatedly disappointed. If we put out faith and trust in God, we will never be disappointed. Serve the Jehovah to the best of your ability no matter what is going on around you.
DS
- Glad_Tidings_11.3.2024_PDF.pdf (4.09 MB)
