Pick a Side

     “Are you a Republican or a Democrat? Or are you a Libertarian?” “Don’t you know that democrats are going to hell?” “Don’t you know that republicans are a bunch of racists who call themselves Christians?” “Pastors should just shut up when it comes to politics.”

     These are pretty common phrases that probably every one of you reading this have heard. Though most of you probably have your own political views, how should a Christian decide how to vote and what to think? While some warn that politics and religion should never mix, I submit to you that Scripture has given us instruction on how to make decisions and form views politically. 

     Before you click off thinking that I am going to tell you what political party a Christian should vote for, think again. Though I would love to go into the history of each party examining what ideals each adhere to, that would make this much too long. My goal is to show you the relationship between politics and Christianity and how to rationally deduce the most biblical response.

     Though many are quite interested in the subject of politics and spend much of their time studying, researching, and becoming involved with it, why should we, as Christians, even care? Some Christians do not spend more than 10 minutes of their entire lives thinking about politics. We should care, though, because God created government with a purpose. He commands us to take part in it, and as ambassadors of Jesus, Christians should have something to say when our biblical worldview is challenged.

     In Romans 13, Paul states that “those [authorities] that exist have been instituted by God,” (Romans 13:1). Paul then states that anyone who “resists the authorities resists what God has appointed,” (Romans 13:2). Paul continues to say that if you want to live without fear of the government, you should do good. Paul is showing that the purpose of government is to reward good and punish evil. This is not only found here; it is also in 1 Peter 2:14 where Peter says that governors are sent “to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” This shows that God has set up governments and rulers as His servants to bear the sword and punish that which is evil.

     These passages do not merely tell us that God instituted government and gave it a specific purpose. These passages also tell us to “be subject to the governing authorities,” (Romans 13:1) and to “also pay taxes,” (Romans 13:6). We see these same commands repeated in Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:12, and Matthew 22:21. God has told us to be submissive, be respectful, and pay taxes to the authorities we are under. As Christians, we should not be known as citizens who are violent, resist paying the taxes required, and tell our local and national governors to shove it. We should be respectful, pay taxes, and pray for the messengers of God which He set up. 

     We should also care about politics for this major reason. We, as Christians, are ambassadors of Jesus Messiah, representatives of the true King (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are to obey His commands and be faithful to Him. As we grow more and more, we conform more and more to the image of Christ. Paul states in 2 Corinthians that “we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete,” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). Paul states that we should attack every argument that challenges the truth of the gospel and Word of God. While this might not always look like physical confrontation with another individual, it certainly means that the Church should have an opinion when politics make moral claims. If all the government did was pave roads and build buildings, there would be very little the church could dogmatically articulate on those subjects. However, when political outlets, leaders, and governors make moral statements, the Church should stand strong on those points. As long as politics involve moral statements and actions, the Christian should care deeply.

     The fact that we are ambassadors of God is not only the main reason why we should care about politics and government; it also gives us insight into how to make political decisions. If you think about all of the major issues in politics today, like Critical Race Theory, Socialism, Communism, LGBTQ+, etc., do any of them make moral statements? If it does, then we should have a biblically informed and supported opinion on that political matter. For example, the LGBTQ+ movement makes claims about marriage. Marriage is an institute created by God. Because of this, Christians must analyze the claims that LGBTQ+ ideology makes and compare them to Scripture. Churches cannot play dumb or act as if it is such a complicated issue that Christians can have all kinds of opinions on it. Churches must stand on the Word of God and destroy all arguments against Scripture. 

     The last issue Christians face in the world of politics is deciding who to vote for and what political party to be associated with. This becomes much more nuanced as you are no longer just dealing with moral issues, but people who stand for a whole host of moral issues. For example, at the time of this post, the presidential election that is about to happen will likely be between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. We as Christians must do many things. First, we must assess what each candidate says that they stand for. If one candidate stands for more biblical ideals than the other, then they will likely be the better candidate. We must also nuance the assessment more by distinguishing the moral policies the candidates vote/stand for and the moral decisions they make personally. Someone might not personally have a good biblical obedience, but support policies that are biblical. In our assessment of candidates, we may have the opportunity to pick the good and best option, or we may be stuck with having to pick the lesser of two evils. It is not as simple as saying, “Democrats are going to hell” or, “Republicans are a bunch of racists who call themselves Christians.” One party may have more candidates who agree and vote for biblical policies, but not always. 

     We do not have the liberty to not care as Christians. Certainly we should not be in people’s faces about how terrible they or their policies/politics are. But, we should not act as if Scripture says nothing about it either. If someone challenges the truth of God, defend it boldly and lovingly. Pay your taxes. Honor your rulers. Care about your government. And most of all, proclaim the truth of the gospel to all. God has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light to glorify Himself. Let us do this by having meaningful conversations and standing for His Word.